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Pictured are students from DC Wright's stage combat class at Western. Pictured, from left, are Chris Tipp, Gabby Barrett, Tyler Lucas, Justis Drakes (kneeling), David Brown, Laura Hoske, Chris Guidi, Bobby Duncalf and Tyler Breeding.
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WIU Theatre Students Pass Stage Combat Proficiency Testing

December 8, 2014

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MACOMB, IL – Students in a Western Illinois University unarmed combat theatre class were tested Wednesday by a fight master from the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD).

Five students in Associate Professor DC Wright's class passed the actor/combat skills proficiency testing, and three of those students received "recommended pass" status from professional fight director Chuck Coyl.

Students who took part in the testing included:
• David Brown – a senior musical theatre major from Peoria, IL - pass
• Chris Guidi – a senior theatre major from Farmington, IL - pass
• Tyler Breeding – a junior musical theatre major from Fairfield, IA – recommended pass
• Bobby Duncalf – a senior theatre major from Taylor Ridge, IL – recommended pass
• Chris Tipp – a graduate student in theatre-acting from Florissant, MO – recommended pass

Candidates who participate in the testing may either pass or not pass. If they are judged as passing, students receive either a basic pass or a recommended pass.

A basic pass is given to students who demonstrate technical proficiency, create a sense of tension and the "illusion of danger." A recommended pass is given to students who not only meet the basic pass qualifications, but also perform "with a strong sense of character" and a high level of acting or performance technique.

Coyl has been a professional fight director for more than 30 years and is currently the vice president of SAFD. His recent credits include the Broadway production and national tour of "August: Osage County," "The Crucible" and "Superior Donuts" at the Steppenwolf Theatre. as well as "Gas for Less" and "Magnolia" at the Goodman Theatre; "Porgy and Bess" and "Damnation of Faust" at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and "Private Lives" at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.

He is also a founding member of the Single Action Theatre Company and is on the faculty of the Actor's Gymnasium and Roosevelt University in Chicago.

For more information at WIU's theatre program, visit wiu.edu/theatre.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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