Swordplay took center stage during the spring production of The Herstory of Henri IV, Pt. 1, a gender-bent adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, with student swashbucklers rehearsing complex fight scenes in advance of their sold-out run at the Katzen Art Center’s Studio Theatre.

“It’s rare that we have long, intricate fight scenes like we did in Henri,” said Robb Hunter, the Department of Performing Arts’ fight choreographer in residence who has worked on more than 40 productions over the last 16 years. “There’s nothing better than going into a room where everyone is as excited as you are to work.”

One of only a handful of fight masters in the United States certified by the Society of American Fight Directors, Hunter was always en garde when it came to safety. He taught students how to carefully handle and wield their swords, which, while unsharpened, were similar in weight and construction to those used during the fourteenth century.

“Early rehearsals were about drilling safety,” said the former actor who worked for three years as Michael J. Fox’s stunt double. “The students were very conscious of it—you can really hurt yourself or others if you do not pay strict attention to the many safety techniques that make this work possible.”

For Elena Zimmerman, Kogod/BSBA ’25, who played the fiery Hotspur, learning swordplay was essential to telling her character’s story. “It was neat trying to figure out how this character released energy through physical combat,” she said. “It was important to me to become as comfortable as possible with movements that were second nature to my character.”

Jae K. Gee, CAS/BA ’24, has taken classes in both armed and unarmed conflict with Hunter. But for her role as The Douglas, she was challenged with mastering two new weapons: a double-bladed axe and a spear. “While the same principles of fighting applied, the specific moves and flow of the weapons in Henri were completely different,” Gee said of the play, adapted and directed by Kate Eastwood Norris. “It was very similar to learning a new style of dance for a musical.” 

Gee said learning to fight in character connects the mental and physical aspects of acting. “Fighting happens in a play when the stakes and tensions are so high that the only tool a character has left to pursue their objective is violence,” she said. “As a performer, it’s my job to embody that.”