Stage Combat in Canada

As has been mentioned, stage combat in Canada was certainly pioneered, if not engineered, by the great Paddy Crean. While Crean did not come to Stratford, Ontario, Canada until 1962, the early seasons had fights staged by Douglas Campbell, an actor and member of Stratford’s acting company from 1953–2001. ¹ He had come to Stratford from England, having been brought by its founding Artistic Director Tyrone Guthrie. While he had no background in fencing or stage combat, per se, he was tasked with the job of staging the fight scenes for the simple reason that he was the only one in the company who “knew anything about swords.” ²