Honors College adviser drawn to action and beauty of stunt and stage combat

By MALLORY EVANS contributing writer

The intricacies of a violent, choreographed sword-fighting scene in a college production of “Hamlet” led Sara Hodges to pursue an extensive career and passion for stunt and stage combat.

A 2005 theatre graduate from JMU, Hodges harbored interests in performance and martial arts early in her undergraduate career. Since returning to her alma mater in 2007 as an academic adviser in the Honors College, she’s continued to foster an appreciation for stunt and combat work, propelling her to attend and present at conventions and workshops.

Most recently, she helped coordinate the “A-Town Throw Down” at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, an annual stage combat and stunt conference. This year’s event assembled instructors, performers and various professionals to participate in three days of classes, lectures and demonstrations from May 26-28. Activities included exercises for film, theatre, self defense and mock auditions. Since 2007, Hodges said she’s been a staple at workshops such as A-Town Throw Down, which she’s helped coordinate for several years.

“At this point in my life,” Hodges said, “my involvement is primarily with the ones I helped to coordinate, or otherwise run.”

These action-packed nationwide conferences occur frequently throughout the year. Although there were periods when Hodges questioned her availability and commitment for events due to responsibilities at JMU, her continued enjoyment prompted her to take on a more managerial role.

“The more that I was involved, the more I thought I could be good at this and I might enjoy that. I just got really, really interested in helping to run these things smoothly,” Hodges said.

Even though these programs are overarchingly designed to teach people about stage combat techniques and enhance physical awareness, each conference is distinct.

For the particular May conference, Hodges said, it was nice how “Atlanta is really a hotbed of filming, so we also have a bunch of stunt work.” The A-Town Throw Down has more flexibility to bring a variety of unusual performers, she said, because the conference is three days instead of a more-typical two.

Martial arts and professional stunt work, two areas the conference highlights, are classified as authorized combat sports, as detailed in the U.S. Legal Combative Sports Law. So too, however, is wrestling, a sport Hodges initially questioned as to its validity and intrigue.

“Professional wrestling, not a lot of people realize, is the most prominent example of stage combat out there,” Hodges said. “I grew up in a home where professional wrestling was very lowbrow. And then I realized, getting into stage combat, I can watch this all the time. I very much enjoy picking out the techniques and kind of seeing what they’re doing.”

Aside from her involvement with stunt and combat around the country, she has also shared her skillset closer to home at JMU.

She even collaborates with Harrisonburg High School when she’s requested to help choreograph a show.

“I’ve been very fortunate to do some productions with The School of Theatre and Dance over the years,” Hodges said. “The last one I did with JMU was in 2018 — a production of a show called ‘She Kills Monsters,’ which is very ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ themed.”

As an area of study, most universities do not offer extensive options in the stunt and combat field.

Related curriculum has been implemented at JMU, however, with the occasional class for students interested in learning about stage combat — when JMU has had instructors for it, such as Hodges.

“[Combat] is not something that has really taken off at JMU at this point, but I’d be very, very excited to see something like that start to happen,” Hodges said. “I’ve seen that the people at JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance have shown a great commitment to taking this work seriously.”

The next workshop Hodges will attend is in Philadelphia in late October or early November. Oliver Donahue, who will be the workshop’s coordinator, was also a guest instructor at A-Town Throw Down. He viewed May’s conference as a great success and is hopeful for similar turnouts for future stunt and combat events.

“There was a wide swath of folks from many different backgrounds and from all skill levels,” Donahue said. “As at many regional workshops, there are always folks we would think of as ‘regulars,’ but we are always gratified to see people coming in for the first time to just get their feet wet and start seeing if stage combat is something they’d like to pursue.”

Donahue said many Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD)-sanctioned regional workshops occur throughout the year. The A-Town Throw Down is one of these, and the conference is fortunate to draw teachers, fight directors and trainees from across the country, he said.

“We’d of course love to see attendance continue to grow, but just as importantly, we want access to continue to broaden,” Donahue said. “Many of us in the stage combat world are extremely passionate about what we do, and when you’re passionate about something, you want to share it with as many folks as you can.”

In regard to future workshops after Philadelphia, Hodges said she’s eager to expand her involvement and also take up more project manager positions.

“There’s a certification workshop for the safe handling of blank-firing weapons, which I’d really like to be more involved in,” Hodges said. “I’m always keeping an ear to the ground for more training.”

Much preparation and training are required for stage combat, and its execution channels both safety and entertainment for a wide audience. Hodges highlighted the art’s crucial addition to productions as a communication method and form of entertainment.

“I think a thing a lot of people miss about stage combat is how important it is to storytelling and supporting actors,” Hodges said. “Stage combat is something that will often get cut due to budget.” Creating a comfortable environment where participants can collaborate with peers and become confident with techniques is of utmost importance, Hodges said, adding that she’s excited for the future of stunt and combat in conferences and at universities, as their prominence continues to grow.

“Being able to give actors that confidence and that ability to keep each other safe while they’re telling the story is one of my favorite things about it,” Hodges said. “I hope that more and more people continue to realize that this is a vital part of a production.”

CONTACT Mallory Evans at evans4mr@dukes.jmu.edu. For more on the culture, arts and lifestyle of the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the culture desk on Twitter and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.