(* = BASH instructor,
‡ = Modular Week Instructor)
James Brown* (SAFD Certified Teacher; Kutztown University)
James teaches course work in movement, voice and diction, dialects for the stage and stage violence at Kutztown University, PA. He earned an MFA in Directing at the Florida State University School of Theatre. Mr. Brown worked on staff at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Some favorite Festival productions included Taming of the Shrew with Raul Julia and Meryl Streep, The Pirates of Pinzance with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt and Henry the Fourth, Part I, with Mandy Patinkin.
Michael Chin* (SAFD Fight Master: Fights 4 NYC; Coordinator: SAFD National Stage Combat Workshops)
Michael has taught/choreographed/consulted in NYC for Pan Asian Repertory, Murder-To-Go, Theatreworks USA, La Mama ETC, National Asian American Theatre Co, The Public, The Vineyard, Julliard, NYU, Henry Street Settlement, The Drama League, Classical Theatre of Harlem/Harlem School of The Arts, New York Renaissance Festival and Brooklyn College. Nationally he has worked at The Barter (VA), Celebration Barn (ME), Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre (FL), University of Tulsa (OK), The Crossroads (NJ), Brown University (RI), Cape Cod Community College (MA), The Hangar (NY), Dickinson College (PA), Louisiana Tech (LA), NY State Theatre Inst. (NY), Tennessee Rep (TN), Merrimack Theatre (MA), and Yale School of Drama (CT). Mr. Chin is a student of Northern Style Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu and currently is on adjunct faculty at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and teaches at Fights4 a professional actors training school in NYC.
Jeff Blumenkrantz (Broadway Actor: DAMN YANKEES, HOW TO SUCCEED; Composer)
Actor - Broadway: Into the Woods (1987), Threepenny Opera (with Sting),Damn Yankees, How to Succeed., and A Class Act. Film/TV: Joseph. Dreamcoat, Will and Grace, all three Law and Order series, and the GreatPerformances (PBS) telecast of Candide in Concert. Composer - 2003 TonyR nomination for his contributions to the score of Urban Cowboy, the musical. Songs recorded by Audra McDonald ("I Won't Mind") and Megan Mullally ("Lament"). For more information about Jeff's songbook and podcast (featuring performances of his songs by Megan Mullally, Victoria Clark, Liz Callaway, Rebecca Luker, Carolee Carmello, Marin Mazzie, Kelli O'Hara, Sutton Foster, and more), visit www.jeffblumenkrantz.com
.
Anthony Carreiro (Guest Instructor: "Acting in Commercials" and "Acting in Sit-Coms")
Tony Carreiro received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1982 and the Master of Fine Arts from the University of Washington 's Professional Actor Training Program (PATP) in 1985. A professional actor since that time, Tony has appeared in almost one hundred television shows including recurring roles on Frasier, Sister, Sister and Deadly Games. Tony was a series regular on the CBS show: Doctor, Doctor and has guest starred on such popular series as Home Improvement, Golden Girls, Family Ties, Matlock, and ER. He has done scores of national television commercials and half dozen major motion pictures, including: Lethal Weapon II and Liar, Liar. He has worked in regional theatres and Shakespeare festivals up and down the West Coast and in New York. Tony is a recognized actor-combatant through the auspices of The Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). He directs, teaches acting, movement for actors, introduction to theatre and dramatic literature for Long Beach City College 's Department of Theatre, Dance and Film.
Michael Gaunt‡ (UK Professional Actor; Director: Birmingham School of Acting)
Michael is an actor, theatre director and teacher and his career spans forty years on both sides of the Atlantic. Productions include United Kingdom tours of THE AMOROUS PRAWN, PRIVATE LIVES, and A MATTER OF CHOICE starring Sarah Churchill (Sir Winston Churchill’s daughter). He was the artistic director of the first theatre seasons that Paul Elliott and Cameron Mackintosh produced and was a visiting director (and actor) at Dundee Rep (1987-91). His production of MAN OF LA MANCHA was invited by the Russian Academy for Theatre Arts as part of the International Podium in Moscow (1993), along with productions from the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS) and the Moscow Art Theatre School, where it won the Best Musical award. His production of an adaptation of Dicken’s HARD TIMES, was invited to the Hong Kong Academy (1992), and his production of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE played at the Brussels International Colloquium (1995), following which Michael was presented with a gold medal by the Minister for Arts. In 1991-92 Michael toured a production of Congreve’s THE WAY OF THE WORLD and Shaw’s OVERRULED to Santa Monica College, in the U.S.A. Next came an invitation to direct GODSPELL (in English) at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow, which ran from 1994 to 1996. He has made more than fifty appearances on television including SOFTLY, SOFTLY-TASK FORCE, THE BROTHERS, VAN DER VALK, OSCAR WILDE - DE PREFUNDIS (starring Sir Michael Gambon), and was a storyteller in JACKANORY for BBC Television, and has appeared in a number of feature films including ALL MEN ARE MORTAL. More recently he toured in Thelma Holt’s UK production of THE TEMPEST starring Richard Briers and directed by Patrick Mason, a former Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Michael served as director of the Conference of Drama Schools (CDS) from 1986 to 2002; and was Chairman from 1998-2000. He was awarded the CDS Silver Medal for ‘Services to Drama Training’ in 2002. He was an elected member of the National Council of Drama Training 1986-2002. He was Principal Designate/Principal at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama (now Birmingham School of Acting) from 1997 to 2002. Prior to that he was Director of the School of Drama at the (Royal) Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff from 1995-97). He was Principal of the Guildford School of Acting – GSA (now GSA Conservatoire) from 1983 to 1995.
Dale Girard* (SAFD Fight Master; North Carolina School of the Arts)
Mr. Girard is an award winning Fight Director and author of the stage combat manual Actors On Guard. He is a senior member of the Society of American Fight Directors and the North Carolina Stuntmen's Association, an honorary Fight Master of Fight Directors Canada and an honorary member of The Russian Guild of Stage Movement Directors and Teachers. His work has been featured in professional theatres and opera houses throughout the U.S. and Canada, and in several feature films. His credits include: The Metropolitan Opera (NYC), The Pioneer Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, American Repertory Theatre, New York City Opera, Long Wharf Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Center Stage, Florida Grand Opera, Vancouver Opera, Opera Alaska and the Hartford Stage. Mr. Girard is a master teacher, instructing classes and seminars in stage combat, acting, and dramatic movement at colleges and universities. Mr. Girard presently serves as the Director of Stage Combat Studies for North Carolina School of Arts.
C. J. Hill (Actress: "Truvy" in STEEL MAGNOLIAS; Choreographer: GUYS AND DOLLS; HOW TO SUCCEED; MUSIC MAN)
H. Rick Hite (Director: ANTIGONE; Actor: "Selsdon" in NOISES OFF)
Michael Johnson* (SAFD Fight Director: Fights 4 NYC)
Michael, a
full partner with NYC’s Fights4, has been a fight director for
such companies as The Shakespeare Theatre, Arena Stage, The Lady
Cavaliers, Double Helix Theatre, NAATCO/ Fluid Motion, Round
House Theatre, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, The Shakespeare
Project, Theatre at Lime Kiln, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company,
Ford's Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, and The Kennedy
Center.
He has taught at several schools, including, McDaniel College ,
Georgetown University , American University , Catholic
University , National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, University
of Maryland 's Opera Studio, and his alma mater, North Carolina
School of the Arts.
His workshops credits include the British Academy of Stage and
Screen Combat, the Summer Sling, the Philly Cheese steak
Workshop, TTW/SSISC, the March Madness Workshop, the Winter
Wonderland Workshop, and the Paddy Crean Workshop.
A professional actor as well, Michael has performed at various
regional theatres, on tour, on television and in feature films.
He was also a stunt double for "A Man Called Hawk".
Jeff A. R. Jones* (SAFD Fight Director)
Jeff has staged fights for theatre, opera, and ballet
companies including Asolo Conservatory Theatre, Playhouse on the
Square, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Florida State University,
Duke University Burning Coal Theatre Company, Virginia Opera,
Opera Illinois, Sarasota Opera, and Carolina Ballet. As a
teacher, he has worked at the Asolo Conservatory for Actor
Training, Florida State University, Virginia Governor's School
of the Arts, and Springer Theatre Academy in addition to his
private classes. He has taught at regional workshops including
the Fight Director's Conference, Advanced Actor/Combatant
Workshop, Paddy Crean International Workshop, Virginia Tea
Party, Philadelphia Cheesesteak Workshop, Southeast Theatre
Conference, and North Carolina Theatre Conference with many
specialty classes: "Costumes & Combat," "Ballet Fights," "Found
Weapons," "Contemporary Violence," and "Injuries, Wounds &
Kills." He is the Art Director for The Fight Master. His fights
have received rave reviews in both The Washington Post and The
New York Times.
k Jenny Jones* (SAFD Fight Director: Cincinnati Conservatory of Music)
Jones is an actress, teacher, and fight director currently residing in the politically correct city of Cincinnati, where she is on faculty at the College-Conservatory of Music, teaching acting and stage combat. Having choreographed over 100 productions, her credits include: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Portland Opera, Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival, Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati, Kentucky Opera, Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire and numerous Colleges and Universities through out the Midwest. Though the physical space of the Bard Alley Studio is currently closed, k. Jenny still provides coaching in the Michael Chekhov technique to local actors and directors.
Derek Leonidoff- SAG/AFTRA/EQUITY (Professional Actor; Improv Specialist)
A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, L. Derek Leonidoff recently returns from a 3 year stint as an actor in Los Angeles, California. His credits include “First Kid” starring Sinbad, and the critically acclaimed independent film “Moving,” as well as dozens of national commercials and industrials.
A life long student of improvisation, Derek is a graduate of The Groundlings Improv Comedy School, The Improv Olympic Training Center, and the famed Second City Conservatory. Along with his extensive improv direction and teaching credits, Derek has performed with over a dozen professional improv troupes including “Cup of Tea,” (Improv Olympic cage match winner - 27 weeks running,) “Cog” (featured troupe – L.A. Improv Festival,) as well as the founder of Regent’s own, “Slaphappy!”
Scot Mann* (SAFD Fight Director)
Scot has choreographed, performed, and instructed Stage Combat in such cites as London, New York, Houston, Chicago, Las Vegas, and his home base in Atlanta. Southeastern credits include the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Alliance Theatre Company, The Atlanta Opera, The Georgia Shakespeare Festival, The Seaside Music Theatre, The Hippodrome Theatre, and the outdoor drama Unto These Hills. He has served as Stage Combat Instructor for the North Carolina School of the Arts, and for the British Society of Stage and Screen Combat at the British National Stage Combat Workshop in London, UK. Scot is the founder and Executive Director of the Atlanta Stage Combat Studio, a member of the Association of Theatre Movement Educators, and holds an MFA in Acting from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s PAT program through the University of Alabama.
Jackie Matthews‡ (UK Professional Movement Specialist; Historical Dance Specialist; RADA)
Jackie Matthews was trained at the London College of dance and Drama which qualified her to teach ballet and most other forms of dance.
She was also trained to teach actors movement and Historical Dance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she went on to train the actors in pure movement, acrobatics and Period Dance for 17 years before becoming Head of Movement at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art which is her current position.
She also teaches on the British American Drama Academy London and Oxford programmes.
Other teaching has included the London Academy of Dramatic Art .and Rose Bruford College. She was Master of Movement at Shakespeare’s Globe for 3 years where she taught Movement and Choreographed dances.
Other professional movement work includes Further than the Furthest thing at the Royal National Theatre and Twelfth Night at the Regents Park Open Air theatre. Film and television includes the Lost Prince by Stephen Poliakov, Quills, All Forgotten, and most recently, Terence Mallicks the New World.
John McFarland* (SAFD Fight Director)
John has been a Fight Director, Teacher or
Actor in cities such as Boston, New York, London, Las Vegas,
Chicago and Detroit. He's taught as a Guest Artist at University
of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; British Academy of Stage and Screen
Combat's National Workshop, London; Columbia College, Chicago;
Impulse Studio Theatre, Chicago and New American Theatre,
Rockford IL. John is a co-founder of The Winter Wonderland
Workshop (just completed its eleventh year), an SAFD sanctioned
regional stage combat workshop held every January in Chicago.
John has also taught stage combat at Columbia College.
Rikki Ravitts* (SAFD Fight Director; Fights 4 NYC)
An actress/playwright as well as a SAFD Fight Director & Teacher, Ms. Ravitts has fought, taught and/or performed in NYC, London, Toronto, Chicago, Philadelphia, Las Vegas & Washington DC. Fight direction includes: Romeo and Juliet, A Silent Exchange, The Lucky Chance, Femme Fatale, The Garden of Torment, Macbeth, Shake Battle and Roll, Hamlet, Mlle. Maupin, and Armchair in Hell. Ms. Ravitts teaches privately in NYC and in association with Fights4, Swordplay, The Summer Sling Regional Workshop and The Lady Cavaliers. She has guest taught at NYU, Yale, Oberlin, Vassar, AMDA & SUNY Purchase, and is an avid tanguera.
Richard Ryan*‡ (SAFD and BASSC Fight Master; Fight Director: Wolfgang Petersen’s TROY; Doug Lefler’s THE LAST LEGION; Matthew Vaughn’s STARDUST)
Richard Ryan is an internationally acclaimed Fight Director and teacher of
stage combat, whose work has been seen worldwide. He has
accumulated well over 200 credits major credits in Film,
Theatre, Opera and TV.
Richard
served as Swordmaster for the Warner Brothers Epic film TROY, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and starring Brad
Pitt, Eric Bana & Orlando Bloom.
Richard has
worked for many major companies such as The Royal Shakespeare
Company, the National Theatre of Ireland, Royal National
Theatre, Cheek by Jowl, English National Opera, York Theatre
Royal and the award winning Mercury Theatre, Colchester along
with various West End shows and National Tours on projects
encompassing a traditional diet of Shakespearean and Jacobean
plays to new contemporary works to a live show in Thailand where
he staged a battle with eighty actors and four Elephants.
Richard
is the 'Master-at-Arms' to London 's Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art and has taught stage combat extensively throughout the UK
including training stage combat teachers and fight directors.
He has also
taught numerous workshops both nationally and internationally
including; The British National Stage Combat Workshops, COS 2000
Spain and The International Stage Combat Workshop and the
Society of American Fight Directors National Workshops.
Richard has
just completed filming THE LAST LEGION, directed
by Doug Lefler, which is based on the Manfredi novel of the same
name. The film, which stars Colin Firth, Sir Ben Kingsley
Aishwarya Rai, Kevin McKidd, James Cosmo, Nonso Anozie, Rupert
Friend and Owen Teale, is due for release in the summer of 2006.
Visit Richard's website for
more information. http://www.stagefight.com/
Terry Weber‡ (Professional Actor: Clarence Brown Theatre Company; Professor: University of Tennessee)
Professor Weber teaches a variety of performance related courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels at UT (Knoxville), where he has taught since 1989. His professional acting career has taken him to theatres in New York, Toronto, Avignon (France), Louisville, Chicago, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Montgomery, and Knoxville. Major Shakespearean roles include Proteus, Iago, Benedick, Malvolio, Autolycus, and Oberon. Terry is a company member of the Clarence Brown Theatre Company, the professional LORT theatre company in residence at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His Clarence Brown Theatre Company credits include: Reverend John Hale in The Crucible, Valentine in Arcadia, Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard, DeNizza in The Royal Hunt of the Sun, and Richard Rich in A Man for All Seasons.
John Wynne* (Certified Pyrotechnics and Firearms expert)
John Wynne has over 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry to include both military and commercial training and experience in the handling and use of high and low explosives, weapons safety and handling and special effects. Mr. Wynne has been licensed for explosives work in the State of California and is currently Federally licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (BATF Class 33 Permit). His recent credits include six months work in set construction and scenic painting on the feature film The New World, starring Christopher Plummer, Colin Ferral, and Wes Studi, and work as a props maker on the set of the feature film Cold Mountain on location in Richmond and Williamsburg, VA. He also designed and installed special effects explosions for a TV cable pilot titled INTERPOL for National Geographic and for another episode of The FBI Files on The Discovery Channel. Mr. Wynne holds an MFA Degree in Scenic Design and Technical Production from The California Institute of The Arts and a BFA in Theatre and Speech Communications from Virginia Commonwealths University.
Notes:
* = BASH instructor
‡ = Modular Week Instructor
