My Philosophy of Stage Combat
Stage combat isn’t just about swinging swords and throwing punches—it’s about telling a great story through movement. Whether it’s a dramatic duel, a slapstick brawl, or a tense moment of violence, every fight needs to feel real, safe, and emotionally honest. If the audience doesn’t believe it, the scene falls flat. If the actors don’t feel safe, the whole performance suffers. My job is to make sure neither of those things happen.
At its core, stage combat is about trust. You have to trust your scene partner, your technique, and yourself. That’s why I emphasize safety, precision, and intention in every fight. It’s not about who “wins” the scene—it’s about how the action moves the story forward. A well-executed fight isn’t just cool to watch; it deepens character relationships, raises the stakes, and adds an energy that words alone can’t always capture.
I teach unarmed and rapier & dagger combat with a focus on control, storytelling, and fun. Because yes—stage combat should be fun! It’s one of the few times you get to play with swords (or throw fake punches) without getting in trouble. But at the end of the day, it’s still acting. Every movement should come from a place of character and objective, just like a line of dialogue.
My goal is to help actors feel confident, safe, and completely in the moment—so when they step into a fight scene, they’re not just executing choreography, they’re living the story.