Name: Jeff Skubal

Age: 34

Occupation: Fight choreographer/actor

Number of years on the job: 5

I choreograph fights and violence on stage and independent films. My job is to show actors how to fall or to take a punch without getting hurt. Basically I'm creating an illusion by deceiving the eye or the camera.

I studied stage combat with Tony Simotes at UW-Madison while I was earning my bachelor's degree. Tony told me that I have a knack for physical acting and that a good way to stay in the business and earn a living is to be a fight choreographer. I've worked on stage productions with several area high schools, UW-Whitewater, Four Seasons Theatre, Children's Theater of Madison and Madison Opera, including this weekend's production of "Carmen."

I've worked on 24 shows and two independent films. The films were produced by local production company Q-Fun Productions. I also teach a stage combat class for CTM.

I get to take the words of violence from paper and put them into visual. I let my imagination take over. It's rewarding as I'm sitting in the audience during a performance to hear the audience reaction. If the audience verbally reacts as someone is getting punched in the face, I know that I've done my job to make it look realistic. During a sword fight, if the audience is whooping and hollering, it's very gratifying for me.

It's safety first for the actors when I'm choreographing a fight scene. If someone is uncomfortable with the something that I've choreographed for them, I can modify the move so it's easier for them to do. On stage, the victim is doing all of the work and the aggressor is just standing by, which is the opposite of real life.

I start by showing the actors two or three moves and have them work on them for five or 10 minutes. Then I add a couple more moves in a building process. This way it's easier for them to get the sequence in their bones - it's muscle memory. The actor can't look like they are thinking what the next move is going to be; they have to look natural.

Whether it's slapping, hair pulling, fighting with fists, knives, swords, guns or another form of fighting, I can choreograph it. I keep up with all of the new fight techniques and keep in condition myself because the minute you stop doing this work, it escapes you.

What I Do invites people to tell in their own words what they do to earn a living. The column runs every Tuesday. To suggest someone to feature, contact Jill Carlson at jillcarlson1957@gmail.com.

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