Performance Acting at The Creative School provides essential Fight & Intimacy training for emerging artists
Performance Acting is excited to incorporate fight and intimacy certification into their curriculum from first year, preparing students for safety and success. Fight and intimacy training are essential components of a comprehensive actor’s education. They equip students with the tools to approach physically and emotionally demanding scenes with confidence, safety, and professionalism.
By the end of first year Acting students will have the training required to become certified in Stage Combat Training and Foundational Intimacy Training. Additional certification in Expanded and Advanced Intimacy Training is available in upper years along with the option of elective courses that introduce aspects of fight and intimacy direction. Working from industry guidelines provided by Fight Directors Canada, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists, (external link) and the Association of Acting Coaches and Educators, (external link) the Performance Acting program provides one of the most comprehensive approaches to Fight and Intimacy training for actors in Canada.
“I valued learning the process of how combat/intimacy choreography is made and applied to the performers. It brought a lot of relief to know how to vouch for my own agency in a professional manner. The communications skills and storytelling skills I exercised gave me insight on how to connect the character to these heightened moments, and I'm eager to characterize these moments more in the future.”
Students handle use of stage weaponry while performing.
Image from Winter 2025 production of macbitches by Jeremy Mimnagh.
As students progress through their years of training at Performance they have the opportunity to expand their knowledge with the option to pursue intermediate and advanced certifications in intimacy. These certifications let industry professionals like directors, agents, and casting directors know that actors understand the illusion of violence and intimacy and can perform skills safely and professionally. Certifications in fight and intimacy also signal to the industry that a performer has the ability to learn complex choreography and analyze scenes with an understanding of physical storytelling. Students may also choose to use their training and certifications after graduation to pursue further training and get jobs as fight directors or intimacy coordinators.
Performance Acting fight and intimacy training is grounded in 5 key principles:
Telling the Story with Honesty and Care
Whether it’s a passionate moment or a scene full of conflict, these kinds of interactions need to feel real — but they also need to be handled with care. It’s about serving the story and respecting the people telling it
Creating Safe, Consent-Driven Spaces
Today’s industry expects actors to know how to work with intimacy coordinators and fight directors. This training helps students get comfortable with those processes and builds confidence in working safely and collaboratively.
Building Physical and Emotional Awareness
This work sharpens physical discipline, spatial awareness, and emotional clarity — all essential for grounded, connected performances. It also helps actors draw the line between character and self, which is key for long-term wellbeing.
Meeting Industry Expectations
Knowing how to navigate fight and intimacy choreography isn’t optional anymore — it’s part of the job. Learning these skills now helps students step into professional environments ready and informed.
Confidence Through Preparation
When actors know how to approach intimate or physically intense scenes, they’re free to focus on the work. It takes away the guesswork and discomfort, and replaces it with clarity, confidence, and creative freedom.
“Fight and intimacy training was very interesting and it showed us the importance of intimacy guidelines in our career as actors. In the coming years, I hope to get involved in stage combat and possibly minor stunts.”
Students professionally present intimate moments onstage.
Image from Winter 2025 production of Marriage: an absolutely impossible event in two acts by Jeremy Mimnagh.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see students undertake the rigorous training that leads to their certification in fight and intimacy choreography. Observing them develop a heightened sense of physicality and mastery over their movements, while simultaneously learnarching the importance of consent and boundaries on stage, is nothing short of thrilling. This arduous work not only boosts TMU actors’ self-assurance in taking daring creative leaps but also teaches them to value safety and respect, enhancing their grasp of dramatic action and establishing their reputation as adaptable, conscientious, and audacious storytellers.”
Performance Acting is setting a new standard for acting training in Canada; one which fosters safety, collaboration and collective care.