Southwest Shakespeare's Macbeth Swordfighting
Fight choreographer and Stage Director Brent Gibbs comes to AZ Daily Mix to demonstrate some of the fight scenes from the upcoming performances of Southwest Shakespeare’s Macbeth and teach Brad how to sword fight.
Southwest Shakespeare’s Macbeth opens this weekend, Friday October 13 at the Mesa Arts Center and runs through October 28. Tickets at swshakespeare.org
Southwest Shakespeare’s Macbeth opens this weekend, Friday October 13 at the Mesa Arts Center and runs through October 28. Tickets at swshakespeare.org
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00:00 Do I not cry if you beat me?
00:03 Do I not bleed when you see me?
00:05 I don't know.
00:06 I'm not saying it all right.
00:07 And that's why you need to go see
00:08 Macbeth at the Southwest Shakespeare.
00:12 That's happening.
00:13 Grant, please set me straight of what I'm saying.
00:15 That's pretty good.
00:16 You're doing just fine.
00:18 You're doing just fine.
00:19 This is great.
00:19 But Macbeth is coming this weekend.
00:21 Yeah, opens tonight.
00:22 Lucky Friday the 13th.
00:23 I like this.
00:23 Tell us a little about, of course,
00:25 the Shakespeare and Macbeth and everything you guys do.
00:28 30th anniversary for the Southwest Shakespeare Company.
00:30 We're kicking it off with a favorite tragedy,
00:33 very good for the season.
00:34 Macbeth opens tonight, runs through the 28th of October
00:37 at the Mesa Arts Center.
00:38 And we got to mention, this is the stage production.
00:41 People might have seen the movies.
00:42 They might have seen the series or something
00:44 like that that are out there different ways they do Macbeth.
00:47 But this is actually the original Shakespeare play
00:50 that he wrote.
00:51 It's Shakespeare's text.
00:52 It's live on stage and a chance to see it
00:54 in front of an audience, with an audience.
00:57 And I think that's a rare opportunity.
00:59 So we're looking forward to it.
01:00 And you have to go, because then you
01:01 get to learn more about Shakespeare,
01:02 learn about the theater of what you really need to see.
01:05 Because this is where the theater started,
01:07 was with Shakespeare.
01:08 Well, a wee bit further back.
01:10 But certainly, Shakespeare is a touchstone.
01:12 We tend to look to some of those plays.
01:14 And the plays don't change.
01:17 But as we return to them and we age,
01:19 we find new stuff every time we return to the plays.
01:22 So that's a great reason to keep coming back.
01:24 Well, I see also, too, you started to hide the crown.
01:26 But I want to put the crown on.
01:27 Can I put the crown on?
01:28 You can put the crown on right now.
01:29 Can you guys explain a little bit what Macbeth is?
01:32 Like, what it all stands for?
01:34 Sure.
01:35 I can turn to Mr. Gibbs for a little bit
01:37 about the play he's directing.
01:38 Sure.
01:38 Yes.
01:38 So you're the director.
01:39 And let's talk about what Macbeth is.
01:41 OK.
01:41 So it's the story of a Scottish lord who kills the king
01:46 and then suffers the consequences of that act.
01:48 So that's it.
01:49 There we go.
01:50 No, actually, it's more, too, when you go see it.
01:52 Because that's important, too.
01:53 Yeah, yeah.
01:53 Because there's a question of whether the witches that
01:55 are in the show are driving him or he's
01:57 making that choice himself.
01:58 So it's a really fascinating study
01:59 of guilt and responsibility and all those things.
02:03 I'm a lover of theater.
02:05 I know there's a lot of people out there.
02:05 And that's why it's going and seeing these productions.
02:07 It's so important.
02:08 Because you guys literally put a lot into directing everything.
02:11 Also, too, the big part is that is the sword fights
02:14 that are in here.
02:15 These are not just play swords.
02:17 I'm literally holding one right now.
02:19 And it's pretty heavy.
02:20 And that's the thing.
02:21 It's very real what you guys do here.
02:22 But it's all planned out and very safe, isn't it?
02:25 Mm-hmm.
02:25 Yeah, that's our main job, is to keep the actors safe,
02:27 but also to create an exciting spectacle for the audience
02:30 to see, just like it was in Shakespeare's time.
02:32 Yeah.
02:33 All right, who do you have here next who's
02:34 going to be showing me how to fight?
02:34 This is Philip Harrington.
02:35 He's playing Ross.
02:36 And he's also the fight captain for the production.
02:38 I like that.
02:39 So, OK, let's step out of the way.
02:40 You're going to show a couple of moves here.
02:41 And then I'm going to learn this.
02:42 Sure.
02:42 So here we go.
02:43 So we're going to give you, hopefully, a simple sequence
02:45 here.
02:46 Philip's going to cut to my shoulder.
02:48 I'm going to parry.
02:49 Then I'm going to do what's called a croissé, which
02:50 means I'm just going to push his blade down.
02:52 Then he's going to cut.
02:54 I'm going to place, turn, and cut.
02:57 And that's going to kill him.
02:58 That's it right there.
02:59 That's it.
02:59 So is this one of the scenes in the--
03:02 It's remarkably similar to a fight
03:04 that Philip does in the show.
03:05 Yes, so not.
03:06 So, OK, one more time.
03:07 Show me what I'm going to do to Philip.
03:08 So the first thing you're going to do is parry.
03:09 And you're going to do that by bringing the sword over.
03:11 OK, that's parry.
03:11 Then you're simply going to let the weight of the sword
03:13 carry it down.
03:14 And that makes that nice little swing sound there.
03:16 All right.
03:16 Then you're going to step to the side to avoid this.
03:18 Place it flat.
03:19 OK.
03:19 And then you turn it to the side.
03:21 And then you pull.
03:22 OK.
03:22 All right, and let's remind people,
03:24 these are not sharp knives.
03:25 They're--
03:26 They're not sharp.
03:27 But they're still pieces of metal that have points.
03:29 Yes, can hurt.
03:30 And so you can hurt somebody.
03:31 All right, and you did sign a waiver here, didn't you?
03:33 I did.
03:34 Because we don't have insurance like that.
03:35 All right, just so if I accidentally take you out
03:38 fully, just so you know that.
03:40 All right.
03:41 I'm ready.
03:41 OK, so all right.
03:42 OK, you step in.
03:42 Let me step in here.
03:43 All right.
03:44 And how long do you guys practice this kind of stuff?
03:46 For about every 10 seconds of fight, you spend about an hour.
03:51 Spend about an hour.
03:52 Yeah.
03:52 All right, we're spending two minutes.
03:54 All right.
03:55 Indeed.
03:55 Good thing we trust you.
03:56 So here we go.
03:57 We're going to parry, right?
03:59 So I'm here.
04:00 And then down.
04:01 Down.
04:01 He's going to cut.
04:02 You're going to step to the side to avoid.
04:04 Step to the side.
04:04 Over here.
04:05 And you're going to keep that blade over on this side.
04:06 Over here.
04:07 So then you can place that.
04:08 Turn.
04:09 Turn.
04:09 And pull.
04:10 And cut.
04:10 There you go.
04:11 Wow.
04:11 Wow.
04:12 Wow.
04:13 OK, let's try that again.
04:14 Let's not go too fast.
04:15 But here we go.
04:16 That.
04:16 Leave it down on that side.
04:18 There you go.
04:18 You go that way.
04:19 That's it.
04:20 Place.
04:20 Turn.
04:21 Pull.
04:21 There you are.
04:22 That's it right there, people.
04:24 That's how you roll.
04:25 That's how you do it.
04:26 Wow, this is amazing.
04:27 It's fun, isn't it?
04:27 Please come up here really quick, everybody.
04:29 Because again, Grant, let's talk about the times and tickets
04:33 for the play.
04:33 Yeah, sure.
04:35 Easiest way to get them, of course, is online.
04:37 SWShakespeare.org.
04:38 And the box office, 644-6500.
04:41 480-644-6500.
04:44 I got that right, didn't I?
04:46 And then you can also get them in person
04:48 at the Mesa Art Center.
04:49 It's a corner of Main and Center in Mesa.
04:52 Largest performing arts center in the state.
04:54 And what's coming after Macbeth?
04:55 What are you guys getting next?
04:56 After Macbeth, we have Becoming Othello,
04:57 A Black Girl's Journey, which is a one-person show in the studio
05:01 theater.
05:02 And then in February, we'll have, right
05:05 in the middle of winter, perfect time for it,
05:07 A Midsummer Night's Dream.
05:08 Yes!
05:08 Can I be in that one?
05:09 When's auditions?
05:10 Yeah, we can talk.
05:11 That one?
05:11 Yeah, I play Denzel Washington's role.
05:14 Remember?
05:14 He played that in the movie?
05:16 Yeah.
05:16 He was in Much Ado About Nothing,
05:18 wasn't he, the Kenneth Brown scene?
05:19 Oh, same thing.
05:20 It's all Denzel Washington.
05:21 It's all Denzel Washington.
05:22 He would be really good in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
05:24 I'm going to come audition.
05:24 Can I come audition?
05:25 You should come and audition.
05:25 We'd love to have you audition.
05:26 Oh my goodness.
05:27 Sorry, I'm going to do that.
05:28 So thank you, guys.
05:28 Thank you very much for coming in.
05:30 Again, you guys check it out.
05:31 We've got information on aztv.com.
05:33 So--
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