Ready to Fight

Meet Ted Sharon. Although he currently lives and teaches in upstate New York, Ted has been enlisted by director Tim Threlfall to act as the fight choreographer for this, the American premiere of The Count of Monte Cristo. He was here initially in October to design the fight sequences in the show, and last week Ted was able to make another visit to update and rework aspects of the show. I was able to sit down and talk with him during a quick rehearsal break.

Holly Mancuso: How did you get into fight choreography?

Ted Sharon: “When I was here at BYU I was two inches from leaving theatre, and I prayed quite a bit about the direction I should go, and felt very strongly about voice movement and stage combat. I was able to get training at the University of Nevada Las Vegas with the Society of American Fight Directors during the summers, and then subsequently hire people to private train me…Over the years I started to pick up gigs on my own, and then eventually became a certified teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors.”

HM: How did you get involved with Monte Cristo?

TS: “I had seen One Good Man, which stars Tim Threlfall, and I was on an airplane and recognized him from the movie, and was seated next to him… I leaned over and said, “Nice job on the film”. We got to talking and he mentioned that there might be a project about a year and half down the road that he was doing and if I was interested. I said, “Sure, whatever”, and forgot all about it. Then I got an e-mail from him this summer asking if I would be involved, which has led to some wonderful things here at BYU. It’s good to come home.”

HM: How do you work with actors?

TS: “When I choreograph I’ll come in and give they actors some initial training. When the choreography session starts, I like to ask what they want to do, what they feel the next moves are. I’ve found over the years that that makes the choreography go a lot quicker. They memorize it five times as fast and they perform it ten times as well as if I were insisting them doing something from my body.”

HM: How do you keep people safe during the fights?

“There are safety plugs, at least two if not three, put into every single sequence. Every single move is monitored and filtered for safety…This ensemble moved really fast learning the important techniques that would keep them safe and at the same time make each other look fantastic while they’re fighting.”

I was also able to speak with Devin Neilson, the student fight captain. He is also a male ensemble member and understudy for Albert.

Holly Mancuso: What does it mean to be a fight captain?

Devin Neilson: “I’ve never been fight captain before…I’ve done a little bit of fencing…I’ve had to try and remember everybody’s choreography for the fight so that I can help them if they ask me a question. A lot of it has just been safety-safety issues with the swords. Trying to make sure that nobody is getting hurt. We’ve had a couple of incidents, but we’ve been ok! The other one was cleaning and making sure the things that Ted had brought to the table remain the same as we kept going through the fights. Organizing fight calls has been a challenge with busy students, but so far it’s been going well.”

Additionally, Devin discussed some of the new vocabulary and sword work techniques the cast is learning. For example, did you know that a parry is when someone strikes you and you block it? Or that there are seven different ways to move a sword, which you change by how you hold the sword or move your wrist. Or that a ‘nap’ is the clapping sound made when someone gets hit to help it have more of an affect? “Timing it, that’s hard”, Devin admitted.

Thanks to Ted and Devin for all your help! Be sure to get your tickets today for The Count of Monte Cristo, running from January 22-January 31, 2015!

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The Count Of Monte Cristo

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With The Long Christmas Dinner spanning a full 90 years—starting at the 1850s— and both Pullman Car Hiawatha and The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden generally occurring in the 1920’s and the 1930’s, extensive research went into each decade that couldn’t possibly all fit into the Study Guide for A Wilder Night. Hence a 4th Wall Post (or two) was born! 1850’s The 1850s saw a lot of technological advancements and connections. The railroad network and the telegraph network helped the nation economically. Immigrants from Europe were spilling into the US. Mills that popped up throughout the North East, and with the railway expansion, food from Midwest farms were able to get to the South and East. The California Gold Rush beckoned prospectors from all over the US and China. The North was becoming incredibly urban and industrialized, while the South remained very rural. The Irish came in droves, trying to escape the Great Famine in Ireland. Due to their poverty and Roman Catholic views, they were ostracized and pushed to underdeveloped neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City (predominantly). They also were forced— due to their unpopularity— to do the low-paying yet physically demanding jobs. The Germans also came to America to avoid the rising disasters in finances in Germany. In contrast, they usually sold their possessions and came to America with money. They tended to be educated and middle-classed and were generally more trusted. Manufacturing made up about two-thirds of the nation’s economy, with cotton material being the chiefest amongst the factories and mills. Cotton was in high demand throughout the world and the South met that need. However, because cotton can destroy farmland, these cotton farms were moving west. In the Northern part of the Southern states, tobacco plantations were slowing down, and slavery dying out. Sadly slavery continued to survive due to the slave trade which sent many of them to the cotton plantations. Slavery was a contentious topic at the time. America was gaining new states, particularly in the Southwest/Midwest. Much of this decade was spent in political dispute. Texas was annexed as a slave state and would lead to a war with Mexico as well as the American Civil War. The Mexican-American war ended in 1848, and the US got California, Utah, Nevada, parts of Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona. However, this war stirred up contentious feelings about slavery. Democrat David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso in Congress, which states that slavery would not be allowed to spread into any territory from Mexico. It was extremely unpopular to the southern states who felt it would infringe on state rights. Another compromise, known as the Compromise of 1850, was prepared by Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun… It wasn’t actually a compromise. It was just a series of arguments in Congress that continued to polarize each party. It was eventually passed as five bills. California was a free state, and New Mexico and Utah were given popular sovereignty. It abolished the slave trade in Washington DC and passed the Fugitive Slave Law (which approved the return of slaves that had run to the north, back to the south). This sparked controversy and the novel/play Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published and gained popularity. The Kansas-Nebraska Act reversed the compromises by allowing the new states of the Union to decide their stance on slavery. It also led to the formation of the republican party who opposed expansion of slavery states but weren’t absolute abolitionists. 1860’s When Lincoln was elected president, the Southern states seceded and established themselves as the Confederate States of America. The Civil War began when Confederate General Pierre Beauregard opened fire on Union (northern) troops at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. In response, Lincoln sent Union troops to reclaim it, which meant invading the South. The Union had the upper hand in terms of population, industrialization, and transportation. The war was a defensive one on the South side, which meant if they could hold the North at the border line until they gave up, they had a chance at winning. They only ever invaded the North as a shock-tactic to scare Yankees. Everyone believed it would be a short war, but it turned into four years’ worth of bloodshed. The war ended with Ulysses Grant trashing Georgia and South Carolina, trapping General Robert E. Lee and forcing his surrender. The war left the Union strong and hearty; the South was financially crippled and devastated. Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, four days after the news of Lee’s surrender reached Washington DC. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1866, the first law to protect African Americans. It was vetoed by President Johnson, but the veto was overridden by Congress. However, the KKK formed in secrecy to discourage African Americans from voting. They spread terror and crime, stunting racial equality progress despite the Civil Rights Act. The West continued to be settled. Alaska was added to the Union and with the final golden spike driven into the ground at Promontory, Utah, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads were joined, thus creating the transcontinental railroad. 1869 ended with Black Friday in New York City and one of the first successes for women’s suffrage— a law passed in Wyoming Territory unconditionally guaranteeing women the right to vote. 1870’s Everything continued to keep progressing and rising— literally, everything. Technology, conflicts, imperialism, literature, and drama, etc. The telephone, light bulb, phonograph, steam drill, and headphone jack all made their debuts into society. Yellowstone became a national park. Racial/Civil rights continued to make some headway with the first African-American to be sworn into Congress and the 15th Amendment being ratified, giving black Americans the right to vote. The Great Fire of Chicago roared (thanks to Mrs. O’Leary’s cow) and caused 196 million in damages, leaving 90,000 homeless. A fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin spread across six counties and was the deadliest fire in US history. The Women’s Crusade of 1873-74 is started when women in New York marched against liquor stores and created the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. This would later culminate in prohibition. Another win for women: Rutherford B Hayes signed a bill allowing female attorneys to argue in Supreme Court cases. Conflict with Native Americans came to a head in 1876 when a government issue ordered them into reservations throughout the West.. The famous Colonel Custer and the 7th Cavalry engaged the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes and were completely razed— none of them made it out of this battle alive. A year later, Crazy Horse (leader of the Sioux tribe) surrendered in Nebraska due to cold and hunger. However, another war (the Nez Perce) started in Idaho Territory, due to the constrictions of the reservation system. 1880’s As easier access to communication and travel became more available, American life began changing radically. Clothes, food, equipment, appliances could all be mail-ordered via catalogues (Sears and Roebuck) and were brought in from all over the country. With that, jarring and canning became more and more popular, as did the ever-popular (and personal favorite) carbonated soda, Coca-Cola. Public schools and universities grew stronger from demand. Immigrant parents in particular were keen to get their children as integrated and adjusted as possible. New classes and courses were offered in history, sciences, and arts. Universities also burgeoned, not just in course development, but in quantity. In particular, Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Leisure became a new feature to life, giving way to sports (an Amateur Athletic Union) and vaudeville. Zoos, museums, and amusement parks were created. Literature began targeting the middle class— Mark Twain entered the scene with Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The Wall Street Journal published its first post. Politics, as ever, were a strange place. James A Garfield was elected President, but only barely. He was shot in a railroad station and died two months later from infection, and his Vice President, Chester Arthur, took over. Congress repealed the Civil Rights Act of 1875, so people could discriminate based on race. Work conditions took center stage as the Haymarket riot blew up in Chicago after a three-day strike over eight-hour work days. It was followed by other labor battles for worker rights and unions. The Federation of Labor was later formed by 25 craft unions. Architecture and art were combined in the Brooklyn Bridge, followed by the Statue of Liberty. Groundhog Day was established. President Cleveland protected prehistoric features in Arizona, making them lands that can’t be settled or sold. Text by Hannah Gunson-McComb; Image research by Christina Porter

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Ready to Fight

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