Theatre kids ‘throwdown’ with the best

Columbia Valley Pioneer staff

A recent fight took place at Mountain Play Theatre Company in Invermere . . . but it was all in fun under the watchful eye of a Hollywood expert.

To say the kids loved it was an understatement as they punched, defended, and threw their opponents to the mat during a stage fighting session given by former professional stunt man Justin Sain.

“I saw a piece about Tara Whittick in the Pioneer about her new acting class for kids in Invermere. I contacted her to see if she’d be interested in a stage-fighting intro for her students, and she was up for it,” Sain told the Pioneer.

“I dropped by and showed them some basic fight skills, then returned to work on a few skits with fight scuffles. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it!”

During the final class on March 11, the children showed off their stunt work to parents with the help of a short video highlighting their sessions.

Sain’s classes began by teaching the kids rule number one: safety.

“It was great fun watching these kids throw punches and take hits like they were in the middle of an action movie, full of energy and excitement.”

During the first class, Sain showed the students the basics of throwing a punch, falling to the mat, and of course, the “superhero landing.”

In the second class, Whittick gave them some short skits to work on, incorporating some struggles and tussles, which the kids mostly choreographed themselves.

“Showing these kids the ropes of basic stage fighting was a blast. It was like rediscovering the spark I had when I was their age, fighting in the park with my friends for hours on end,” Sain said.

The stunt man noted you could see the students’ eyes light up every time they pulled off a great punch or nailed a fall to the mat. Even though it was just acting, they were serious about learning new skills.

“It was cool to see the change in them, going from shy and unsure to confident and ready to throw down,” Sain said.