While on the job, Joe Foust has been stabbed, cut and had his teeth knocked out. Who knew being an actor, playwright and fight choreographer was such dicey work?

"It’s like being a professional football player," says Foust. "You don't play to get injured, but if you play football long enough, you'll get injured."

Faust – who co-wrote, choreographed and acts in "Robin Hood," which opens this weekend at First Stage Children’s Theater – trained in stage combat at the University of Illinois under fight master Robin McFarquhar. He is certified in quarter staff, rapier-and-dagger and hand-to-hand, and is also trained in Chinese broad sword, court sword and naginata – a Japanese spear.

"I’ve worked with almost any weapon you can think of," he says.

Stage fighting is a unique art form in that it is potentially very dangerous. Although the moves are staged, the weapons are real.

"There’s nothing fake about it," says Foust. "You could kill somebody if you’re not doing it correctly."

In "Robin Hood," the swords are not sharp-edged, but they are still considered dangerous.

"They could still cut you or even kill you," says Foust. "A lot of damage can be done with, say, a car antenna. An object doesn’t have to be sharp to seriously hurt someone."

Because of this fact, on-the-job safety is Foust’s top priority, especially when children are in the cast.

"It’s harder to train children because they are usually new to it, and their spacial awareness is not the same as adults, but the children in ‘Robin Hood' are all doing a great job," he says.

Foust says imitation weapons aren't used on stage because they would be too obvious and would fall apart upon impact if they were made of softer materials. Plus, it doesn’t jibe with the philosophy of stage fighting.

"All of your training is in using the weapon correctly, and therefore you are – most of the time – not going to cause or receive an injury," he says.

Foust says about half of rehearsal time is spent on stage fighting for purposes of making sure it is done safely and correctly.

"It’s like learning a complex, violent dance that could hurt someone," he says. "It's a very complex form of choreography."

There are six fight scenes in "Robin Hood," but Foust says it isn’t dark or violent and suitable for kids to watch.

"It’s completely swashbuckling fun," says Foust.

"Robin Hood" runs from Feb. 17 through March 12, at First Stage. Find out more here.