British National Stage Combat Workshop 2023
Join us for our 30th anniversary.
The BASSC will celebrate its 30th British National Stage Combat Workshop in 2023 and we invite you to join us. That's 30 years of excellence in training and you could follow in the footsteps of the hundreds of students who have trained at the BNSCW.
Stage combat is an incredible skill to have in your arsenal as an actor. It combines high-emotion acting with precision movements that can turn the quietest and smallest of us into ferocious warriors, and the largest and loudest into delicate masters to the audience. Join us at the BASSC’s BNSCW – the flagship workshop of our company – to add exciting and inspiring skills to your CV, and then some.
This is much more than a workshop; it’s a meeting of actors and other like-minded creatives from all over the world to come together and do something not just different, but collaborative and engaging. That’s why so many students return year after year, become interns, join the BASSC Executive Committee and some even go on to teach. There must just be something about trying to stab people for two weeks that brings them together…
Dates:
Monday 7th – Friday 11th August 2023
Monday 14th - Saturday 19th August 2023
Time: 9am – 5.30 pm
Venue:
Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance
Lamorbey Park, Burnt Oak Lane, Sidcup, Kent, DA15 9DF
Booking opens early in 2023. Check our social media pages for updates.
Basic Workshop
Weapons: Unarmed Combat and Rapier & Dagger
Teachers: TBC
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for those who have:
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little or no previous experience of stage combat,
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certification in other weapons but have never done Unarmed or Rapier & Dagger before.
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Intermediate/Advanced workshop
Weapons: Smallsword and Knife
Teachers: TBC
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for those who have done Unarmed Combat and Rapier & Dagger with the BASSC or another recognised stage combat organisation and now want to work on other weapons.
Fees
Fees will be confirmed when we open for booking in early 2023.
Renewal workshops
Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th August.
Time: 10am - 5pm
We usually run renewal workshops over the middle weekend of the BNSCW. They include Unarmed Combat and Rapier & Dagger but there may be other weapons too, if there is sufficient demand.
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for those who want to keep their skills up-to-date and renew certification in weapons they have already tested in.
Fees
Fees will be confirmed when we open for bookings in early 2023.
Further Information
Day One is a lovely, easy day when past students and teachers reunite and new faces are introduced with some energising warm-ups. We’re an approachable and sociable bunch who know the only way through the sweaty days of rehearsals, are good, supportive people. Some days, we even congregate for a bit of socialising at the pub after the workshop day.
Week One: from Basic to Advanced, we’re learning safety, technique and performance principles for maximum effect on stage. To wind down for the weekend, the first Friday includes a bonus workshop involving everyone from both workshops, which, in previous years, has been vocal work and even period costume performance principles. We make sure it is as varied and exciting as possible for us all each year.
Week Two: we take the lessons of Week One to make Theatre, known as the Fight Performance Exam (FPE). The real acting starts here, with your fight partner and a scene for each weapon you will then be certified in, perfected from Monday to Friday.
Final Saturday is FPE day, where we prepare to dazzle audiences and a BASSC examiner to achieve our certificates and be presented with them in a little awards ceremony (outside if the weather is good, inside if it isn’t) before the workshop is complete.
Travel & Amenities
There’s a regular train service from central London stations that takes only around 30 minutes to Sidcup Station and then about 10-15 minutes to walk to the campus. If you’re coming by car then you can park for free in the college car park.
Our venue is Rose Bruford College, set in the beautiful surroundings of Lamorbey Park, Sidcup. For our workshop we’ll be using some of their new rehearsal rooms which open out on to the gardens where, if the weather is good, we can rehearse.
There’s a cafeteria on-site and shops, restaurants, takeaway food and pubs close to campus. There’s even a leisure centre next door if you’ve still got the energy.
If you need accommodation for the duration of the workshop then there’s Christopher Court student hall of residence, nearby. Accommodation there is at a discounted rate for students attending the BNSCW and is considerably cheaper than anything else you will find nearby. Accommodation is not included in the workshop fee but we'll provide you a dedicated link for BNSCW students to Rose Bruford so you can book it directly. If you're interested in accommodation please email Workshops@bassc.org for further information. Please note that accommodation places are strictly limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis so please book early to secure a room.