St. Charles man loves a good fight -- at least onstage
It is a truism of theater: The actors get all the glory. They speak lines written by someone else, wear clothes designed by someone else, walk through sets built by someone else. And when the play ends, they get the applause.
But the truism doesn't quite offer the full story.
John Tovar of St. Charles has found something in theater he loves to do more than acting. And he finds it every bit as glorious.
He is a fight choreographer.
He's the guy who shows the actors how to stage a fight without actually hurting each other. In Steppenwolf Theatre's current production of "Of Mice and Men," for example, Tovar developed the fight scenes between the lovable Lenny and the bullying Curley, and later between Lenny and Curley's despicable wife. And then he showed the actors how to play those scenes.
"I started as an actor," Tovar says, "but I wound up working in a lot of shows that had a lot of violence in them. And I discovered I was much more interested in portraying violence than playing one character on stage."
Tovar made this discovery while finishing up his degree in theater at Illinois State University and starring in the school's summer Shakespeare festival.
"I was in 'Richard III' and 'The Merry Wives of Windsor,'" he recalls. "In 'Merry Wives' I played a character who is waiting to duel another character. And while he is waiting he has a vision of what the duel will be like. I ended up all over the stage, playing out a long, pretend fight scene. It was a lot of fun. And it really peaked my interest in stage combat."
That was 10 years ago. Since then Tovar has continued to do some acting from time to time, but fight choreography has become his passion.
When he isn't working on a show, Tovar teaches stage combat at Elgin Community College and the College of DuPage. And when he isn't doing that he is researching his field.
"I find I spend a lot of time (between shows) training on the different weapons that are out there," Tovar says. "I have trained with swords, daggers, rapiers.
"I have also studied with some amazing people across the country," he adds. "I have taken stage combat classes at the Actor's Gymnasium (in Evanston). I have taken dance and physical comedy. The only thing I haven't tried are the martial arts, and that's next."
Tovar's stage background helps him communicate with actors and also helps him tailor his combat to the abilities of the actors in a show.
"I always go to the first rehearsal," Tovar says. "I like to get physical characteristics of the actors so I can adjust my choreography. Everyone moves differently, you see, so I want to be sure that what I give them to do works for them."
Where does Tovar want to be in 10 years?
He's thought about getting into films, which are a lot more lucrative. But many movie fight scenes make use of computer-generated imagery - something that's not an option on stage.
"What makes theater exciting is the immediacy," he says. "It is happening right there."
And helping actors make it happen is part of the glory of being a fight choreographer.
• You can see Tovar's fight choreography in "Of Mice and Men" running April 25 through May 10 at the Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, Chicago. For tickets call (312) 335-1650 or go to www.steppenwolf.org.