AoC Affiliate Members

Mark Donnelly- Professor Mark P. Donnelly (S.S.S./ E.A.A./ B.F.H.S./ S.W.A.S.H.) has been studying armed combat in various incarnations for roughly 27 years.  After years of research and training in the disparate disciplines of western martial arts, sport fencing, stage combat, tournament fighting and eastern martial disciplines, he moved from the US to England in 1996 to undertake a PhD in Medieval Archaeology through York and Oxford Universities.

While in England he was one of the founding fathers of the British Federation of Historical Swordplay (BFHS) (along with Paul MacDonald, Andrew Feest, Milo Thurston, Guy Windsor and Mark Hillyard).

He began teaching full-time in 1998 when he founded the Society for the Study of Swordsmanship (S.S.S.) which has expanded over the last 10 years to cover 7 different schools throughout the north of England accounting for 100-150 students.  These schools can be found in Sheffield, Leeds, York, Durham, Whitby, Hartlepool, and Newcastle. It was due to his work with the S.S.S. and the B.F.H.S. that he was awarded the title of Professor of Arms.

He also created the Edenhill Academy of Arms in 2002 as a specialised research body dedicated to uncovering and translating hitherto forgotten and/or lost combat treatises and military manuals.  With Edenhill Academy (enjoying both a Bishop and a Royal Prince as patrons), he has worked with HM Royal Monuments, English Heritage, the National Trust, National Maritime museum at Greenwich, Sandhurst Military Academy, as well as the HMS Trincomalee, HMS Victory, The Cutty Sark and the Grand Turk.

Prof. Donnelly is also the auteur of both the Tontine and of S.W.A.S.H.-UK (Symposium on the Western Arts of Swordsmanship through History) which he has organised and hosted on behalf of the BFHS at the Royal Armouries in Leeds for the last several years.  S.W.A.S.H. rapidly became not only the biggest and most respected historical western martial art event in Great Britain, but one of the biggest and most prestigious events in Europe.

Prof. Donnelly has been instructing full time (daily) within Britain for over ten years and in that time has been honoured to be invited to instruct at major national and international events such as: F.I.S.A.S. in Verbania, Italy; H.E.M.A.C. at Dijon in France; A.E.E.M.A. in Madrid; A.R.G.O. in Prague; B.F.H.S. AGMs and Instructor Training; and, of course, S.W.A.S.H. as well as many others.

He is a life-time research associate with Her Majesties Royal Armouries in Leeds England as well as with The Tower of London and with the National Maritime museum, at Greenwich.

Professionally, Mr. Donnelly writes and produces historical documentaries for: Discovery Channel Networks; History Channel International; National Geographic; PBS; BBC; and several other international affiliates. 

He is also the author and/or co-author of over a dozen books currently in print (most of which focus on historical subjects).

In October of 2008 Prof. Donnelly returned to the US for both personal and professional reasons.  He currently resides in Pennsylvania and is looking forward to meeting the New World contingent of instructors and students as he fears he may be in danger of going into teaching withdrawal.

F. Braun McAsh- F. Braun McAsh has been a professional fight director and actor since 1976. His initial studies in swordwork were with Maestro Patrick Crean and Olympic Sabre
Coach Istvan Danosi. Later he travelled for many years in England and Europe studying with various masters and also doing extensive research into arms and armour at over 100 museums and castle collections including the Tower of London. His studies have taken him to the U.S., England, Scotland, Wales, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Romania. As a professional fight director, he has choreographed over 120 productions, films and television shows including the Stratford and Shaw Festivals and the Canadian Opera Company. He is best known as the Swordmaster for seasons 3 through 6 of the TV series HIGHLANDER and the last movie, HIGHLANDER IV:ENDGAME. He has won five awards as an actor and fight director. As an instructor, he has taught at over 30 theatre schools in Canada, the U.S. and England and recently completed his third session as a Master Instructor at the Paddy Crean International Combat Workshop. He has also studied the Asian martial arts for 34 years and is an expert in firearms. www.fbraunmcash.com

Morgan Shea- Morgan Shea served as resident fight choreographer for Theater of the Seventh Sister in Lancaster PA from 2002-2007, is Co-Producing Director of 2-Shea Productions, and also the Assistant Producer at Rainbow Dinner Theatre in Paradise, PA (America's only all comedy dinner theatre). He is a teacher of classical fencing and has worked for such venues as Valley Forge National Historical Park and Wyomissing Institute of the Arts. Morgan teaches stage combat and fight directs for theaters all over central Pennsylvania, concentrating heavily on "Basic Stage Combat for Young Actors" and "The Organics of Stage Combat." He is also the founder of the Independent Fight Directors Guild.

Brad Waller- Brad has been a teacher and fight director with The Shakespeare Theater (Washington DC). He has produced the International Paddy Crean Workshop with such cultural institutions as: The Shakespeare Theater, The Smithsonian Institution, The Folger Library, The Shaw Festival, The Stratford Festival (Canada), and the Banff Centre for the Arts. He is a certified teacher of stage combat with the Society of American Fight Directors, and Honorary Member of Fight Directors Canada. Brad is an internationally recognized scholar in 16th Century fighting systems. In 1995, he was guest curator of "The Sword and the Pen," an exhibit at the Folger Shakespeare Library exploring the relationship between combat and drama. He hopes to eventually raise the money to mount an expanded version of the show at the Globe Theater in London. Brad is the Founder, and serves on the Board of Directors, of the International Order of the Sword and Pen. He enjoys gardening with his two kids, Lillian and Alan.

Tony Wolf- Tony Wolf has worked as a martial arts instructor, professional wrestler and fight director/stunt co-ordinator. Between 1988 - 1994 he developed his original Wolf System of performance/combat exercises, which has been taught to actors, martial artists, stunt performers and stage combat specialists throughout the world.

Tony's fight direction and action design have been featured in over two hundred feature film, television, theatre, opera and ballet productions. Between 1998-2000 he served as the Fighting Styles Designer for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and in 2002 he toured Japan performing fights for the Washington National Opera's production of Otello, starring Plácido Domingo.

Tony regularly teaches a range of master-classes and seminars for martial arts associations, universities, stunt teams, acting academies and conferences throughout New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Canada and Europe.

He serves as the editor for the EJMAS: Journal of Manly Arts, a scholarly online journal focusing on the martial arts and combat sports of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. In 2005 Tony edited the first volume of the "Bartitsu Compendium" and in 2006 he edited a revised and expanded re-publication of A.C. Cunningham's 1912 manual, "The Cane as a Weapon". His other publications include the second volume of the "Bartitsu Compendium" and "Defensive Gymnastics" (2008),
"A Terrific Combat!!! Theatrical Duels, Brawls and Battles, 1800-1920" and "Edith Garrud: the Suffragette who knew jujutsu" (2009) as well as numerous articles on martial arts history. (books by Tony Wolf)

Tony is an Acknowledged Instructor with the Historical Maritime Combat Association, a member of Western Martial Arts Illustrated magazine's editorial board, a founding member of The Bartitsu Society and he serves on the advisory board of the Hegeler Carus Foundation.  He is
currently based in Chicago, USA.

Scottie Witt- Scott has been working in stage, television and film for over twenty-five years in that time he has been acting, fight directing, directing and or clowning for Sydney Theatre Company, Company B, Opera Australia, Merrigong Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre, Queensland Theatre
Company, Zen Zen Zo, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, square the circle, Bare Boards Productions, Bell Shakespeare, Queensland Performing Arts Trust, Kooemba Jdarra, Opera Queensland, Queensland Ballet, Grin & Tonic Theatre Troupe, someone, JUTE, Tropicsun and many independent
feature and short films. Performances Scott has directed have played throughout Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. During 2002 and 2003 he was the Intern and Associate Director for the Queensland Theatre Company. In 2004 Scott completed a Master in Fine Arts at Creative Industries, Queensland University of Technology.

As an Instructor of Acting, Clowning, Stage Combat and Fight Direction Scott has taught nationally and internationally. Nationally – National Institute of Dramatic Art 2010, Actors Centre Australia 2010, Queensland University of Technology: Creative Industries - Resident teacher since 1998,
University of Southern Queensland - Resident teacher 1999-2001, James Cook University - Resident teacher 1998-2001, Actors Conservatory - Resident teacher 1997-2000, Opera Queensland - Resident teacher since 2002. Internationally - Canada: Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Workshop - Resident Artist 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008. Australia: Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Workshop - Resident Artist 2004.  Scotland: Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Workshop - Resident Artist 1999. As a result of an Arts Queensland Grant in 2000, Scott was a guest teacher in - Wales: Welsh College of Music and Drama. England - Mountview Theatre School, East 15 Acting School, Guilford Acting School, Bristol Old Vic, Rose Bruford, Isle of Wight School of Acting, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. USA: American Academy of Classical Acting.

He has also been a recipient of two Arts Queensland Grants for the further development of Stage Combat and Fight Direction. In 2005 Scott received another Arts Queensland Grant to stage his one man clowning show - Handyman. Scott received a Matilda Award for his Direction of Road to the
She-Devil’s Salon at Queensland Theatre Company and Long Term Role as a Fight Director in 2003. His critically acclaimed adaptation and direction of Scapin (a co-production between Queensland Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australian) received a Mo Nomination in
2004 for Best Theatre Production of the Year. For his work in 2005 Scott received two Matlida Awards for Best Director (A Christmas Carol for Queensland Theatre Company) and Contribution to Queensland Theatre.
www.combatcircus.com
 

AoC Affiliate Organizations

The Historical Maritime Combat Association- www.historicalmaritimecombat.com

The Sydney Stage Combat School- www.sydneystagecombat.com

Babes with Blades- www.babeswithblades.org

R. C. Annie, Ltd.- www.rc-annie.com