Come learn from two experienced Fight Directors on how to create the illusion of physical combat without hurting anyone. Learn the techniques we use to create engaging and safe fight scenes. Based on historical and martially influenced movements we will explore a range of weapons and styles. You will work to produce a fight scene and understand how to build and convey a story within your fight scene.

Simon Manns:

Simon has over 25 years of professional experience working with stage and film. He has toured Sweden more times than he can remember and his talents have taken him to North America, Africa, the greater part of Europe, and New Zealand, but he has primarily worked in Sweden and Scandinavia.

The work Simon has done is mostly on stage as an actor and performer, but he has also directed and choreographed plenty of performances. Simon’s professional career started in the Show/Theatre group Ung utan Pung primarily in Sweden and he now has more than 2500 played performances in his luggage since his professional start in 1994/1995. Simon has worked with some of the biggest names in Swedish and New Zealand theatre and film, and in front of the camera, Simon has appeared in numerous films and series, where for an unknown reason, several have won prizes. The latest one is ‘IRIS” 2019. It won the Jury Prize for best short at the San Francisco short film festival.

When Simon doesn’t work as an actor, stunt performer, or fight director, he teaches stage arts at various schools and institutions. Simon is also a Honourary Fight Director for Fight Directors Canada and was the chairperson for NSFS (Nordic Stage Fight Society) 2014-2017. Since December 2018 Simon is one of the directors on the board for The International Order of the Sword and the Pen (IOSP) and is the founder of New Zealand stage combat society Aotearoa Fight Directors (2019).

Jason McKell:

Jason graduated from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Bachelor in Theatre Arts (Acting) in 2009, and was an inaugural member of the Actors International Corporate Networking Tour to England in 2010. As well as training with the Society of Australian Fight Directors Incorporated (SAFDi) Jason was awarded a full scholarship for the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble (QSE) Apprenticeship Program in 2012 and has furthered this interest by travelling to New York to perform with the Oxford Shakespeare Company. Jason made his professional theatre debut as Two-Shoes in the critically acclaimed Pentimento Productions/La Boite Indie season of ‘The Truth About Kookaburras’ in 2012.

When Jason is not in rehearsal, he works for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, performing for hospitalised children across southeast Queensland, and has done extensive role playing with the Australian Defence Force (ADF). In his spare time, he trains with acclaimed fight director Nigel Poulton.