This course is specifically for students in the 2nd Year of the BA (Hons) Acting course. It is designed to complete the training you have done in your first year and take you on to the Actor/Combatant Fight Performance Exam as adjudicated by the British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat (BASSC).

This intensive course lasts one week only. Regular attendance is essential.

Course dates are Monday 14th September – Saturday 19th September 2026.
Classes will take place every day from 10am until 6pm.
The Fight Performance Exam itself will be held on the Saturday at the end of the course.
The course fee is £175 each and this includes the cost of the exam.

Course Description

What is the course about?
This course is about developing the skills you have learned during your first year and learning the choreography and scenes as required in Rapier & Dagger AND Unarmed Combat.
A constant emphasis will be placed on how to work and rehearse in the safest and most effective manner and the BASSC Fight Performance Exam will take place on the final day of the course.

What topics will we cover?
We will be learning Rapier & Dagger AND Unarmed Combat. The class sessions will cover many different technical skills and how to perform those techniques so that they are believable to an audience. You will learn an Unarmed fight and a fight with Rapier & Dagger. Students will spend the first part of the course learning the choreography for the Fight Performance Test before then moving on to integrating the choreography with a dramatic text and rehearsing to bring it all together in the final performance.

By the end of this course you should be able to:
• Safely and realistically perform a choreographed fight on stage
• Have an awareness of safe technique for rehearsing a stage fight sequence
• Realise character, emotion and narrative through the use of body and movement
• Communicate physically in performance with confidence and assurance

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is designed for people who have already undergone the training that is part of the 1st Year BA Acting syllabus. It is not suitable for anyone else.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You will need to wear comfortable, non-restrictive clothing and training shoes with a good grip. You may also wish to bring a notebook and something to write with.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?
You can enroll on the Monday Night Fight Club course in the Autumn Term, or study other weapons at other BASSC workshops throughout the year.
Contact your fight teacher for more information!