Unleash Your Best
Study Combat in a Safe and Fun Community
Elevate Your Game
Study Combat in a Safe and Fun Community
Step Into Your Power
Study Combat in a Safe and Fun Community
Be Your Best Self
Study Combat in a Safe and Fun Community
How about all work and all play?
Swordsmanship - the art of precision, discipline, and mastery—where skill meets strategy in the dance of steel.
Performance - the fusion of skill, speed, and precision, where technique and mindset determine victory.
History/Scholarship - illuminate the past, preserving knowledge and shaping our understanding of the world.
Fitness - balance, agility, mobility, and endurance skills used throughout life.
About Us
There are many schools of acting which teach the student how to deliver dialogue, research and form a character and practice dramaturgy. Our goal is to train the actor to use their physical tools, not merely out of their own habit but to make specific physical choices that enhance their character.
I also believe that in the execution of physical violence, training must inform the work so that the actor remains safe, not only in that moment, but through repetitive performances. To that end, dynamic movement training is included in the program, so that every gesture can potentially tell a story.
--Instructor Steven Schwall
3500 S Cedar Street
Suite 107
Lansing, MI 48910
Steven M. Schwall
About the Instructor
Steven Schwall has been performing snce the age of nine. He has appeared on stage, in radio and on TV and film. He has been a practicing Historic European martial artist since 1974.
He has participated in fully armored tournaments with companies like the Company of St. George.
In 2006, he was asked to lend his expertise to a production of Camelot, and his journey into stage combat began. He has since professionally choreographed over 150 productions for Michigan theater companies, colleges and high schools. He joined the SAFD in November of 2007, and has been seen as a regular at Regional Workshops throughout the Midwest.
In June of 2016, he became a Certified Teacher of Stage Combat with that organization. He holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Fine Art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and did his graduate work in Theatre Performance at Eastern Michigan University.
He also holds a Level two Professors Certificate in the Margolis Method of Dynamic Actor Training. In 2018, he has added Intimacy direction to his movement skills, working with Theater Intimacy Education.
History
Stage combat is more than just a technical discipline. It is a movement discipline which has more to offer the actor than mere weapons expertise. Actors will gain confidence in the expressive use of their bodies, learn good partnering skills, acquire sensitivity to non-verbal cues, and learn to be present and actively participating every moment. These are skills which will benefit them not only in their acting, but in life..
We are still very young. It is my deepest hope to expand the Academy to offer all types of movement disciplines to the actor for continued study.
Register Now
Our classes focus on helping you build confidence, stamina, and a stronger self. Our training not only tests the body, but the mind, a sure defense against ageing. Come and join us!
What We Offer
Study historical and cultural forms
Here you can learn how your ancestors fought, or study the combat systems of other cultures. We are constantly expanding our programming.
Combat for performance
Ever been in a show where you wish you had more precision body work training? Want to do fights like in your favorite films? Want to have the knowledge to be your own best advocate in a room?
Stage combat training will grow you as a total physcal actor, provide you with safe technique for a prolonged career, and build comraderie with like minded people.
Fencing for Fitness
Tired of the same old gym routine? Want to get active in a new and different way?
Combat training will give you a total workout, body and mind.