Fake fighting made easy

      He’s been kicked in the eye, punched in the head by a 300-pound man and stabbed in the face with a sword. He’s not a member of the G-Unit or a Civil War re-enactor, his name is Jason Armit and he is a professional fight choreographer who specializes in stage combat for live theater.  His motto is “safety first,” but his job is to create realism.
    “All that Hollywood violence is easily done with computers,” Armit said.  “I have to make this stuff look real to a live audience.”
    Last Thursday, Armit gave a demonstration in Russell Auditorium of many common fight moves in his industry such as the slap-down, the punch to the face, the knee to the groin and a very convincing two-handed choke-out, complete with full sound effects.
    “It was a very interesting performance,” saidAshley Sanders, a freshman. “My favorite fight move was the kick in the stomach.”
    Armit has a wide range of training under his belt to assist him with his job and came highly recommended according to GCSU Theater Chair Kathleen McGeever.
    “I was a paratrooper and I also dabble in different martial arts,” Armit said.  “I try to learn how different styles’ look, so if I need to portray a particular style in a show I know how to do it.  For example, I may need to know the difference between someone who is doing jiu-jitsu versus someone who is doing Shaolin kung fu.”
    Armit is also an educated man.  He has his bachelor of fine arts in performance from the University of Southern Mississippi, he’s a certified teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors and the director of the Atlanta Stage Combat Studio.  He is currently doing the fight choreography for the GCSU Theater production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” premiering in Russell Auditorium Feb. 21.
    “‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is a classic,” McGeever said.  “It’s a wonderful story about relationships and struggling against change.”
    Armit has always had a passion for theater.
    “I used to be an actor but now I’m the magician in the background making the illusion happen,” Armit said.  “I love watching the audience tense up.”
    Armit’s all-time favorite scene to choreograph was in a play called “Hot and Throbbing” in which he choreographed the strangling of a woman in a powerful critique of spousal abuse.
    “It’s been fun working with Jason,”said Justin Miles, a sophomore who will be playing the male lead of Stanley in the GCSU production. “I’m not very proficient in combat training and I really haven’t had any since seventh grade, but he’s got a good sense of humor and he’s fun to work with.” 
    Armit’s work can be appreciated in live action in several shows running from Feb. 21-25 in Russell. The GCSU Music and Theater Department would like to encourage all students to come out and catch a show.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 2 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry