2023 Interns
David P. Schneider - Intern Coordinator
David P Schneider is a recognized Advanced Actor-Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and has been training since 2001. He has choreographed violence for numerous shows around town, including Park Square’s August: Osage County, Tedious Brief’s Bard Fiction, Hamlet at Theatre in the Round, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore for Classical Actor’s Ensemble, Cromulent Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Richard III and Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hot ‘N’ Throbbing and Teach Me Tonight with 20% Theatre, and several fights for the MN Renaissance Festival. He appeared as a sword fighter in MN Opera’s Romeo and Juliet, and has performed around the twin cities since 2003 with numerous companies including Theatre in the Round, Classical Actor’s Ensemble, Six Elements Theatre, Flaneur Productions, Green T Productions, and Off Leash Area. He is the owner of Northern Edge Armory, a theatrical weapons rental/maintenance house based in Minneapolis. For more info, please visit www.northernedgearmory.com
Ian Claar
Ian Claar is an award winning staged violence and intimacy choreographer as well as teaching artist and active member of the stage combat community. He has choreographed the fights, intimacy, and movement for productions through the DC Metro region at the professional, community, and academic levels; with styles involuting various martial arts, sword-play, grappling, found weaponry, and more! He has a passion for the art and technique of stage combat and stunt performance and is an advocate for the safe and skilled application and education of the art to all performing arts organisations, and especially to young performers. Ian is a current Advanced Actor / Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, and the Managing Director of The Noble Blades stage combat troupe, out of Northern Virginia.
Tori Purpura
Tori is thrilled to join the Brawl this year. Currently based in Oregon they are preparing to graduate from Willamette University with an acting emphasis this year. They have had the privilege of training the past few years at the National Stage Combat Workshops, Winter Wonderland this year, and assisting the stage combat class taught at Willamette University by CT Jonathon Cole. She most recently had worked with theatrical violence on various projects and productions including The Liar and The Secretaries. She plans to continue diving into the worlds of stage combat and blacksmithing with the intention of teaching theatrical violence in the future.
Lloyd Pena
M. Lloyd Peña is a recent graduate of the Louisiana Tech University Master of Arts program and an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. He is pursuing Certified Teacher Status with the intention of teaching and fight directing in Southern California.
Noah Ratgen
Noah Ratgen (he/they) is ecstatic to be joining the Brawl of America team after becoming a Intermediate Actor Combatant through Art in Arms at the end of 2022! Since graduating from Shenandoah Conservatory with a BFA in Acting in 2022, Noah has been traveling around the country acting and fighting in Shakespeare shows with Hoosier Shakespeare Festival, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, and Utah Shakespeare Festival. Noah is currently the Assistant Fight Choreographer, Fight Captain, and playing Cassio in Utah Shakespeare Festival’s Educational Touring production of Othello where he has also began his stage combat teaching journey to middle and high school students.
Lance Krohn
Lance Krohn is an actor/ stunt performer who graduated from Hamline University with a BA in theatre and is a Advanced Actor Combatant with the SAFD. He has been training with Art in Arms since 2018 and became a teaching assistant with them in 2019. He has worked on shows like Robin Hood, Romeo and Juliet, One Man Two Guvnors, She Kills Monsters, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
