Iron Age Theatre
&
The Montgomery County Cultural Center
Present

Iron Age Theatre Invites Internationally Known Fight Designer to Choreograph “Coming of the Hurricane”

Bare Knuckle boxing was a brutal sport. Fighters pummeled each other with few rules until one fighter couldn't come up to "scratch." Staging a long, elaborate and realistic bare knuckle fight for the theatre is a huge challenge.

Iron Age Theatre's upcoming production of "Coming of the Hurricane" has one of the best fight choreographers in the business teaching the actors how to put on a credible bare knuckle brawl. Payson Burt has worked with every major theatre company in Philadelphia creating memorable stage combat and movement. He taught and choreographed at Temple University for eleven years and worked a the Wilma, Walnut Street, Delaware Theatre Company, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Drama Guild, The Painted Bride, the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair and many others. Currently Mr. Burt is living and working in Los Angeles where he is doing both stage and film.

Burt returned to Philadelphia this fall to work with Iron Age Theatre on "Coming of the Hurricane" which opens October 26 at the Montgomery County Cultural Center in Norristown. I'm from Norristown," said Burt, "So I really believe it is important to support this theatre. This is one of the most exciting young companies around. They have been doing challenging, exciting professional work for over five years." Burt went on to say he was very excited to be working on the Philadelphia premier of "Coming of the Hurricane." "This is a powerful, intense play with a long, magnificent and brutal fist fight as its climax. It's a real pleasure and challenge to create," Burt said.

According to Director John Doyle this is the Philadelphia premier of "Coming of the Hurricane." "Keith Glover is the finest young African-American playwright writing today, and this play is one of his best," said Doyle. "Even though it is set just after the Civil War, it deals with issues that we still struggle with today - racism, violence, and economic inequality."

Burt has written a book and many publications on stage combat and teaches across the country. Teaching credits include Curtis Institute of Music, University of the Arts (Philadelphia), University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, University of Colorado, Cal Poly Pomona and North Carolina School of the Arts.Payson teaches internationally at Fight Directors Canada's National Workshop, the Paddy Crean Workshop, the Sword Spectacular Weekend, and the International Stage Combat Workshop. He is currently the Fight Director for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He is vice president of Los Angeles Fight Academy.