2011 Carnage Staff
Jump to: Instructors - Coordinators
2011 Teaching Assistants
Danette Baker - Advanced Actor Combatant
Danette Baker is a Stage Combat Choreographer, Actor, Director and Educator. As
an actress she has worked in theatres across the country from New York
to Idaho, this past September appearing at Wichita Center for the Arts
in Bill W. & Dr. Bob: a show for which she also choreographed the
stage fights (including her own choking). In the last two months she has
been the violence coach for a mass battle between the Native Americans
and the Jamestown settlers in a production of Pocahontas for a Christian
Youth Theatre, choreographed 2 sword fights for a high school
production of The Fantasticks, choreographed 8 sword fights for another
hight school production of The Three Musketeers and directed a
production of The 39 Steps for Wichita State University's School of
Performing Arts. This is in addition to the 3 classes she is currently
teaching (including an unarmed stage combat class) as an adjunct faculty
member for said University...and this is why her head exploded when Sara
asked for a funny bio. She just didn't have the brain power left to
come up with anything new. The very demanding Carnage staff felt bad
about the head explosion, trawled her website (www.danettemariebaker.com)
for this information and pieced together this bio for her. In exchange,
Danette has agreed to rise from the dead to come and TA at Carnage.
PS: Danette holds an MFA in acting from Ohio University's Professional Actor Training Program, is a member of the Association of Theatre Movement Educators, the Mid-America Regional Representative for the Society of American Fight Directors, holds a 3rd degree brown belt ranking in Aikido and is a pretty darn good shot with a .22 semi-automatic.
PS: Danette holds an MFA in acting from Ohio University's Professional Actor Training Program, is a member of the Association of Theatre Movement Educators, the Mid-America Regional Representative for the Society of American Fight Directors, holds a 3rd degree brown belt ranking in Aikido and is a pretty darn good shot with a .22 semi-automatic.
Melissa Bennett - Advanced Actor Combatant
Melissa Bennett (aka Melba) is an Advanced Actor Combatant who has been training with the SAFD since 2001. She is currently enjoying being a theatre gypsy in Cincinnati, OH, teaching workshops and choreographing shows. Most recently, she choreographed Macbeth for the School for Creative and Performing Arts and Cyrano: Rehearsed for New Edgecliff. When there's not a sword in her hand, she can be found with a paintbrush or drill gun wherever there's a set to be built. In years past, Melba has TA'd at Winter Wonderland in Chicago and the Cincinnati workshop formerly known as *March Madness,* and is very happy Mr. Speck has allowed her to join the Carnage team.
Dan Granke - Advanced Actor Combatant
Bio to come.
Craig Lawrence - Advanced Actor Combatant
Craig Lawrence is a stage combat instructor from the Washington DC area and is excited to have been invited to the Carnage workshop for a third time. He's made it his mission in life to master and teach every fictional fighting style he can get his hands on, and he is thrilled that Mr. Speck continues to entertain this madness. An Advanced Actor/combatant for several years now, he relishes every chance he gets to travel and teach his craft, having taught at workshops in New York, Virginia Beach, Chicago and Seattle. When not immersed in the fight world, he spends his time collecting weapons, watching action movies and photographing action sequences (...oh...wait a second...). Follow Craig's adventures at www.fightguycl.weebly.com.
Tonya Lynn - Advanced Actor Combatant
Bio to come.
Alex Miller - Advanced Actor Combatant
Mr. Miller is currently an Assistant Professor in the Theatre and Dance Department at Millikin University. As a professional actor, director, and fight choreographer, he continues to work in theatres from coast to coast. Mr. Miller’s numerous regional credits include: Antonio in The Merchant of Venice, Trinculo in The Tempest, Bernard in Arcadia, and Duke Senior in As You Like It, and Charlie in The Foreigner. As a superhero, he lives in and defends Decatur, IL with his lovely wife Angie, son Aidan, and cute dog Grace. During his down time, he enjoys putting sugar back into sugar packets and sparking the debate on who is/was the greater actor - Corey Haim or Corey Feldman.
Amie Root - Advanced Actor Combatant
Amie Root is an Actor, Fighter, Friend and Waitress. She enjoys puddle jumping, star gazing, and discovering the coolest (not always most efficient) way to kill a person all underscored by a Howard Shore Lord of the Rings Soundtrack. However, her absolute favorite activity is teaching stage combat surrounded and supported by her tremendously talented friends and coworkers. She also has an affinity toward sword play with pool noodles, and an abundance of tomfoolery to give. She is excited and prepared to go on many an adventure crossing blades this year in the land of corn; the previous three years have not let her down.
Jason Tipsword - Advanced Actor Combatant
Jason Tipsword is a fight guy/ action-nerd living in Iowa City. He began his training with the Society in 2001, and attended the National Workshop in 2003-2005. He has worked with many regional and community theaters in eastern Iowa as well as touring. Jason's stage combat interests focus around unarmed groundwork, mass battle choreo, and applications of modern police/military tactics with theatrical firearms work. When not being theatrical, he enjoys In-line hockey, airsoft, and his xbox. Jason is very excited to see all his old Carnage friends and make some new ones.
Claire Yearman - Advanced Actor Combatant
Claire is an Advanced Actor Combatant with the SAFD. She began her training with DC Wright at Western Illinois University where she completed her MFA in acting. This July she was an intern at the National Stage Combat Workshop in Winston-Salem NC. She has been a teaching assistant and teacher at March Madness 2009 & 2010 in Cincinnati and has been a teaching assistant to John Tovar at College of Dupage, Noble Fool Theatricals and Elgin Community College. She has had the pleasure of choreographing fights for Red Tape Theatre, Dominican University, Oakton Community College, Harper College, Elgin Community College and Steel Beam Theatre. She is an adjunct professor at College of DuPage, instructor at Metropolis Performing Arts Center and an assistant coordinator of the Winter Wonderland Workshop. Claire is also an actor. Some of her favorite roles have been Anne is Murdering Marlowe, Claire in Proof, and Alice Beane in Titanic.