About 30 members gathered at The Stapleton Arms in May for a delicious lunch and a fascinating talk by Denise Ryan Edwards. Our appetites had been whetted by an interview Denise gave to Kerry of “This is Alfred” a couple of weeks beforehand, and which resulted in two potential members joining us on this occasion.
Denise had started out as a skilled swimmer and diver, winning competitions and giving displays. It was after one such display that she was first asked to perform a stunt for a film and, to coin a phrase, one thing led to another….! Denise did explain that it was probably easier to get started in that line of business then, as female stunt artists were few and far between; nowadays, although men still outnumber women, there are more of us lining up to be trained. Being qualified in a variety of disciplines is necessary for insurance purposes – riding, fencing, driving and swimming being the most obvious. Denise then explained how she had moved from being a stunt artist herself to planning and ‘choreographing’ stunts for films, working with many well-known actors and directors.
All club members present agreed it was a very different and stimulating talk.
Report by Sue Dawson