Department of Global Languages & Theatre Arts hosts workshop
By Brent Menchinger | Apr 7, 2025
MURRAY, Ky. — Murray State University’s Department of Global Languages & Theatre Arts and the Society of American Fight Directors held the 10th annual Spring Break Stage Combat Workshop in Lovett Auditorium over spring break 2025.
Affectionately referred to as the “Rural Renewal,” every spring, the Department of Global Languages and Theatre Arts hosts master training in the art of staging violence for live theatre. Actors learn how to perform unarmed fights, various types of sword work and other theatrical weapons. The certification training is done through the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) and brings in guest artists and students from across the country.
This year brought attendees from Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York, Atlanta and more. Among roughly 40 attendees, about half were current Murray State students or alumni; the rest were drawn in from all over the country by the growing reputation for stage combat at Murray State.
The workshop began in 2014 with just a dozen students and one certified teacher. This year had 75 tests, all of which were successful, and 75% of those successes were the higher “pass with recommendation” status. Combined with the academic course on stage combat at Murray State, in the last decade there have been nearly 500 certification tests and a greater than 99% pass rate. Guest artists this year included eight certified teachers, two fight masters and a third of the board of directors of the SAFD itself.
It’s also noteworthy that for the first time, the spring break workshop hosted a theatrical firearms safety certification. Working in cooperation with Murray Station Chief of Police Ryan Orr, actors were trained in safety procedures, staging and use surrounding theatrical and film firearms. Students took lectures, had practical training, written tests, skills tests and then finally staged film fights using blank, firing theatrical firearms.
The workshop has been a unique effort at Murray State and a huge success in this specialist field. The future looks bright, according to Matthew Crider, professor of acting and movement at Murray State and the event coordinator and founder. Requests for content and applications to staff the 2026 workshop have already started to come in.