Excellent question. You’ve perhaps not heard my name before, and I haven’t worked on Broadway or on major motion pictures. Instead I’ve mostly worked where you work; in the minimal budget, poorly staffed, under-appreciated reality that is theatre for 99% of us trying to make a living in this business.

But I have worked there for a long time, as actor, dancer, director, fight instructor and dramaturge. And I’ve also choreographed my share of fights; over three hundred shows, as well as a handful of independent films and a couple of video games. Since 1990 I have also owned and operated Weapons of Choice, the nation’s largest theatrical weapons rental company. In that last capacity I’ve supervised the construction of the weapons used for nearly thirty thousand shows. Over the years I’ve learned a thing or two that others may find helpful. This book is a compilation of the information I wish I had had when I first got involved in theatre nearly half a century ago. The questions answered, problems solved, research compiled, and injuries avoided tend to be the same ones show after show, so maybe some of this information can help you in your next production.

It is not a book about props, but it does describe how to select, maintain and use the implements of violence necessary for many of the shows currently performed on the American stage.

It is not a book about costumes, but it does show a good deal about the wearing of weaponry for various times and places.

It is not a book on period style, but it will help actors portray the users of weapons throughout history, even if they aren’t using the weapons.

It is not a military history book, but it places the weapons and warriors within a historical context useful to theatre professionals.

It is, simply, an attempt to fill the knowledge gap that exists between theatre folk and the violent props they use. The gift of theatre is that it gives us hope that by exploring the human condition in all of its many disguises we can expose the true essence of humanity - the depravity along with the majesty, the brutality and the gracious forbearance, the villainy and the nobility - and finally perhaps become better people ourselves through that exploration. I am certainly not an apologist for violence in the media, but since we are first and last artists and storytellers, we need to understand all aspects of what it is that makes this species tick. For good or ill, it includes the frequent use of violence.

So what this has become is a handbook, a reference guide to things not found in other theatre books. It’s the book I could have used when I got into the business many decades ago. Some things I’ll touch on briefly or not at all. For example, castle defenses and siege weapons are a fascinating study, but of very little use in theatre. Where it directly concerns the actor trying to feel comfortable with a part, I’ll spend more time on what may seem trivial but can really help to ground the performer within the costume, rather than in spite of it.