Workshop Staff (2025)
Rodney Rice (he/him)
Associate Instructor (AI)
Rodney is an Actor and Fight Choreographer based out of Ypsilanti Michigan. He has done fights for West Bloomfield High School, Scarborough Renaissance Festival and the infamous Microfiche scene with Neighborhood Theatre Group.
Tommy Wedge (he/him)
Associate Instructor (AI)
Tommy Wedge is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre at Saginaw Valley State University, where he began as an adjunct professor in 2011. Tommy holds an MFA in Directing from The University of South Dakota and a BS in Theatre from South Dakota State University. Professional memberships include Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), The Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), and The Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) where Tommy has held the rank of Advanced Actor Combatant since 2017
Chloe Whiting Stevenson (she/her)
Associate Instructor (AI)
Chloe is co-owner of Birds Eye View Circus in Toledo Ohio, where she teaches aerial arts for adults, teens, and youths. She also performs, choreographs, and produces with the BEVC Troupe. Additionally she is an instructor, director, devisor, storyteller, performer, circus artist, Butoh dancer, fight and dance choreographer, and a historian of theatre and dance. Chloé holds an MFA in Physical Theatre from the Accademia Dell’Arte in Arezzo Italy and an MA in Theatre from Illinois State University. In addition to her work with the SAFD she is also a 200 Hour RYT Yoga instructor, certified Level I Elemental Body Alignment System Instructor, and an insured aerialist and stilt walker. She has performed in Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Nicaragua, France, Wales, and across the USA. Chloe’s passion for teaching, collaboration, human bodies in motion, and communication is what brought her to share the exciting opportunities stage combat and physical theatre have to offer.
Steve Xander Carson (he/him)
Associate Instructor (AI)
Steve Xander Carson (he/him) is a metro-Detroit based fight choreographer, actor, and teaching artist. He earned his BFA in Acting from Wayne State University and has attained the status of Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). Recently he did fight choreography for The Play That Goes Wrong, Little Murders, and Seven Guitars at Wayne State University, and looks forward to returning to work on their productions of Julius Caesar and Paradise Lost. He also choreographed Jane Anger with Shakespeare in Detroit (SID) as well as their youth summer conservatory productions of Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. He has worked on staff for a variety of regional stage combat workshops including the A-Town Throwdown at Oglethorpe University, the Fredricksen Intensive at the University of Michigan, and the Winter Wonderland Workshop in Chicago. In his free time he can be found snuggling his cats and playing DnD.
Raul Alvarado (he/him)
Teaching Assistant (TA)
TBD
Lana Whittington (she/they)
Teaching Assistant (TA)
Lana has been working as a fight director and Intimacy designer in Chicago for the past 8 years. They are an advanced actor combatant with Fight Directors Canada and currently working towards a teaching certification. Recent credits include Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin with A Red Orchid Theatre, Distrikt of Lake Michigun with Stage Left Theatre, and Topdog/Underdog with The Gift Theatre. (www.Lanawhittington.com)
Jonny Boeger (he/him)
Teaching Assistant (TA)
Jonny Boeger is an equestrian and historical martial combat performer from southeast Michigan. He has been performing at renaissance festivals around the country, as a street character and as a jousting knight with Equus Nobilis. Other favorite roles have included The Sherriff of Nottingham in Sherriff's Warrant, the Cheshire Cat in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Colas in the opera Bastien and Bastienne.
Sarah Vicary (she/they)
Chief of Staff
Sarah Vicary has been practicing and performing stage combat, mostly with the Michigan Renaissance Festival for the past 9 years, over that time she has been able to train at many of the mid-west regional workshops, to expand her experiences. In addition to being a part of the Michigan Renaissance festivals resident cast fight shows, she is their costumer developing the new look as they transition to a Fantasy festival, from a historic-based festival. Most recently she played the role of Captain McMorris in Henry V for Livonia’s Shakespeare in the Park.
Mia Baker (they/them)
Production Assistant
Mia is a Michigan renaissance festival pirate, lover of swords, and lil guy.
Amanda Buchalter (she/they)
Production Assistant
Amanda Buchalter is an award-winning actor, director, and stage manager with experience in theatre, film, and voiceover. As a member of the SAFD and FDC, she is in pursuit of certification as a combatant and teacher, and would like to work as both a combat and intimacy coordinator in the near future. It is Amanda's core belief that collaboration and connection are an integral part of any storytelling format. Part of being able to facilitate that integral sense of togetherness is maintaining a safe space, and education empowers us to do that.
Heather Melville (she/they)
Workshop Medic
Dr. Heather Melville is a member of the Society for American Fight Directors, with SPTs completed in Quarterstaff, Single Sword, and Unarmed, as well as Firearms. In her other roles, she is a doctorally educated nurse, lecturer, fire spinner, artist, and writer, because she deals with boredom / having time to eat and sleep by finding another cool thing to go do. She has been lucky enough to train with amazing teachers and is overjoyed that other folks will be able to have similar experiences this weekend.
Bob Smith (he/him)
Production Assistant
Bob is an Actor Combatant with the SAFD; Ensemble Lead for the Raven's Quill Pirates at the Michigan Renaissance Festival; Attendant for VAD camp for adults with muscular dystrophy; and Professional Santa Claus.
Dylan Swanson (she/her)
Production Assistant
Dylan is a stage fighter in a pirate ensemble performing at various renaissance festivals in MI.
Kyndra Wojciechowski (any)
Production Assistant
Kyndra has been doing stage combat for the past seven years, and is a founding member of Theatrica Gladitoria. They have an ever growing love of sinking their teeth into the juicy delicious meat of the stage combat world, refining techniques both martial and theatrical, and spending time with some of the best people she has had the honor of meeting (and fighting with).
She enjoys the intermittent forays into theatre, plays violin with both the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra and Dexter Community Orchestra, and spins flag with the occasional drum corps. She loves finding the connections between all the things that they do, and eating well.