Taking a stab at the art of combat choreography

Mike Winderman considers himself a peaceful man despite his propensity for punching, stabbing and slapping. Cross him and he’ll most likely turn the other cheek. Insult him and he’ll retort softly in vocabulary well beyond most people. But, yell “Action” and Mike swings or slices or kicks at a designated target with alarming deadly force.

“The idea is to create the illusion of violence,” Mike says. “That’s what stage combat is all about.”

Mike teaches fencing when he’s not running The Bookery in downtown Coeur d’Alene with his mother, Marge Winderman, and dog, Pepper. He also occasionally choreographs fight scenes for Inland Northwest plays and operas. He never billed himself as a fight choreographer, but theater producers assumed he had the skill after he earned certification as a fencing master in 1998.

“I had no experience, but they didn’t care,” he says. “There was no one else.”

Which is why Mike convinced Brad Waller, the stage combat choreographer for the Washington Opera of Washington, D.C., to offer a two-day stage combat workshop at Spokane Falls Community College this August.

“There’s no stage combat program in any college in the area,” Mike says. “Brad is one of the best instructors in the country.”

Brad has more than 300 stage productions to his credit. He apprenticed with Paddy Crean, the founder of combat choreography and fight master to Errol Flynn and Sir Laurence Olivier. Brad works with Placido Domingo, the Shakespeare Theater, Smithsonian Institution and more. He’s a certified fight teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors and founder of the World Wide Stage Combat Society.

Mike met him in 1998, shortly after earning his fencing master certification. Fencing was a fascination Mike developed watching Three Musketeers movies as a boy. He held his first sword in 1987 and never stopped studying the art.

Some Spokane folks starting a baroque festival six years ago decided Mike was their best bet to stage an historical combat scene. Mike declined, knowing nothing about theatrics. But it was his knowledge of battle moves the group wanted.

“They wanted simple patterns, standard fencing,” he says.

The group was so pleased, it hired Mike for the following year’s festival. He hunted for a teacher to fit his skills to the stage and found Brad at a stage combat workshop in Banff. More than 150 people from 18 countries attended the weeklong workshop that lasted 10 hours a day.

“I learned more about fencing and martial arts in a week than I had in four years,” Mike says.

He met Paddy Crean, who was in a wheelchair then and is now dead. Mike had no idea who he was until Paddy talked about how clumsy Errol Flynn was.

In Brad, Mike found a kindred spirit. Historical combat from jousting and classical fencing to French martial arts and small sword play fascinated both men. Mike began attending every workshop he could that Brad taught and applying his new skills to Inland Northwest stage productions.

Mike choreographed fights in the Spokane Opera’s production of “Don Giovanni,” North Idaho College’s “Roshoman” and Gonzaga University’s “Life’s a Dream.” He taught a non-credit class, Zorro 101, at NIC in stage fighting techniques.

He taught dancers and martial artists to stab past a body to suggest contact. He showed them how to punch forward with one fist while drawing back and punching themselves just above the breast to create the punch sound. He taught them to fall and roll without hurting themselves.

Two years ago, Mike’s teaching took a great leap forward when he filled in during rehearsals for an actor in the Washington, D.C., Opera’s production of Verdi’s “Othello.” The performer was held up in U.S. Customs. His Othello character suffered a slice across the stomach. Mike had to double over, then take two 10-foot stage falls out of the arms of other performers. His experience was good until his last day. The other performers slightly turned him on his side before his last fall so he had to slap the stage hard to prevent hurting himself.

“It gave me a new perspective when I taught,” he says, smiling.

Spokane Civic Theater’s Deborah McCandless is excited that a top stage combat expert will share his skills in the area this summer. Seasoned performers stage fight scenes at the Spokane theater now, but all performers could benefit from such a workshop, she says.

“It would be a great resource,” she says.

Bonnie Haleen, an independent director in Coeur d’Alene, works primarily with amateur actors who have no stage combat training. She also works in the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theater box office. Brad’s workshop is the final weekend of the theater’s busy season, which means some actors won’t be able to make it.

“This kind of training is not readily available and it’s not something you think about until you need it,” Bonnie says. “Any time roughhousing happens on stage, it has to be choreographed so no one gets hurt. A workshop is a great idea. I just wish it was at a different time.”

Roger Welch, the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theater’s artistic director, is a certified stage combat choreographer. Most performers with whom he works have no stage fight training, but he has no problem teaching them the moves, he says.

“It’s absolutely necessary in theater to have those skills and the training is lots of fun, too. I use my training all the time,” Roger says. He’s considering attending the second day of Brad’s workshop, after the Summer Theater closes for the season.

Brad arranged a visit to Coeur d’Alene this August to work with Mike on 16th century Italian grappling, wrestling and knife-fighting. Mike suggested he offer a stage combat workshop while he was here.

“Having someone of his caliber here only happened once before and participation was by invitation only,” Mike says. “Anyone in the theater should go and anyone who wants to fight like Errol Flynn. Brad is great. If you’re not having fun, he gets insulted.”