Taste of Violence Stage Combat Workshop: Summer 2026

Try three different Stage Combat disciplines: Unarmed, Knife, and Swordplay!
About this Event

Ages 18+ | (16+ with signed Parent/Guardian Consent)
Due to the close-proximity nature of this course, all students must be fully vaccinated upon enrollment. For more information on this and other requirements, .

All of Argent Combat’s Stage Combat classes emphasize a nonviolent approach to stage violence as well as the actor’s rights and responsibilities when required to perform fight scenes. Our Classroom Decorum and Conduct can be found here.

Each class in this workshop will begin with a physical warm-up and will focus on one of the three listed Stage Combat disciplines. J. Oliver Donahue, a Certified Instructor with the Society of American Fight Directors and Fight Directors Canada, will lead these classes with the help of Argent Combat's team of accomplished demonstration assistants. Additional theatrical thanatology lessons will be led by Brittany Holdahl, CEOLD, CCHt, to explore the biomechanics and microkinesiology of "playing the wounds" and the psychological and cultural aspects behind portraying poignant deaths onstage and on film.

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What is Stage Combat?
Stage Combat refers to all acts of conflict, danger, and violence performed for entertainment. A slap to the face, a fall down some stairs, an epic fifteen-person battle with swords and axes - all of these are examples of stage combat. More than just set moves, true stage combat uses violence to tell a story, just as dance choreography, set design, or costuming can.
What is a Taste of Violence workshop?
Our Taste of Violence Workshops are arranged the same way a flight of beer or a charcuterie board is: an assortment of different stage combat disciplines served together over the course of a day for folks to sample. This "flight of fights" is a fun way for curious artists and enthusiasts to sample different stage combat disciplines before committing to a full 30-hour Society of American Fight Directors certification course.
Who is Argent Combat?
Argent Combat is a Philadelphia-based organization of students, performers, choreographers, and instructors of Theatrical Violence and Stage Combat. We are dedicated to promoting safety and fostering the excellence and proficiency of action-oriented entertainment.
To learn more about who we are and about our mission, you can check out some of our media appearances at this link!
Who Are Our Instructors?
J. Oliver Donahue (he/him) is a Philadelphia-based performer and choreographer. He is also a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors and Fight Directors Canada. Oliver spends most of his time choreographing violence and teaching actors technical, safe, and performative methods of exploring violent impulses on stage. His body of work includes collaborations with Bristol Riverside Theatre, Irish Heritage Theatre, Allens Lane Theatre, Sewer Rats Productions, Jackpine Productions, Eastern University, Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, St. Joseph's University, Lebanon Valley College, Temple Theatre’s Sidestage, GDP Productions, and Les Liaisons Dangereuses at The Booth Theatre.
Brittany Holdahl, CEOLD, CCHt (she/they) is a Philadelphia-based performer and death/bereavement professional. She is a pioneer of Theatrical Thanatology: Certified Actor-Combatant Emerita, Death Doula, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Grief Coach, and Drama for Well-Being Practitioner (Society of American Fight Directors, International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine, International Association of Trauma Professionals, Complementary Medical Association, International Board of Coaches and Practitioners). As Executive Director, Co-Founder, and Resident Theatrical Thanatologist of Argent Combat, they work at the intersection of theatre, death studies, embodied wellness, and trauma-aware storytelling. Her work centers on autonomy, agency, and consent while helping people explore death, grief, transformation, and the art of dying: on stage, on film, and our inevitable deaths.

Agenda

🕑: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Unarmed
🕑: 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM
Lunch Break
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Knife
🕑: 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM
Swordplay