Stage Combat Resources
Danielle
21BI 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. I have included links to some of my own articles that have been published in various journals and trade papers and such.
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.
Fight Designer LLC - Prop weaponry by the man who literally wrote the book on theatrical firearms
Gotham Armory
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 (either as a student or as a peer) and they have my highest recommendation.
Arte Violenta
Combat Inc.
Fights4
Neutral Chaos
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)
Kevin Inouye. The Theatrical Firearms Handbook. (Focal Press: 2014)
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
"The Fight Master" - Stage Directions - Great article on J Allen Suddeth
Gilbert, Rick. "The Significance of Violence Design" - HowlRound
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
Johnson, Michael Jerome, "Hiring a Fight Director" - HowlRound
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
__________________. "Six Ways Fight Training Will Make You a Better Actor" - Backstage
__________________. "Why Everyone Should Study Stage Combat" - HowlRound
__________________. - "Fightaturgy: Towards a Dramaturgy of Staged Violence" - HowlRound
__________________. - "Despite All of His Contributions to Modern Stage Combat, Ridolfo Capo Ferro Was Not a Fight Director" - HowlRound
__________________. "Writing the Fight: What Playwrights & Dramaturgs Need to Know About Staging Violence (Part 1 of 2)" - HowlRound
__________________. "Writing the Fight: What Playwrights and Dramaturgs Need to Know About Staging Violence (Part 2 of 2)" - HowlRound
__________________. - "The Cinematographer Exercise: Introducing Non-Contact Blows" The Cutting Edge: The Newsletter of the Society of American Fight Directors
__________________. - "Please Think Twice Before Putting 'Stage Combat' on your Resume" The Theatre Times
__________________. - "Dramaturgy of the Duels in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton" The Theatre Times
__________________. - "Nine Pieces of Advice for Martial Artists Beginning Stage Combat Training" The Theatre Times
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
StageSource Boston, "What Is... Violence Design". "Live from the Library" Podcast Series - I am one of four fight directors interviewed in this podcast
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
"The Woman Who Teaches Actors to Fight" - BBC News Magazine
Wassem, Frances, "How to choreograph a theatrical fight scene" - Telegraph - great article on Richard Ryan
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
Articles on Intimacy Direction - This is a field closely related to (and springing from) stage combat. I am giving it its own section as there is still a scarcity of information on what is a very important topic.
"Navigating and Negotiating Intimacy" - SAG/AFTRA Podcast October 29, 2019
"An Interview With Claire Warden, The First Broadway-Credited Intimacy Director" - Howard Sherman, Stage Directions Magazine, August 21, 2019
"HBO Intimacy Coordinator Alicia Rodis on Importance of Consent Beginning in Casting" - Danielle Turchiano, Variety, May 29, 2019
"Intimate Exchanges" - Carey Purcell, American Theatre, October 23, 2018
"Meet the 'Intimacy Directors' who Choreograph Sex Scenes" - Amanda Duberman, Huffington Post, May 2018
"Building Consent Culture: Intimacy Direction" - Nick Benz, Scapi Magazine, April 2018
"Theatre world calling in Intimacy Coaches to guide actors through sex scenes" - The Canadian Press, January 2018
"Man to Man: Stage Romance Etiquette" - Lucas Meachem, The Baritone Blog, June 2018
"For Local Theatres, Intimacy Directors Could Foster Safer Workspaces" - Ashlie Stevens, WPFL, February 2018
"Cliff Williams III: Why theatre need to hire intimacy choreographers" - Jon Jon Johnson, DC Theatre Scene, February 2018
"How Do You Play a Porn Star in the #MeToo Era? With Help from an 'Intimacy Director'" - Margaret Judson, The New York Times, August 24, 2018
"How HBO is Changing Sex Scenes Forever" - Breena Kerr, Rolling Stone, October 24, 2018
Dissertations & Theses:
Anderson, Aaron David. Reading the Fights: Gestures Toward a Semiotics of Staged Combat. Doctoral Dissertation. Northwestern University. 2002. UMI Number: 3071601
Campanella, Tonia Sina. Intimate Encounters; Staging Intimacy and Sensuality. Master's Thesis, Virginia Commonwealth University. 2006
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
Harrison, Nicholas John. Battles Staged By: The Development and Organization of Stage Combat in Canada. Doctoral Dissertation. University of British Columbia. 2012
Kane, Donna Joan. The Society of American Fight Directors: An Oral History. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Kansas. 1999
Langsner, Meron. Impossible Bodies in Motion: The Representation of Martial Arts on the American Stage. Doctoral Dissertation. Tufts University. 2011. UMI Number: 347507
Lennox, John. The Relationship Between Personal Combat and Stage Combat from the Late Sixteenth Century to the Early Twentieth Century. Doctoral Dissertation. Wayne State University. 2008. UMI Number: 3310881
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.
Whitaker, Macaela Carder, Women in Stage Combat: A Study of the Babes With Blades Theatre Company. Doctoral Dissertation. Bowling Green State University. 2015
Wooten, Kara, Developing a Course in Stage Combat, A Manual for Instructors and Students, Doctoral Dissertation, Texas Tech University, 2000
Fight Directing/Stage Combat Oriented Blogs
Daily Cross-Swords - Blog of Jenn Zuko
I Am So NOT Gonna Hit You
Jay the Barbarian - Blog of Jay Peterson
Them's Fightin' Words - Blog of Kevin Inouye
Fighting Words - Blog of The Chicago School of Stage Combat
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.
IDI: Intimacy Directors International - This organization and their work grew out of the stage combat community. Not necessarily stage violence per se, but many of the same principles apply. They do important work.
Other Resources
Free Firearm Sound Library - Please give credit where it's due if you use this resource
Not in Our House: Chicago Theatre Standards - A useful guideline for a safe & healthy workspace (and if you don't understand why I am including this on a page about stage combat, look back at first principles)
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...
Blog Posts About Stage Combat from This Site (Note: Some of these have been modified and repubished elsewhere)
Reasons Why Everyone Should Study Stage Combat
Script Analysis for Fight Directors
The Fight Director's Bookshelf: What Early Career Fight Directors Should Be Reading
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
"How It's Made: Stage Combat" - Schmopera
"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
21BI 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. I have included links to some of my own articles that have been published in various journals and trade papers and such.
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.
Fight Designer LLC - Prop weaponry by the man who literally wrote the book on theatrical firearms
Gotham Armory
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 (either as a student or as a peer) and they have my highest recommendation.
Arte Violenta
Combat Inc.
Fights4
Neutral Chaos
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)
Kevin Inouye. The Theatrical Firearms Handbook. (Focal Press: 2014)
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
"The Fight Master" - Stage Directions - Great article on J Allen Suddeth
Gilbert, Rick. "The Significance of Violence Design" - HowlRound
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
Johnson, Michael Jerome, "Hiring a Fight Director" - HowlRound
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
__________________. "Six Ways Fight Training Will Make You a Better Actor" - Backstage
__________________. "Why Everyone Should Study Stage Combat" - HowlRound
__________________. - "Fightaturgy: Towards a Dramaturgy of Staged Violence" - HowlRound
__________________. - "Despite All of His Contributions to Modern Stage Combat, Ridolfo Capo Ferro Was Not a Fight Director" - HowlRound
__________________. "Writing the Fight: What Playwrights & Dramaturgs Need to Know About Staging Violence (Part 1 of 2)" - HowlRound
__________________. "Writing the Fight: What Playwrights and Dramaturgs Need to Know About Staging Violence (Part 2 of 2)" - HowlRound
__________________. - "The Cinematographer Exercise: Introducing Non-Contact Blows" The Cutting Edge: The Newsletter of the Society of American Fight Directors
__________________. - "Please Think Twice Before Putting 'Stage Combat' on your Resume" The Theatre Times
__________________. - "Dramaturgy of the Duels in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton" The Theatre Times
__________________. - "Nine Pieces of Advice for Martial Artists Beginning Stage Combat Training" The Theatre Times
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
StageSource Boston, "What Is... Violence Design". "Live from the Library" Podcast Series - I am one of four fight directors interviewed in this podcast
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
"The Woman Who Teaches Actors to Fight" - BBC News Magazine
Wassem, Frances, "How to choreograph a theatrical fight scene" - Telegraph - great article on Richard Ryan
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
Articles on Intimacy Direction - This is a field closely related to (and springing from) stage combat. I am giving it its own section as there is still a scarcity of information on what is a very important topic.
"Navigating and Negotiating Intimacy" - SAG/AFTRA Podcast October 29, 2019
"An Interview With Claire Warden, The First Broadway-Credited Intimacy Director" - Howard Sherman, Stage Directions Magazine, August 21, 2019
"HBO Intimacy Coordinator Alicia Rodis on Importance of Consent Beginning in Casting" - Danielle Turchiano, Variety, May 29, 2019
"Intimate Exchanges" - Carey Purcell, American Theatre, October 23, 2018
"Meet the 'Intimacy Directors' who Choreograph Sex Scenes" - Amanda Duberman, Huffington Post, May 2018
"Building Consent Culture: Intimacy Direction" - Nick Benz, Scapi Magazine, April 2018
"Theatre world calling in Intimacy Coaches to guide actors through sex scenes" - The Canadian Press, January 2018
"Man to Man: Stage Romance Etiquette" - Lucas Meachem, The Baritone Blog, June 2018
"For Local Theatres, Intimacy Directors Could Foster Safer Workspaces" - Ashlie Stevens, WPFL, February 2018
"Cliff Williams III: Why theatre need to hire intimacy choreographers" - Jon Jon Johnson, DC Theatre Scene, February 2018
"How Do You Play a Porn Star in the #MeToo Era? With Help from an 'Intimacy Director'" - Margaret Judson, The New York Times, August 24, 2018
"How HBO is Changing Sex Scenes Forever" - Breena Kerr, Rolling Stone, October 24, 2018
Dissertations & Theses:
Anderson, Aaron David. Reading the Fights: Gestures Toward a Semiotics of Staged Combat. Doctoral Dissertation. Northwestern University. 2002. UMI Number: 3071601
Campanella, Tonia Sina. Intimate Encounters; Staging Intimacy and Sensuality. Master's Thesis, Virginia Commonwealth University. 2006
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
Harrison, Nicholas John. Battles Staged By: The Development and Organization of Stage Combat in Canada. Doctoral Dissertation. University of British Columbia. 2012
Kane, Donna Joan. The Society of American Fight Directors: An Oral History. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Kansas. 1999
Langsner, Meron. Impossible Bodies in Motion: The Representation of Martial Arts on the American Stage. Doctoral Dissertation. Tufts University. 2011. UMI Number: 347507
Lennox, John. The Relationship Between Personal Combat and Stage Combat from the Late Sixteenth Century to the Early Twentieth Century. Doctoral Dissertation. Wayne State University. 2008. UMI Number: 3310881
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.
Whitaker, Macaela Carder, Women in Stage Combat: A Study of the Babes With Blades Theatre Company. Doctoral Dissertation. Bowling Green State University. 2015
Wooten, Kara, Developing a Course in Stage Combat, A Manual for Instructors and Students, Doctoral Dissertation, Texas Tech University, 2000
Fight Directing/Stage Combat Oriented Blogs
Daily Cross-Swords - Blog of Jenn Zuko
I Am So NOT Gonna Hit You
Jay the Barbarian - Blog of Jay Peterson
Them's Fightin' Words - Blog of Kevin Inouye
Fighting Words - Blog of The Chicago School of Stage Combat
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.
IDI: Intimacy Directors International - This organization and their work grew out of the stage combat community. Not necessarily stage violence per se, but many of the same principles apply. They do important work.
Other Resources
Free Firearm Sound Library - Please give credit where it's due if you use this resource
Not in Our House: Chicago Theatre Standards - A useful guideline for a safe & healthy workspace (and if you don't understand why I am including this on a page about stage combat, look back at first principles)
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...
Blog Posts About Stage Combat from This Site (Note: Some of these have been modified and repubished elsewhere)
Reasons Why Everyone Should Study Stage Combat
Script Analysis for Fight Directors
The Fight Director's Bookshelf: What Early Career Fight Directors Should Be Reading
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
"How It's Made: Stage Combat" - Schmopera
"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