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 John
Ficarra - FDC Certified Instructor
An award winning actor, director, fight choreographer and teacher,
John has been instructing and choreographing stage combat for
over 10 years. He has created fights for actors, dancers, opera
singers, visual artists, mascots, motion capture animators, and
a myriad of others. A Certified Instructor with Fight Directors
Canada, and holding certifications from the Society of American
Fight Directors and the British Academy of Dramatic Combat, John
is also a member of the Association of Theatrical Movement Educators,
The International Order of the Sword and Pen, and Havoc Stunt
Services International. John did his post graduate training in
England at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where
he studied under Fight Master Jonathan Howell, chairman of the
BADC. John also owns and runs Creative
Film Cars, providing the film, television, magazine, and special
event industries with top-notch vehicles for any kind of production.
John is a member of Actor’s Equity.
 Ray
Rodriguez - SAFD Certified Teacher
Ray’s first brush with fighting started
at fourteen years of age as Jose the Muleteer attacking Don
Quixote with a 16th century rake! Since that time, Ray has worked
his career as a singer, actor, teacher and fight director. Ray
is a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors.
He obtained his
BFA in Performing Arts at Adelphi University in Long Island, NY.
He has worked as an actor for over 20
years in New York. He has taught at North Carolina School of the
Arts, Harlem School of the Arts and
currently teaches stage combat and basic theater movement at his
alma mater. Credits include
Rattlestick Theater Company’s “Boise”, New Perspective
Theater’s OOBR-winning “Taming of the Shrew”
(played Petrucchio), Inwood Hill Shakespeare Festival’s
“Treasure Island”(as Long John Silver) and “Three
Musketeers”(as Athos). Ray has worked with Pulse Theater
Ensemble. Ray is a member of Actor’s Equity.
 Galway
McCullough
Galway moved to NYC from Minneapolis in the
fall of ’03, and hit the ground running. Less than 24 hours
after his arrival he began his first fight choreography gig in
the city. He is a member of SAG and also directs in addition to
his acting work. His most notable stage appearance in NYC was
in the hit production of “Caligula” starring Andre
de Shields at The Classical Theatre of Harlem. Galway began his
study of stage combat in 1992 and received Certification with
Recommendation from the SAFD in 1992 and 1993. In 1993 he also
was awarded the Best Male Actor Combatant Award at the NSCW. Galway
continues to choreograph, perform and study stage combat and was
recently awarded the SAFD Examiner’s Award for Excellence
in Smallsword and Broadsword (as well as a dual certification
in Broadsword from Fight Directors Canada).
 Mike
Yahn - SAFD Certified Teacher
When Mike Yahn isn't cheating death on stage
as an actor, you can find him teaching other actors how to do
the same. First exposed to the practical concept of stage combat
while earning his degree at New York University's Tisch School
of the Arts, he soon became a certified member of the Society
of American Fight Directors and has worked as Fight Director with
the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New England Shakespeare
Festival, The Blue Collar Theater, Oberon Theater Ensemble, NYU's
Classical Theater, Playwright's Horizons, and the Fresh Fruit
Festival. As an Assistant to J. David Brimmer, Mike has had the
amazing opportunities to work on the original NYC premier's of
"Bug", "Hiding Behind Comets", "Bare",
and "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" by Martin McDonagh
now playing at the Atlantic Theater. To augment his stage combat
knowledge Mike also trains the basic classes at City
Wing Tsun under Sifu Alex Richter.
 Michael
Johnson - Guest Instructor
Michael Jerome Johnson is a recognized Senior
Instructor with Dueling Arts International as well as a Fight
Director and Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight
Directors (SAFD). He is the creator of the Knife discipline for
the SAFD. Michael has been active in stage combat as an actor,
teacher and/or fight director since 1974. His teaching credits
include the Maryland Opera Studio since 1997, creating and teaching
the stage combat program at the National Conservatory of Dramatic
Arts from 1992 – 2003, and AMDA – NY from 2004 - 2006.
He has also taught at several regional workshops around the country,
has been a Teaching Assistant for SAFD national workshops, and
a guest teacher at many university and conservatory acting programs.
Michael also created his own workshop, The Teaching Symposium
to help SAFD Advanced Actor Combatants hone their teaching skills.
He has been a fight director for well over 100 productions for
theatre companies, universities and conservatories, and independent
films. Michael has trained, extensively, in the martial arts –
especially Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts
– and has incorporated them into his personal style of stage
combat. He is a member of The Animal List (hosted by Marc “Animal”
MacYoung and his wife Dianna) – a group of martial artists,
ex-street fighters, (ex) military, and law enforcement officers
– who share their perspectives on martial arts, self-defense,
military/police combative systems and the consequences of violence
with each other.
 Michael
Chin - Guest Instructor
Michael is recognized as a Fight Master,
Fight Director and Certified Teacher with the Society of American
Fight Directors. He served as Fight Coordinator on Broadway for
the internationally acclaimed hit show "Festen". Locally,
he 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, Henry Street Settlement,
The Drama League, Classical Theatre of Harlem/Harlem School of
The Arts, New York Renaissance Festival, White Horse, Julliard,
NYU, Montclair State Univ, Pace University, Brooklyn College,
American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and Combat Inc. 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), Tennesee Rep (TN), Merrimack
Theatre (MA), Muhlenberg Summer Festival (PA), Yale School of
Drama (CT) and The Havana Theatre Festival (Cuba). Mr. Chin is
a student of Northern Style
Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu and currently is on adjunct faculty
at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. In 2005 he won the Outstanding
Fight Direction Award from the New York Theatre Fringe Festival
for his work on "The Lizards".
Robb Hunter - Washington D.C -
SAFD Certified Teacher
A fight director and actor, Robb first picked
up a sword playing Red Horse in the outdoor drama, Tecumseh! more
than twelve years ago and hasn’t put it down since. He is
a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors,
a stage combat instructor at the American Musical and Dramatic
Academy, and has choreographed and taught stage combat throughout
the NY/NJ area. His fight directing credits include Cyrano for
the Chekhov Theatre Ensemble and the New York premier of Love
Child for the Harlem Theatre Company. After receiving his degree
in theatre and dance at Radford University, he gained invaluable
experience working with the talented Michael J. Fox as his stand-in
and stunt double on Spin City. Favorite acting roles are the Young
Man in NYC Opera's acclaimed production of Dead Man Walking and
as Florizel in the OOBR award winning production of The Winter’s
Tale. Robb also owns and operates Preferred
Arms, a company that provides stage combat worthy (and costume)
weapons for theatre and film.
 Sifu
Alex Richter, Martial Art Specialist
Sifu Alex Richter has been training in the martial
arts since the age of eight. Currently, he is one of the most
successful instructors in the International Wing Tsun Association,
running branches of City Wing
Tsun in both New York City, Seattle, and Connecticut. Alex
received most of his WingTsun training at Langenzell Castle, the
headquarters for the European WingTsun Organization (EWTO). It
was there that he trained WingTsun full time, six hours a day,
five days a week. While in Europe he studied under top WingTsun
masters such as Sifu Heinrich Pfaff, Sifu Thomas Schroen, and
Sifu Bernd Wagner, just to name a few. Alex’s previous martial
art experience includes seven years of Taekwondo (black belt),
as well as Chinese wushu, grappling and Bruce Lee’s Jeet
Kune Do. In addition to teaching WingTsun to his normal students,
Alex has also taught WingTsun to police officers, bouncers, and
expert martial artists of other styles.
 Laura
Moss, Make Up FX Specialist
Laura began her special effects career at an early
age, transforming and disfiguring her three little brothers. She
studied further at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts,
where she became an assistant teacher of the special effects makeup
course at the film school. She has worked as
assistant to effects artist Rob Benevides (Clean Shaven, I Shot
Andy Warhol, Office Killer) and has herself been working on numerous
plays and films, including Night of the Porno Vampires (Reluctant
Pictures), Hiding Behind Comets (Brian Dykstra, 28th Street Rep.),Crossing
Gods (Green Card Productions) and Let Me Die Quietly (Digital
Daugie). Zombies are her favorite.
Combat Incorporated always looking
for combat folks to join the Combat Inc community.
Please submit
resume and information.
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