"Too Quick, Not Much Storytelling": Fight Director Has Notes for Olympic Fencing Team
by Matt Keeley. @reallymattkeeley.
PARIS – Celebrations abounded after the USA took home a historic gold medal in Women’s Team Foil, though not without some "areas of improvement" according to fight director Billie Roth – who had a few notes for the team afterward.
“I appreciate that both actors took the time to make eye contact before saluting and assuming en garde,” Roth explained, crossing off the first line of a full page of notes. “But remember not to lose track of your partner once the fight starts. Really slow things down – I mean it lasted all of 1.8 seconds, so you’ve got the time to work with. I missed almost all of the beats in this choreo. If I can’t see what’s happening, the audience sure can’t either.”
She took a long sip from her "My Other Fencing Foil is a Complete Epee With a French Grip" mug, before continuing.
“I’m also not sure what the story of the fight was supposed to be. I understood that each athlete was trying to be the first to make contact with the tip of their blade, but think about what the character would do to score a point. What incites their action, besides the referee? Are they excited? Enraged? There are so many possibilities to explore! Also, nobody ever said the character’s names, or any lines, or anything.”
“And on that point,” she said, apropos of nothing.
“Keep in mind that your costumes will have to inform your physicality choices. Just like in Commedia, your faces are obscured. So how can you portray fury from the neck down? Elation? All while giving deference to the costume designer’s work, as well. Ripping off your mask and screaming might be effective for Sandro Bazadze,” she said, holding for laughs for a full ninety seconds. "But not every director will give you that amount of flexibility.”
At press time, it was reported that Roth had to run and make it to the Women’s Boxing finals, but requested the “fencing cast send her a signed Playbill.”
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What stood out to me is how much precision and control are involved in fight direction, especially when performers need to create convincing movement while still keeping everyone safe. The comparison with fencing makes sense because both require an awareness of distance, timing, body positioning, and the other person’s movement rather than simply reacting at the last moment. That same idea of controlled movement applies in other areas where safety depends on anticipating forces rather than dealing with them afterward. In construction, for example, engineers have to think carefully about how structures respond to movement, vibration, and unexpected forces, which is why principles behind earthquake proof buildings focus so heavily on flexibility, load distribution, and structural detailing. I also think the…
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