Final Semester of ACT's Graduate Program

It is with a sad heart that ACT's wonderful graduate program is closed this spring. I taught my last semester of stage combat in the fall and had the pleasure of doing fight direction for the final production of the program, "The Pliant Girls" directed by Peter J. Kuo.

This job was very important to me. It got me in the door at ACT and recognized more widely by my stage combat community, but more importantly I got to work with students who were eager to learn and who were deeply invested in their work. My classes were usually only half a semester. I taught single sword, unarmed, knife, and more though depending on the needs of the class. I may only have been a tiny step in these actors' journey, but they were a big one in mine. Their work inspired me and they continue to inspire me. It's amazing to see where everyone has ended up and the incredible work they continue to do. This job started my passion for working with graduate students and my passion for teaching on a higher level. It also opened my heart up to the sadness that there are so few graduate programs left in the states. I had such hopes for building out the stage combat section in this program, but alack the program is no more. Sadly, it had to close. Another causality of the pandemic.

Photos from "The Pliant Girls" at ACT directed by Peter J Kuo.

Featuring Hernan Angulo, Zoe Chen, Evangeline Edwards, Gracie Fojtik, Nicholas Giovannoni, Wesley, Guimaraes, Morgan Gunter, Cassandra Hunter, Breezy Leigh, James WDL Mercer II, Nicola Rinow, and Madeline Isabel Yagel