A fight director is not obliged by law to have any specific qualification, but inclusion in Equity’s Fight Directors’ Register is becoming a useful indication that the candidate has the appropriate qualifications.

This position has been reflected in changes to the standard Fight Director’s agreement published by the TMA. However, it might be hard to prove negligence against Equity if a theatre company contracted with a candidate solely on the basis of the inclusion of his or her name on the register.

For that reason, I would still recommend that the theatre company take up references and complete its own risk assessment.