B.H. Barry
Encyclopedia
B.H. Barry is an English fight director and choreographer in theater, film, television, opera and ballet. He has been awarded both a Drama Desk and an Obie Award
for Sustained and Consistent Excellence in Stage Combat. He helped form the Shared Experience
Theatre Company with Michael Alfreds, developing a signature style of "Story Teller Theatre." He is also a co-founder of the British Society of Dramatic Combat.
, B.H. was raised in a working class family. He left school at fifteen due to financial difficulties and worked as a chemical engineer in the leather industry. After three years he left to pursue a theatrical career, working at various jobs to pay for his drama school training.
At the age of nineteen Barry attended Corona Stage Academy
. Here, he became a teacher of mime, voice, dialect and stage combat, as well as directing his own productions.It was at Corona Academy that he met and trained with Paddy Crean,Errol Flynn's stunt double . He went on to study Aikido and stage combat with friend and mentor, Barry Jackson
, an English stuntman. He also taught at the London Academy of Dramatic Art, Central School of Speech and Drama, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
. In the course of teaching several workshops in the United States, Barry met Earl Gister, Chair of the Drama Department at Carnegie Mellon, and was invited to teach a course there. At the time, stage combat was not taught as a core course in drama schools. From there he went on to teach at the Juilliard School
, Yale
, NYU, Temple City College, and Circle in the Square, where he still teaches and many other universities around the country. He was a founding member of "Shakespeare and Company" in Lennox Mass. and in New York City,"The Blue Light Theater Company."His work on Broadway includes Kiss Me Kate ," "City Of Angels","Big River" " Noises Off" "I'm Not Rappaport" and many others.
His work in the entertainment industry encompasses films including The Adams Family, Pirates of Penzance and Olleanna, and TV projects such as Dr. Who and the BBC Shakespeare series. He was the regular stunt coordinator for the popular soap opera All My Children
for several decades. He has been awarded both a Drama Desk and an Obie Award for Sustained and Consistent Excellence in Stage Combat.The American Theater Wing has awarded him a Tony Honor for Excellence.
Barry continues to work as a fight director, and is currently writing a series of books on fight directing for Shakespeare.
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for Sustained and Consistent Excellence in Stage Combat. He helped form the Shared Experience
Shared Experience
Shared Experience is a British theatre company. Its current joint artistic directors are Nancy Meckler and Polly Teale. Kate Saxon is an Associate Director.-Productions:*A Passage to India *Madame Bovary...
Theatre Company with Michael Alfreds, developing a signature style of "Story Teller Theatre." He is also a co-founder of the British Society of Dramatic Combat.
Life and career
Born Barry Halliday in the English town of StainesStaines
Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and Greater London Urban Area, as well as the London Commuter Belt of South East England. It is a suburban development within the western bounds of the M25 motorway and located 17 miles west south-west of Charing Cross in...
, B.H. was raised in a working class family. He left school at fifteen due to financial difficulties and worked as a chemical engineer in the leather industry. After three years he left to pursue a theatrical career, working at various jobs to pay for his drama school training.
At the age of nineteen Barry attended Corona Stage Academy
Corona Stage Academy
Corona Stage Academy also known as The Corona Stage School was a successful British drama school founded by Miss Rona Knight in the mid 1940's. The school started in Chiswick before later moving to 16 Ravenscourt Avenue, Hammersmith in 1955...
. Here, he became a teacher of mime, voice, dialect and stage combat, as well as directing his own productions.It was at Corona Academy that he met and trained with Paddy Crean,Errol Flynn's stunt double . He went on to study Aikido and stage combat with friend and mentor, Barry Jackson
Barry Jackson
Barry Jackson is an English actor.He is known for his roles on film and television.His film roles include: Ryan's Daughter, Barry Lyndon, Aces High, The Raging Moon, Mr...
, an English stuntman. He also taught at the London Academy of Dramatic Art, Central School of Speech and Drama, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
. In the course of teaching several workshops in the United States, Barry met Earl Gister, Chair of the Drama Department at Carnegie Mellon, and was invited to teach a course there. At the time, stage combat was not taught as a core course in drama schools. From there he went on to teach at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, NYU, Temple City College, and Circle in the Square, where he still teaches and many other universities around the country. He was a founding member of "Shakespeare and Company" in Lennox Mass. and in New York City,"The Blue Light Theater Company."His work on Broadway includes Kiss Me Kate ," "City Of Angels","Big River" " Noises Off" "I'm Not Rappaport" and many others.
His work in the entertainment industry encompasses films including The Adams Family, Pirates of Penzance and Olleanna, and TV projects such as Dr. Who and the BBC Shakespeare series. He was the regular stunt coordinator for the popular soap opera All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
for several decades. He has been awarded both a Drama Desk and an Obie Award for Sustained and Consistent Excellence in Stage Combat.The American Theater Wing has awarded him a Tony Honor for Excellence.
Barry continues to work as a fight director, and is currently writing a series of books on fight directing for Shakespeare.