SCENIC CITY SLAM
2026!
WHERE: UTC Fine Arts Center
(752 Vine St, Chattanooga, TN 37403)
WHEN: OCT 10 - 11, 2026
TUITION:
Summer Special (June 1 - July 18): $225
SAFD Members: $250
General Tuition: $275
Group Discount (4 or more): $200 each
Scenic City Slam is a regional stage combat workshop designed to introduce the art of stage combat to Chattanooga and its surrounding area. Recognizing the lack of stage combat training opportunities in Tennessee, our workshop aims to provide participants with the highest quality training available in the industry. In addition to stage combat, we will offer a wide range of classes covering stunt work, martial arts, and stage movement. We are dedicated to creating a safe and welcoming space where individuals from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can come together. Through diverse representation, accessible training, and a commitment to mutual respect, we aim to celebrate the rich tapestry of talent within the stage combat community. Join us in uniting diverse voices, fostering inclusivity, and exploring the art of stage combat together. An important pillar of this workshop is that EVERYONE can perform stage combat.
2025 HIGHLIGHT REEL
MEET OUR AWESOME COORDINATORS
Ja’Nae Puckett
Ja’Nae Puckett is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and still calls Kentucky home. Ja’Nae is a recognized Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. She has a wide and extensive movement background, specifically in gymnastics and tumbling where she has put in work as an athlete and coach. She began her acting and stage combat journey 7 years ago; during that time, she enjoyed training with professionals in the industry, as well as having served as a teaching assistant and teaching artist for stage combat classes. Ja’Nae has worked as a stunt actor, fight director, and choreographer. Ja’Nae has a passion for the art-form and is committed to creating safe, impactful storytelling for actors and audience members.
Kate Booth
Kate Booth (she/her) is an actor, educator, and fight director who revels in theatre that comes from the soul. Previous fight direction credits include Paramount Theatre, The Conspirators, Kokandy Productions, Oak Park Festival Theatre, as well as universities, high schools, and Renaissance faires.
She has been teaching stage combat through workshops, private lessons, and coaching sessions in Chicagoland and the greater Milwaukee area since 2019. She is the Head Coordinator of Continuing Education at Open Gate Movement Arts, where she happily assists her OGMA colleagues when needed, and regularly assists Fight Master Chuck Coyl at The Actors Gymnasium in Evanston. She has participated in the SAFD regional workshop circuit, attending The Central Illinois Stage Combat Teacher Trainer, The Winter Wonderland Workshop, The Scenic City Slam, The Tourist Trap, The Stage Combat Workshop at Louisiana Tech, and The Mentoring Advanced Combatants (MAC) intensive.
Josh Coslar
Josh is a lifelong teaching artist with a background in traditional and theatrical arts. Josh is an Advanced Actor Combatant with multiple Black Belts and equivalents, as well as a graduate of multiple traditional apprenticeships as an armorer, prop designer, and costumer. He has extensive backgrounds in teaching and immersive theater, and has worked with students from 6 to 96 years old. He is currently pursuing a career as a stage combat and martial arts instructor, and is open to opportunities that further that goal.
Solomon Ledford
Sol Ledford is a senior at UT Chattanooga and president of their APO Chapter. Sol has appeared in the UTC Productions Dracula Mina’s Quest, Bright Star, and stage managed their production of Medea. Sol served as an assistant for last year’s Scenic City Slam and we are stoked to have him back!
MEET OUR AWESOME INSTRUCTORS!
Scot Mann
Scot J. Mann is an award winning and internationally recognized Fight Master and Teacher through the Society of American Fight Directors, the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat, the International League of Fight Directors and Choreographers, and Professor of Theatre at Mercer University. He has choreographed, performed, and coached theatrical violence in the US, England, and Germany with such companies as The Steppenwolf Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Alliance Theatre, and the Georgia Shakespeare Festival. Scot served as Fight Director for the world premiere of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, written by Stephen King and John Mellencamp, as well as the world premiere of the Broadway musical Tuck Everlasting, directed by Casey Nicklow. Scot was President of The Society of American Fight Directors from 2016 to 2019. Scot received a Meritorious Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival in 2005 for his direction of Scapin.
Kelly Mann
Kelly is a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors and an Assistant Professor of Stage Combat at UNCSA. Regional credits include The Alliance Theatre, True Colors Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Theatrical Outfit, and the Horizon Theatre among others.
Matthew Crider
Matthew is an associate professor at Murray State University specializing in acting and movement. He teaches stages combat, clown, suzuki, shakespeare, and more. He is on the board of directors for the SAFD representing all certified teachers. He remains a fairly rabid University of Florida football fan.
Coach Cherokee
Aaron “Cherokee” Ellison is a Chattanooga-based teaching artist and Capoeira educator. His Capoeira journey began with Comunidade de Capoeira Atlanta and continued through years of study with respected Capoeira masters, including Mestre Gulliver and his current mentor, Mestre Lazaro. In 2024, he traveled to Tucson, Arizona, where he received the rank of Instrutor.
As a contracted teaching artist with Art To Empower, Cherokee has taught Capoeira in schools, community centers, and community settings throughout Chattanooga. His students have performed at their schools, Barking Legs Theater, and Art 120’s We Make Festival. Through movement, music, and cultural learning, Cherokee uses Capoeira to build confidence, teamwork, creativity, and cultural awareness.
Bess Kaye
Bess Kaye (she/they) is an SAFD Certified Teacher, stage combat instructor and Fight and Intimacy Director based out of Washington, DC. She is an Instructor with The Noble Blades Stage Combat Troupe and the Associate Stage Combat Instructor and Resident Intimacy Educator at the Shakespeare Theater Company's Academy MFA program. Her stories of love and violence have been seen on stage with Avant Bard, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Monumental Theater Company, the Washington Stage Guild and others. www.thebesskayescenario.com
Bill Gordon
Since obtaining his status as a Certified Teacher with the SAFD Bill has become the Assistant Professor of Stage Combat at The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). He is a professional actor, fight choreographer and intimacy designer represented out of Chicago. He has choreographed and performed in Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Sydney, and Moscow. Using techniques learned and developed over nearly two decades of practice and research, Bill provides a unique character centric approach to his choreography and performances. His most recent work can be seen at productions all around Northern Mississippi, Trapdoor Theatre in Chicago and Shakespeare and Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts. With a strong teaching focus on finding the joy in the work, Bill's classes will develop your sense of play while honing your skills.
Bob Borwick
Bob has been a professional actor and fight director for over 35 years. He is a Certified Teacher With the Society of American Fight Directors and has taught and staged theatrical violence throughout the West and in the TN region. Bob received his BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a graduate of the Dell’ Arte School of Physical Theatre in Blue Lake, CA. As of August 2026 he is the Professor of Theatre at Tennessee Wesleyan University in Athens, TN.
One thing that makes Scenic City Slam unique is our tracks for Saturday
These tracks are designed to complement a student’s skill level and training preference
CHECK THEM OUT!
Rising Warrior
Intro to Unarmed (Unarmed) - Learn the fundamentals of unarmed stage combat. Slaps, punches, falls, chokes, and more. This class is the foundation of your journey into stage combat training
Intro to Two-Handed Sword (Two-Handed Sword) - Learn to fight like a knight! This class will explore the fundamentals of swinging a huge sword. Students will learn basic cuts and parries as well as some foundational footwork
Intro to Single Sword (Single Sword) - Swashbuckling! This class builds upon the cuts and footwork learned previously and now students will learn about thrusts and “prise-de-fer” moves such as the croise and bind.
Intro to Rapier & Dagger (Rapier & Dagger) - Duel wielding! Students will build upon their sword training and now incorporate a parrying dagger. Adding in a variety of parrying options as well as playing with rhythm.
Power Play
Where is the Attack? Exploring Intention in Compound Attacks (Single Sword) - This class dives into what makes staged combat feel dangerous and clear: specific intent. Students learn a short section of choreography, then dissect it, deciding which moves are genuine attacks and which are feints meant to bait an opponent, before applying those choices with a partner to build a compelling story.
Combat Clowning (Unarmed) -Maintain character in the fight! Welcome to a simple system for physical choices that can be maintained in scenes and in the fight, while having a lot of silly fun!
Fight to Live: Playing the Positive in Shakespeare’s Tragedies (Mixed Weapons) - How do we as actors make strong choices even when we know our characters are about to die? This class will explore classic characters’ final moments on the stage (and in their life!) to work on playing the positive even in the face of impending doom!
Choose Your Own Adventure: Knife Edition (Knife) - Learn a series of knife drills and turn them into choreography. Students will learn knife drills and then explore what comes next in the story. How many ways can the same initial choreography lead to different and dynamic endings?
Cutting Edge
Sword & Shield vs. 2 Hander (Sword & Shield and 2 Handed Sword) - Built around real-world performance situations, this session builds choreographic sequences by exploring the strengths and weaknesses of each style. Techniques to take a sequence from the rehearsal hall to the stage.
Fighting Words: How Shakespeare Informs the Fight (Rapier and Dagger) - You know the fight. Now what? In this advanced-level rapier class, students will explore how the text and their character choices inform how they use choreography to tell the story and pursue their objectives. Using text from “Romeo and Juliet” (no memorization required), partners will take given choreography and make it their own based on the intentions they interpret from the text.
Dirty Small Sword (Small Sword) -Advanced smallsword, where we take a look at what happens when you remove the fancy court rules of dueling and just go for the most efficient attacks possible, with a little bit of spice to make the fight rude.
Branching Paths: Utilizing Longsword Guards to Create Choreography (2 Handed Sword) - How do we create choreography that will engage actors through a long run of a show? Utilizing German Longsword Guards, we will create choreography that can branch into multiple paths. Students will learn three phrases of choreography and will experience the thrill of agreeing in the moment which path they are going to take.
Fighting Spirit
It’s a (T)Wrap!- Exploring the “wrapping of the Head and Body” in Wushu Kung Fu (Rapier and Dagger) - The “wrap” is an introductory pattern that exists in many forms of Chinese martial arts, and is as simple as it is applicable. We’ll explore the basics of the form, and then find several theatrical applications for the individual movements that exist within the drill. Students will develop familiarity with a new kinetic vernacular, and will train new ways of synchronizing an implement in each hand.
Capoeira (Unarmed) - This class blends the expressive power of stage combat with the fluid, acrobatic movements of Capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art that fuses fight, dance, and rhythm. Students will explore how Capoeira’s sweeping kicks, evasive motions, and grounded flow can expand their physical storytelling while maintaining safety and theatrical clarity.
Kali Double Stick (Kali Stick) - Learn an exciting sequence of double stick/double sword patterns from this popular Filipino martial art. This class is useful for those interested in the stunt industry/film, or for those who need fast and flashy choreography for stage.
Knife vs. Knife (Knife) - Taking the lethal knife training drills of Dekiti Tirsia Kali, this class expands martial drills into choreographic sequences that are perfect for small stages and close camera shots.
FAQ
who can take this workshop?
This workshop is intended for actors, theatre students, designers, stage managers, stunt people, aspiring artists, cosplayers, renfaire enthusiasts, and ANYONE AND EVERYONE in between. Stage Combat is for everyone.
I’m a beginner to stage combat. Can I come to the workshop?
YES!!!! 1000x yes! This workshop will include “Stage Combat Fundamental” classes covering a variety of weapons as well “Open” classes that will serve all skill levels
Are minors able to attend?
Unfortunately no, due to UTC policy, no one under 18 may attend the event
Do you have a refund policy?
Yes. All registrants can receive a 100% refund up until the day of the event. We cannot assist in refunding travel arrangements
What should I bring?
Comfortable clothing that you can move well in as well as movement-ready shoes. Highly recommend nothing too flowing or baggy as it may get caught in weapons.
A bottle of water to stay hydrated
Leather gloves/gauntlets, work gloves, or baseball gloves. Good work gloves can be purchased at Home Depot.
Stage Combat will be very physical. Tylenol, Advil, or a painkiller of your choice wouldn’t be a terrible idea
What does tuition cover?
Tuition Covers two full days of classes. Food and housing are not covered.
What hotel should I stay at?
Will be reaching out to hotels in the coming weeks to negotiate a discount.
There are plenty of great hotels and AirBNBs in the area that fit any budget.
Do I need to bring my own weapons?
Nope! All weapons will be provided by the workshop. If you choose to bring your own weapons, they must be approved by workshop staff.
Are you accepting additional staff?
APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
Will you be offering renewals?
YES! We are very happy to announce that we are going to be offering renewals for the first time!
When registering, you will be asked if you want to renew any weapons. A follow up email will go out to those who answered “YES” and will be polled which weapons they would like to renew with the top 2 overall choices to be added for renewal sessions on Sunday Oct 11.
What classes will be offered?
A workshop schedule will be added to this page in the coming weeks
For reference, here is the 2025 schedule
This sounds great! How do I sign up?