Getting the lead out for MacBeth

By day Cliff Kelly sits at a computer at St. Albert’s Surface Flow Control drafting designs for the welding shop on AutoCAD and working on company advertising.

By night Kelly surrenders the keyboard in favour of a fight choreographer’s hat at Theatre Prospero, a company that incorporates students into its professional classical and poetry-based plays.

On Wednesday night the company opens with Macbeth at La CitĂ© Francophone, and Kelly’s dramatic contribution comes to fruition after some rather sweaty rehearsals.

Macbeth, if you recall, is the Shakespearean tragedy of a Scottish general so consumed by ambition and power that he kills King Duncan and takes the throne. Wracked by guilt and paranoia, he morphs into a tyrant and commits a bloodbath of murders to keep hold of his ever-weakening power.

Although there are numerous murders, Kelly was charged with developing the swordplay for four major fights. A graduate of the University of Lethbridge drama program, he worked closely with Calgary’s The Shakespeare Company under the tutelage of fight director Karl Sine.

“With any type of choreography, first you figure out the technique. Then you figure out the story and then you work on speed. The more practiced, the more trust the actor has with his partner, the easier it is to stay focused and build speed,” said Kelly.

To get the choreography down on paper, he worked with another St. Albert actor, Amanda Blair, who has a knack for performing slightly off-kilter roles and is a strong presence at the Edmonton Fringe Festival.

Pretending to be about eight people, the duo mapped out ideas. Kelly then went on the hunt for medieval broadswords and heavy-looking shields to convey a brutal, heavy feel.

During the three-week process, he stopped by a friend’s workshop to build round shields.

“I took wood, cut it out and attached metal banding around the outside of the shield so it can sustain the impact from sword hits,” he said.

Although safety controls are built into fight choreography, he is the first to admit there is an element of risk.

“If you want to sincerely see a fight, there has to be an element of danger. When you work closely, the actors have an unspoken language and you know the next moves and they can pull the blade away.”

Theatre Prospero has created a YouTube video of a fight sequence between Malcolm (Matt Simpson) and McDuff (Evan Hall).

Unlike the rapier, with its elegant, precise moves, the actors’ broadswords, daggers and shields carry a brutal look.

“It’s hack and slash. It’s very heavy combat. You can get down to Earth. It’s aggressive, brutal and really real,” noted Hall in the YouTube video.

But despite the physically-demanding challenges, both actors lauded Kelly’s work as a story-focused choreographer.

Simpson further added, “He’ll add little moments. He’ll add a touch that’s not fighting, but adds to the story. Instead of backing away from being scared, it’s you backing away checking on something that further motivates why you’re fighting.”

Kelly’s voice carries a strong sense of pride in his contribution to Macbeth. But when it’s all said and done he bows to the master playwright.

“It’s a classic story and it’s one of Shakespeare’s best. There’s excellent language with poetry, lots of action and cool visual effects.”