Squire was founded in September 2010 with one simple aim; to introduce students of all ages to the exciting world of stage combat. Since then Squire has gone from strength to strength working with schools, drama clubs and professional theatre companies all over the country. We take great pride in having been an influence on hundreds of young actors many of whom are now professionals in their own r
ight. Squire continues to offer a range of workshops designed and delivered by industry professionals, allowing students an accurate and practical insight into the creative industries. Mark Ruddick the company founder is a professional fight director and performer working within TV, film, theatre and opera. Drawing on his own work Mark designed a range of workshops to cater for a variety of clients from simple stage combat taster sessions to master classes, choreography services to text based workshops using combat as a study aid. These proved very popular and as the company grew both Alan Mandel and Dannie Elias joined the staff, adding prosthetic SFX and make-up to the range of workshops offered by Squire. Every member of the company continues to work and grow within their own industry and it is through this insistence on real world experience that we feel confident in our ability to provide students with the very best training possible. EDUCATION
Squire’s education program is centred on the idea that physicality breeds creativity. It’s one thing to study a subject and quite another to apply that study practically. We offer a range of workshops for primary and secondary level students, helping them to engage in a hands on way with their Drama and English studies as well as PE, Dance and History. Be it getting the most out of a curriculum text or tackling a school production, encouraging physical fitness or simply the need for a fun enrichment activity Squire Theatre can help. We have all marvelled at the spectacular fight sequences in our favourite blockbusters or been astounded by the dynamic visceral intensity of a well executed action sequence, but very few of us ever get the chance to play the hero ourselves. A lot of the time this is due to the misinformed belief that stage combat is in some way violent or dangerous. In fact the very opposite is true. Stage combat is all about safety and presentation; using safe and controlled techniques in order to create a repeatable performance that gives the illusion of violence. It is non-competitive, primarily non contact and a great way to encourage team work, trust and physical fitness for all ages.
