Stage Combat Resources
I created this page as a resource to guide people towards information on stage combat and fight direction. This includes links to professional organizations, theatrical weapons rentals, and scholarly and practical bibliographies.
Click here for a separate page on specific martial arts and fencing (historical & otherwise) resources that might be of use to those involved in stage combat.
Click here for a page of links to Cautionary Tales: Stage Combat Gone Wrong
If you are looking for plays with fight scenes, please check out my page of plays available for production and/or development. There are notes as to which plays have extensive fight scenes.
Please let me know if you think I'm missing anything important.
Resources for the Purchase and/or Rental of Stage Weaponry
Albion Swords
Baltimore Knife & Sword
Boland Production Supply
Edges 2, Inc.
Gotham Armory
MMAOutlet.com Fight Gear - One-stop shopping for MMA/UFC gear/training mats, etc.
Preferred Arms - I regularly have companies I work with rent from these guys.
Rouge Steel
The Specialists, Ltd
Starfire Swords, Ltd
Vulcan's Forge - This man's swords are just beautiful. I personally own some of his work & love it.
Weapons of Choice
Western Stage Props
Stage Combat Training Organizations in New York City
I have trained with instructors from most of these organizations and they have my highest recommendation.
Combat Inc.
En Guarde Entertainment
Fights4
Swordplay Stage Combat
Vampire Cowboys Rabid Vamps Fight Studio - Ok, these guys are the only ones on this list that I haven't trained with, but I can recommend them based on my familiarity with their work.
Selected Bibliography
Periodicals & Dedicated Websites:
The Cutting Edge: The Newsletter of the Society of American Fight Directors
The Fight Master: The Journal of the Society of American Fight Directors
Fight Scene Wiki
Journal of Theatrical Combatives: EJMAS: The Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences
Stage Combat Now
Books & Dedicated Journal Issues:
Theatre and Violence. Theatre Symposium, A Publication of the Southeastern Theatre Conference. Vol. 7. (Alabama: 1999)
Barry, B.H.. Fights for Shakespeare, Book One: Romeo & Juliette. (lulu: 2010)
________. Fights for Shakespeare, Book Two: Macbeth and Hamlet. (lulu: 2011)
Dal Vera, Roco (ed), The Voice in Violence: Essays on Violence and Speech. A publication of the Voice & Speech Trainers Association. Presented by The Voice and Speech Review. (VASTA: 2001)
Girard, Dale Anthony. Actors On Guard: A Practical Guide for the Use of Rapier and Dagger on Stage and Screen. (Routledge: 1997)
Hamill, Kyna (ed). They Fight: Classical to Contemporary Stage Fight Scenes. (Smith & Kraus: 2003)
Hobbs, William. Techniques of the Stage Fight. (Studio Vista: 1967)
Howell, Jonathan. Stage Fighting: A Practical Guide. (Crowood: 2008)
Kirkland, Michael J.. Stage Combat Resource Materials: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography. (Greenwood: 2006)
Kreng, John. Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue. (Thomson: 2008)
Lane, Richard. Swashbuckling: A Step-By-Step Guide to the Art of Stage Combat and Theatrical Swordplay. (Limelight: 2003)
Martinez, J. D.. Combat Mime: A Non-Violent Approach to Stage Violence. (Burham: 1982)
Suddeth, J. Allen. Fight Directing for the Theatre. (Heineman: 1996)
Turner, Craig & Tony Soper. Methods and Practice of Elizabethan Swordplay. (Southern Illinois: 1990)
Articles, Chapters, & Related Material:
Bailey, Michael. "The Art of (Faking War) - A Look into the Wild But Safe World of Stage Combat" - from Renaissance Magazine
Cobbe, Elizabeth. "A Vicious Ballet" - Great article on stage combat at the high school level on the Educational Theatre Association website
Garcia, Durand. "How To Kill Without Getting Hurt on an Indie Film" - CineSource Magazine
_____________. "A Good Clean Fight: The Need for Fight Directors" - Theatre Bay Area
Hillman, Melissa. "Get it Together and Hire a Fight Director" - Bitter Gertrude Blog - This should be read by every student director and aspiring producer
Kuhn, Anthony. "In Japan, 'Sliced Up Actors' Are A Dying Breed" - NPR Story on the art of dying on screen in Japanese cinema
Langsner, Meron "Theatre Hoplology: Simulations and Representations of Violence on Stage" - a chapter of Text & Presentation 2006 (McFarland: 2007) - This links to the Google Books excerpt
_________________."Blood, Revenge, and Safety On Stage: An Explication of a Stage Duel in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette" - Theatrical Combatives. EJMASThe Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences
Mandell, Jonathan. "Stage Injuries, New and Old" - tdf Stages
Mitchell, Lee. "Stage Fencing." Theatre Arts Monthly. January 1935 - This article is fascinating from a historiographical perspective
Peterson, Jay. "Just Blanks" - An video on the dangers of blanks and theatrical firearm safety
University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health: Health & the Arts Program - Stunt Safety Articles & Theatre Health & Safety Self-Evaluation Checklist
RSC in 60 Seconds: Fight Captain - A (very) short video from the Royal Shakespeare Company about the duties and responsibilities of a fight captain
Wolf, Tony. "Ne'er the twain - Some Thoughts on the Martial Arts/Performing Arts Dichotomy" - ARMA: Association for Renaissance Martial Arts
Yeagley, Suzanne. "Interviews with People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: MERON LANGSNER, CHOREOGRAPHING FIGHTS" - McSweeney's Internet Tendency
Click here for Cautionary Tales: Links to Stories of Stage Combat Gone Wrong
Dissertations & Theses:
Anderson, Aaron David. Reading the Fights: Gestures Toward a Semiotics of Staged Combat. Doctoral Dissertation. Northwestern University. 2002. UMI Number: 3071601
Dillon, Robert. Towards a Theatrical Hoplology: An Approach to Staging, Performance, and Critical Theory for Weapons-Play in the Theatre. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Missouri, Columbia. 1989. UMI Number: 9010551
Langsner, Meron. Impossible Bodies in Motion: The Representation of Martial Arts on the American Stage. Doctoral Dissertation. Tufts University. 2011. UMI Number: 347507
Long, Hugh K. At a Sword's Length: Theatrical Dueling in Early Modern Spanish Drama. Doctoral Dissertation Tufts University. 2010. UMI Number: 3403440
Pasternak, Leslie. Moving Violence from the Page to the Stage: Stage Combat in Theory and Practice. Master's Thesis. University of Texas at Austin. 1993.
Fight Directing/Stage Combat Oriented Blogs
Daily Cross-Swords - Blog of Jenn Zuko
Jay the Barbarian - Blog of Jay Peterson
Them's Fightin' Words - Blog of Kevin Inouye
Professional Stage Combat Organizations in the English Speaking World
SAFD - The Society of American Fight Directors
FDC - Fight Directors Canada
BASSC - British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat
BADC - British Academy of Dramatic Combat
SAFDi - The Society of Australian Fight Directors, inc.
IDCA - Irish Dramatic Combat Academy
ISOP - The International Order of the Sword and the Pen
New Zealand Stage Combat Society (email only)
NSFS - Nordic Stage Fight Society - This organization operates in English as its constituent areas do not share a common language.
Click here for a separate page of Martial Arts/Fencing/Military History Resources for Fight Directors
And now, links to a bunch of stuff either by or about me...
Links to Some of Meron's Short Pieces & Guest Posts About Stage Combat on Other Sites
"Blood, Revenge, and Safety On Stage: An Explication of a Stage Duel in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette" an article in Theatrical Combatives - The Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences
"The Cinematographer Exercise" a pedagogy article in The Cutting Edge: The Newsletter of the Society of American Fight Directors
"Fight Directing Fool for Love" - guest blog post on Backstage @ New Rep
"Staging the Beat Down" - guest blog post on Backstage @ New Rep
"Captains and Dancing" - guest blog post on Backstage @ New Rep
Blog Posts About Stage Combat from This Site
Reasons Why Everyone Should Study Stage Combat
We All Fall Down... Safely
A Bit of Fightaturgy
The Physical Dramaturgy of Metatheatrical Violence
Despite All of his Contributions to Modern Stage Combat, Capo Ferro Was Not a Fight Director
Why You Might Want To Think Twice Before Putting "Stage Combat" On Your Resume
Other Stage Combat Pedagogy Resources from This Site
Stage Combat Syllabus - Tufts University Spring 2011
Sample Written Assignment: Towards a Dramaturgy of Stage Combat
Workshop: Writing the Fight (For Playwrights and Dramaturgs)
Links to Various Articles About Meron in his Professional Capacity as a Fight Director
"Interviews with People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: MERON LANGSNER, CHOREOGRAPHING FIGHTS" - McSweeney's Internet Tendency
"Siblings in Arms" - from Tufts Alma Matters
"PhD Candidate Langsner Details Fight Choreography, the Techniques and Effects" - The Tufts Daily
"Encountering Combat" - from Unknowing the Known: Whistler in the Dark Theatre's Blog
Click here for a separate page on specific martial arts and fencing (historical & otherwise) resources that might be of use to those involved in stage combat.
Click here for a page of links to Cautionary Tales: Stage Combat Gone Wrong
If you are looking for plays with fight scenes, please check out my page of plays available for production and/or development. There are notes as to which plays have extensive fight scenes.
Please let me know if you think I'm missing anything important.
Resources for the Purchase and/or Rental of Stage Weaponry
Albion Swords
Baltimore Knife & Sword
Boland Production Supply
Edges 2, Inc.
Gotham Armory
MMAOutlet.com Fight Gear - One-stop shopping for MMA/UFC gear/training mats, etc.
Preferred Arms - I regularly have companies I work with rent from these guys.
Rouge Steel
The Specialists, Ltd
Starfire Swords, Ltd
Vulcan's Forge - This man's swords are just beautiful. I personally own some of his work & love it.
Weapons of Choice
Western Stage Props
Stage Combat Training Organizations in New York City
I have trained with instructors from most of these organizations and they have my highest recommendation.
Combat Inc.
En Guarde Entertainment
Fights4
Swordplay Stage Combat
Vampire Cowboys Rabid Vamps Fight Studio - Ok, these guys are the only ones on this list that I haven't trained with, but I can recommend them based on my familiarity with their work.
Selected Bibliography
Periodicals & Dedicated Websites:
The Cutting Edge: The Newsletter of the Society of American Fight Directors
The Fight Master: The Journal of the Society of American Fight Directors
Fight Scene Wiki
Journal of Theatrical Combatives: EJMAS: The Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences
Stage Combat Now
Books & Dedicated Journal Issues:
Theatre and Violence. Theatre Symposium, A Publication of the Southeastern Theatre Conference. Vol. 7. (Alabama: 1999)
Barry, B.H.. Fights for Shakespeare, Book One: Romeo & Juliette. (lulu: 2010)
________. Fights for Shakespeare, Book Two: Macbeth and Hamlet. (lulu: 2011)
Dal Vera, Roco (ed), The Voice in Violence: Essays on Violence and Speech. A publication of the Voice & Speech Trainers Association. Presented by The Voice and Speech Review. (VASTA: 2001)
Girard, Dale Anthony. Actors On Guard: A Practical Guide for the Use of Rapier and Dagger on Stage and Screen. (Routledge: 1997)
Hamill, Kyna (ed). They Fight: Classical to Contemporary Stage Fight Scenes. (Smith & Kraus: 2003)
Hobbs, William. Techniques of the Stage Fight. (Studio Vista: 1967)
Howell, Jonathan. Stage Fighting: A Practical Guide. (Crowood: 2008)
Kirkland, Michael J.. Stage Combat Resource Materials: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography. (Greenwood: 2006)
Kreng, John. Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue. (Thomson: 2008)
Lane, Richard. Swashbuckling: A Step-By-Step Guide to the Art of Stage Combat and Theatrical Swordplay. (Limelight: 2003)
Martinez, J. D.. Combat Mime: A Non-Violent Approach to Stage Violence. (Burham: 1982)
Suddeth, J. Allen. Fight Directing for the Theatre. (Heineman: 1996)
Turner, Craig & Tony Soper. Methods and Practice of Elizabethan Swordplay. (Southern Illinois: 1990)
Articles, Chapters, & Related Material:
Bailey, Michael. "The Art of (Faking War) - A Look into the Wild But Safe World of Stage Combat" - from Renaissance Magazine
Cobbe, Elizabeth. "A Vicious Ballet" - Great article on stage combat at the high school level on the Educational Theatre Association website
Garcia, Durand. "How To Kill Without Getting Hurt on an Indie Film" - CineSource Magazine
_____________. "A Good Clean Fight: The Need for Fight Directors" - Theatre Bay Area
Hillman, Melissa. "Get it Together and Hire a Fight Director" - Bitter Gertrude Blog - This should be read by every student director and aspiring producer
Kuhn, Anthony. "In Japan, 'Sliced Up Actors' Are A Dying Breed" - NPR Story on the art of dying on screen in Japanese cinema
Langsner, Meron "Theatre Hoplology: Simulations and Representations of Violence on Stage" - a chapter of Text & Presentation 2006 (McFarland: 2007) - This links to the Google Books excerpt
_________________."Blood, Revenge, and Safety On Stage: An Explication of a Stage Duel in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette" - Theatrical Combatives. EJMASThe Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences
Mandell, Jonathan. "Stage Injuries, New and Old" - tdf Stages
Mitchell, Lee. "Stage Fencing." Theatre Arts Monthly. January 1935 - This article is fascinating from a historiographical perspective
Peterson, Jay. "Just Blanks" - An video on the dangers of blanks and theatrical firearm safety
University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health: Health & the Arts Program - Stunt Safety Articles & Theatre Health & Safety Self-Evaluation Checklist
RSC in 60 Seconds: Fight Captain - A (very) short video from the Royal Shakespeare Company about the duties and responsibilities of a fight captain
Wolf, Tony. "Ne'er the twain - Some Thoughts on the Martial Arts/Performing Arts Dichotomy" - ARMA: Association for Renaissance Martial Arts
Yeagley, Suzanne. "Interviews with People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: MERON LANGSNER, CHOREOGRAPHING FIGHTS" - McSweeney's Internet Tendency
Click here for Cautionary Tales: Links to Stories of Stage Combat Gone Wrong
Dissertations & Theses:
Anderson, Aaron David. Reading the Fights: Gestures Toward a Semiotics of Staged Combat. Doctoral Dissertation. Northwestern University. 2002. UMI Number: 3071601
Dillon, Robert. Towards a Theatrical Hoplology: An Approach to Staging, Performance, and Critical Theory for Weapons-Play in the Theatre. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Missouri, Columbia. 1989. UMI Number: 9010551
Langsner, Meron. Impossible Bodies in Motion: The Representation of Martial Arts on the American Stage. Doctoral Dissertation. Tufts University. 2011. UMI Number: 347507
Long, Hugh K. At a Sword's Length: Theatrical Dueling in Early Modern Spanish Drama. Doctoral Dissertation Tufts University. 2010. UMI Number: 3403440
Pasternak, Leslie. Moving Violence from the Page to the Stage: Stage Combat in Theory and Practice. Master's Thesis. University of Texas at Austin. 1993.
Fight Directing/Stage Combat Oriented Blogs
Daily Cross-Swords - Blog of Jenn Zuko
Jay the Barbarian - Blog of Jay Peterson
Them's Fightin' Words - Blog of Kevin Inouye
Professional Stage Combat Organizations in the English Speaking World
SAFD - The Society of American Fight Directors
FDC - Fight Directors Canada
BASSC - British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat
BADC - British Academy of Dramatic Combat
SAFDi - The Society of Australian Fight Directors, inc.
IDCA - Irish Dramatic Combat Academy
ISOP - The International Order of the Sword and the Pen
New Zealand Stage Combat Society (email only)
NSFS - Nordic Stage Fight Society - This organization operates in English as its constituent areas do not share a common language.
Click here for a separate page of Martial Arts/Fencing/Military History Resources for Fight Directors
And now, links to a bunch of stuff either by or about me...
Links to Some of Meron's Short Pieces & Guest Posts About Stage Combat on Other Sites
"Blood, Revenge, and Safety On Stage: An Explication of a Stage Duel in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette" an article in Theatrical Combatives - The Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences
"The Cinematographer Exercise" a pedagogy article in The Cutting Edge: The Newsletter of the Society of American Fight Directors
"Fight Directing Fool for Love" - guest blog post on Backstage @ New Rep
"Staging the Beat Down" - guest blog post on Backstage @ New Rep
"Captains and Dancing" - guest blog post on Backstage @ New Rep
Blog Posts About Stage Combat from This Site
Reasons Why Everyone Should Study Stage Combat
We All Fall Down... Safely
A Bit of Fightaturgy
The Physical Dramaturgy of Metatheatrical Violence
Despite All of his Contributions to Modern Stage Combat, Capo Ferro Was Not a Fight Director
Why You Might Want To Think Twice Before Putting "Stage Combat" On Your Resume
Other Stage Combat Pedagogy Resources from This Site
Stage Combat Syllabus - Tufts University Spring 2011
Sample Written Assignment: Towards a Dramaturgy of Stage Combat
Workshop: Writing the Fight (For Playwrights and Dramaturgs)
Links to Various Articles About Meron in his Professional Capacity as a Fight Director
"Interviews with People Who Have Interesting or Unusual Jobs: MERON LANGSNER, CHOREOGRAPHING FIGHTS" - McSweeney's Internet Tendency
"Siblings in Arms" - from Tufts Alma Matters
"PhD Candidate Langsner Details Fight Choreography, the Techniques and Effects" - The Tufts Daily
"Encountering Combat" - from Unknowing the Known: Whistler in the Dark Theatre's Blog
