Meron Langsner
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Stage Combat Resources

These


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.  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 can personally vouch for them.

    Arte Violenta  

    Combat Inc.

    Fights4 - This is also the organization that hosts Summer Sling  

    Neutral Chaos 

    NYCSS  

    Swordplay Stage Combat

    Vampire Cowboys Rabid Vamps Fight Studio 


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)

    Inouye, Kevin. The Screen Combat Handbook: A Practical Guide for Filmmakers. (Routledge: 2020)

    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.

   Steinrock, Jessica. Intimacy Direction: A New Role in Contemporary Theatre Making. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 2020

   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.



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





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