MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Wednesday evenings 9th April – 14th May 2025.

An exciting series of six Stage Combat Drop-in sessions: self-contained and each focusing on a different aspect of stage combat craft. Come as you’re free, or book the whole series as a bundle.

WHAT IS IT?

Our new Drop-In Series is your chance to train in a range of stage combat techniques – as and when you’re free.

Stage combat is one of the most exciting, and also one of the most challenging areas of performance. There is rigour needed to learn and embody techniques for safety, illusion and performance, which means an investment in time. However for many actors, finding the time to commit to a full course around other work can be a challenge. So we’ve set up a collection of classes that are your chance to throw yourself into the craft.

Each session specialises in a particular aspect, genre or performance approach for stage combat – giving you the luxury to really hone in on areas of work that frequently crop up in the industry, but which can’t always squeeze into standard stage combat courses.

Through the range of focus areas that we’ll cover, those students who can attend the full suite of classes will come away with a breadth of industry-ready skills. For those who would find it a challenge to commit to every week, because each session is self-contained students can elect to join us whenever they are available for skills that are targeted at a specific context. The single sessions are also perfect for those people who have always been interested in trying stage combat, but who are not quite ready (or financially able) to commit to a full course.

Either way, you’ll have the chance to train with a great bunch of like-minded creatives, widen your performance range, and have an evening of diving into one of the most fun aspects of acting.

AUTUMN 2025 PROGRAM – sessions TBA shortly:

SESSION ONE, Wednesday 9th April: ROUGH AND TUMBLE – UNARMED COMBAT. A session where we’re going to get scrappy on our feet and on the floor. Perfect for organic and heightened fights, from Shakespeare to contemporary scenes.

SESSION TWO, Wednesday 16th April: FROM TEXT TO FIGHT – SINGLE SWORD. A good fight scene should continue the narrative and character journey of a show, and not hold up the momentum while we “Do The Fight”. Using single sword techniques, this workshops explores how we use the weapon and combat to further the story and keep the transitions between verbal conflict and physical conflict seamless.

SESSION THREE, Wednesday 23rd April: *SPECIAL GUEST – UK FIGHT DIRECTOR KEVIN Mc CURDY*

SESSION FOUR, Wednesday 30th April: TOMAHAWK AND FRIENDS – TACTICAL TOMAHAWK AND KNIFE. A chance to play with some fast and deadly fight choreography – we’ll explore the use of the tomahawk across a range of genre, and combine it with the knife to get both hands flowing in some epic action.

SESSION FIVE, Wednesday 7th May: SWORD AND BUCKLER – As featured in the earliest-known European Fight Treatise (the I.33 Manual), sword and buckler is a mainstay of historical European combat. We’ll explore some of the theory and historical use of this exciting weapon combo, then dive deep into choreography for stage and screen.

SESSION SIX, Wednesday 14th May: *SPECIAL REQUEST SESSION* – Have something you’ve always wanted to learn? Give us your suggestions!

WHEN AND WHERE IS IT?

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, 6:30 – 9:30pm

DANCEHOUSE CARLTON: 150 Princes St, Carlton, 3054.

WHO IS IT FOR?

These workshops ideal for performers from a range of backgrounds: actors, musical theatre performers, opera performers, stunt performers, dancers: anyone who at some point may up perform staged action, anyone who wants to expand their movement skills, or anyone who’s curious to know how to perform dramatic fights. We also welcome creatives and crew.

Each session caters for all levels of experience, ability and fitness.

Captivate actively supports diverse and equitable work- and learning-spaces. We also fiercely protect safe work- and learning-spaces for all of our participants. If you have any concerns, questions or requests for support of any kind please get in touch with us.

HOW MUCH IS IT?

COURSE FEES:

Bundle – All 6 Sessions: $375 (+ GST)
Single Class Concession/Low income: $65 (+ GST)
Single Class Standard: $75 (+ GST)

For Bundle Bookings: A 50% deposit is requested upon registration.

For Single Class Bookings: We encourage booking ahead for single classes so that we have an accurate idea of numbers; payment for single classes may be made in advance or by debit card on the night.

We accept online bank transfer (no additional fee) and Stripe Online Card payments (1.7% admin fee)

Let us know what is the easiest method of payment for you.

HOW DO I JOIN IN?

Bookings are now open! Spots are very competitive as we have strict capacity limits, so register early to save your spot. Just fill out the online registration form and we will reply with your registration confirmation email. For Bundle bookings, we ask for transfer of your 50% deposit at the time of registration.

SINGLES

BUNDLE

If you do not receive your registration confirmation email within 2 business days, check your junk mail, and then send us an email to check in.

Your registration is complete on receipt of your deposit, and your spot is confirmed on finalisation of all course fees. Payment details are provided on registration.

COVID-Safe Learning

The health and safety of our students, tutors, venue staff, all of our family and friends, and the wider community is absolutely vital. Captivate is dedicated to running this course strictly within the most up-to-date Government-advised COVID-Safe guidelines. We require that all participants at the workshop have full and up-to-date vaccination against Covid-19.

About your tutor:

Lyndall is a Fight Director, Movement Director, actor and Motion Capture Specialist who works in Australia and Internationally for stage and screen.  She is a senior teacher and Management Committee member for the Society of Australian Fight Directors, and certified Dramatic Combat teacher with the British Academy of Dramatic Combat.  Lyndall currently teaches Stage Combat at the Victorian College of the Arts (The University of Melbourne) and 16th Street Actors Studio.  Lyndall trained as an actor as London’s ArtsEd School of Acting, before specialising in fight performance and physical performance.  She began working as a fight director in London in 2010. In 2013 Lyndall established Captivate Action Ltd. in the U.K., as the first company to specialise in training and performance in action and Motion Capture, and brought this company home to Australia in 2015.  Lyndall was an actor and Movement Captain in Melbourne’s production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child from its opening in 2019 until 2022.

Recent fight/movement credits include Oscar (The Australian Ballet); Rusalka (West Australian Opera);  The Picture of Dorian Gray (Michael Cassel Group); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, Sunset Boulevard, Groundhog Day The Musical, Death of A Salesman, An American in Paris, 2:22 A Ghost Story (GWB); Beauty and the Beast (Disney Australia); Cost of Living, Topdog/Underdog, The Almighty Sometimes, 37, My Sister Jill, A Very Jewish Christmas Carol, Is God Is, Sunday, As You Like It, Berlin, The Lifespan of a Fact, The Architect, Cosi, Torch the Place, The Lady in the Van, Astroman, Lillith the Jungle Girl, Straight White Men, Melbourne Talam, Macbeth, Hungry Ghosts (Melbourne Theatre Company); Cruel Intentions the Musical (David Venn Enterprises); Nosferatu, Looking for Alibrandi, Atlantis, The Return, Because the Night and Cloudstreet (Malthouse Theatre); 37 (Queensland Theatre Company); Sunday, Is God Is, Lord of the Flies, Cosi (Sydney Theatre Company), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?, Blackout Songs, The Way Things Are (Red Stitch); Il Viaggio A Reims (Opera Australia); Things I Know to Be True (Theatre Works); Milked, True West, Two Remain, Punk Rock (45 Downstairs), The Importance of Being Earnest (Theatre Royal Haymarket, U.K.), Alice in Winterland, The Wind in the Willows, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe (Rose Theatre Kingston, U.K.), Henry IV Part 1 (St. James Theatre, U.K.).

We’re looking forward to working with you!

Got questions? Get in touch