The Pen & Sword, LLC
Welcome to The Pen & Sword, LLC!
The Pen & Sword is owned by the husband-wife duo, Pierce and Firen Williams, who teach and choreograph stage combat in the Pacific Northwest and beyond!
Pierce and Firen grew up as rough and tumble kids with a passion for martial arts, swords, and everything in-between, but as they grew older, they found their footing in the world of Theatre. In 2017, they decided to attend the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) National Stage Combat Workshop in North Carolina and found the beautiful marriage between their two halves: Stage Combat.
The path had never been clearer.
Ever since then, they have trained with some of the best in the industry, gathered knowledge from within the theatre world and outside of it, and have always shared the art form with their many students around the USA. They are based out of Tri-Cities, Washington working diligently to foster Stage Combat throughout the Pacific Northwest and commit to a life of learning and growing.
Our Services
Whether you are looking for Stage Combat training or looking to hire fight choreographers for your show, we have you covered.
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Who: Any student 14 years or older who wants to learn stage combat skills for school, university, their career, or for fun! (Students younger than 18 years old will also require parental supervision for lessons)
What: An hour long stage combat private lesson tailored to the student.
Some subject options include:
Basic Stage Combat Fundamentals
Unarmed Stage Combat
Theatrical Knife
Theatrical Broadsword
Theatrical Single Sword
Theatrical Rapier and Dagger
Theatrical Smallsword
Theatrical Sword and Shield
Theatrical Quarterstaff
And more!
When: On a date and time agreed upon by both student and teacher! Weekly recurrence is recommended for steady learning and improvement.
Where: Legacy Jiu Jitsu Academy in Richland’s Uptown.
Why: This private lesson (recurring or single) is a great way of getting one-on-one stage combat training with your Pen & Sword instructor. Whether you are preparing for an audition, wanting to increase your stage combat skill, or simply wanting to learn for fun, private lessons are a fantastic way to quickly improve in a highly personalized setting and lesson plan.
Pricing: $35.00 per hour long lesson.
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Who: High School, Community Theatre, or other Students. Whether they be Actors, Techies, or Stage Management, all are welcome. Drama Teachers, Facilitators, and Representatives are also encouraged to participate! Maximum class size - 30.
What: The foundations of safety within stage combat and select unarmed basics such as:
Falls
Push/Pull
Grab/Shove
Slaps
Punches
Kicks
Chokes
When: For 2 hours on a date to be agreed upon by the Drama Representative and the Combat Teacher.
Where: In the classroom or facility of the High School or Community Theatre (i.e. Stage, Gym, Classroom, etc.)
Why: This Stage Combat Fundamentals is a 2 hour class geared towards high school or Community Theatre Members who are looking to dip their toes into the world of Stage Combat. For many, this may be their first experience with Stage Combat, so this class will provide a basic foundational knowledge that they can use in shows, rehearsals, class scenes, etc.
As Drama Teachers, facilitators, or representatives, you can expect this class to:
Increase the safety and skillset of your students/members
Draw new students/members in who may have been on the fence about participating in theatre.
Expand the skill set of current creative pool so that you can do higher caliber shows and not be daunted by combat in many scripts.
For high school students or Community Members who are looking to pursue theatre in college or as a career, stage combat will make them more hireable and safer on any stage or set they may find themselves on.
Pricing: $200.00 Flat Fee
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Who: High School, Community Theatre, or other Students. Whether they be Actors, Techies, or Stage Management, all are welcome. Drama Teachers, Facilitators, and Representatives are also encouraged to participate! Maximum class size - 30.
What: A 2-hour class designed to delve into one of the 8 theatrical weapon styles.
Some subject options include:
Unarmed Stage Combat
Theatrical Knife
Theatrical Broadsword
Theatrical Single Sword
Theatrical Rapier and Dagger
Theatrical Smallsword
Theatrical Sword and Shield
Theatrical Quarterstaff
And more!
When: For 2 hours on a date to be agreed upon by the Drama Representative and the Combat Teacher.
Where: In the classroom or facility of the High School or Community Theatre (i.e. Stage, Gym, Classroom, etc.)
Why: This Specialized Stage Combat class is geared towards high schools or Community Theatres who are looking to delve into a particular weapon style. Often times, this is used to prepare your creative pool for combat heavy shows coming up or to simply build upon fundamental knowledge. We recommend beginning with the Stage Combat Fundamentals Class before specializing so that everyone involved looks great and remains safe.
As Drama Teachers, facilitators, or representatives, you can expect this class to:
Increase the safety and skillset of your students/members
Prepare your creative pool for upcoming combat heavy shows.
Expand the skill set of your current creative pool so that you can do higher caliber shows and not be daunted by combat in many scripts.
For high school students or Community Members who are looking to pursue theatre in college or as a career, stage combat will make them more hireable and safer on any stage or set they may find themselves on.
Pricing: $200.00 Flat Fee
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We offer Fight Choreography for those looking to include safe, believable, and dynamic stage violence in their show. This includes shows that don’t have “Ye olde sword fights”, but rather moments of domestic violence, moments of grappling/control, or even depictions of emotional/physical abuse.
By hiring us, you secure training for you and your cast, our choreography and teaching thereof, and cleaning in time for your performances.
Pricing is dependent on a few factors, so keep the following in mind:
Number of fights
Number of combatants
Time needed to safely and effectively accomplish the fights
Travel
Begin the conversation by emailing us or using the ‘Contact Us’ feature here on our website.
Follow us on social
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![The Pen & Sword Instagram]()
Instagram
Stay up-to-date with our projects, find feedback from directors and students, or just have a fun time following our adventures!
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![SAFD Adventures]()
The SAFD
As Advanced Actor Combatants through the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), we want to connect you to a wider Stage Combat Community, check out the SAFD page!
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![Blacksmithing Pierce]()
Broken 5 Forge
Our in-house Weaponsmith makes steel and aluminum theatrical knives, check out his page for a more intimate look at process and stock!
Reviews
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“I had the pleasure of working with Firen at the SAFD National Stage Combat Workshop this summer. She assisted me in a number of classes and was always a joy. Her friendly personality made her easily approachable which was a great boon to the students. She was always on hand to help both me and the students and her personal skill level meant that demonstrations were clear and precise. She clearly loves working and training in this art form and that shines through in everything she does. It was a genuine pleasure to work with her and I cannot recommend her enough.” List Item
-Roger Bartlett, Master Teacher and Examiner with the British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat (BASSC), Certified Teacher with the SAFD
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"I’ve worked with Pierce of The Pen & Sword multiple times and I am pleased to say that it has been an overwhelmingly positive (and wholesome) experience. Pierce was able to quickly jump into our production with professionalism and an unbridled amount of energy. He taught all of my actors basics in combat while giving encouraging notes and helpful feedback. He makes everyone on the stage feel important and powerful. When choreographing combat, Pierce is able to expertly take the director’s vision and actor’s physicality and limitations into account throughout his process. The choreography itself is clean but holds a certain flair and style that is unmatched in any staged violence I have seen. Anyone who has seen Pierce work, worked with him, or knows him can tell that he lives and breathes combat. He is a joy to work with and will ALWAYS be my go-to Choreographer."
Deven Austin, Drama Teacher at Pasco High School
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"Firen is an engaging, attentive, and detail-oriented movement artist. Her technique is clean, and she models both good learning and performance traits. Any student or actor would do well to learn from her knowledge and example."
-Sean Michael Chin, Certified Teacher with the SAFD
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"Firen came to our middle school during our Drama club day two weeks in a row. The students ( about 40 6th through 8th grade) ate up everything she taught them! Firen had such a wonderful presence and really knew how to engage these kids. She scaffolded the curriculum, and made sure they were safely demonstrating the content before introducing new content. She had wonderful teacher tricks to teach them how to remember vocabulary, and it absolutely worked! At the end of the second day with Firen the kids were choreographing small fight scenes, and it was AMAZING! I highly recommend hosting Pen and Sword to come to your school and teach a workshop! At the end of the day, she is doing such an awesome thing like this in our arts community. She is making the Tri-Cities and surrounding area a more enjoyable place to be for people who crave more knowledge of the arts."
-Rachel Browning, Drama Teacher and Director at Enterprise Middle School
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"Firen and Pierce are stage combatants made for education. The moment you welcome them into your classroom and production, you will see a pair of professionals that know exactly what is needed to accomplish your goals for delivering believable staged violence that is safe and enjoyable. Their pedagogical delivery will fit right into any unit, their vocabulary will stick to young minds like glue, and they will guide your students through fights ranging from the most basic punch to the most intricate brawl. I cannot recommend them enough!"
Robert Hanson, Drama Teacher at Arlington High School
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“I would highly recommend The Pen & Sword to other universities or theaters. They were very easy to work with. Pierce was encouraging and a great teacher to the students. Both him and Firen worked closely with the director in creating fight choreography that fit with the show. Each and every actor grew to love theater and stage combat more and more as they continued to learn new fights. Working with Pierce and Firen from The Pen & Sword was one of the most memorable experiences that STAGE Student Theatre has had. Each actor learned a new set of skills, grew as fighters, and fell in love with another part of the theatre world. The Pen & Sword not only taught the actors how to swing a sword, but they helped to teach them how to dominate their own space and push past their levels of comfortability in a safe and encouraging environment.”
Jonah Bates, Director of She Kills Monsters at WSU STAGE
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"This summer I had the pleasure of working with AAC Firen Williams at the National Stage Combat Workshop. Firen excelled as an actor combatant as well as actor coach and mentor for the students in the Advanced workshop. The students relied on her great humor, enthusiasm, and emotional support while I relied on her intelligence and trained eye in the classroom. When we watched the run throughs of rehearsal performances, I would often ask Firen for her notes and found her feedback to be specific, kind, and thorough. I look forward to seeing her continue to shine as a teacher, choreographer, and artist."
Jenny Male, Certified Teacher & Fight Director, SAFD
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“I recently got to work closely with Pierce and Firen when they helped choreograph stage combat for a play that I was in, and it was a very pleasant experience. There was a lot to learn in what felt like a very short amount of time, but with their dedication and passion it came together better than I could have ever imagined. Pierce was a very patient and uplifting teacher, always supporting us as we were slowly picking up the craft. I felt safe asking for help knowing there would be no judgment. Aside from being total bad asses, they are both just genuinely amazing people. I hope to work with both of them again and I am so grateful for the time they spent on us and this play.”
Kiki Renner, Actor
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“I have had the pleasure of working with Pierce both professionally and recreationally. His mind is attuned to the art of combat. Hearing him speak about Muy Thai, Khali, armored rattan combat, or any other form of fighting, it is crystal clear that this is his passion. He is also a joy to be around. He has a great attitude that is contagious to those he works with. Pierce is someone I know I can count on, and he will always be the first person I call when I need top-tier fight choreography."
James V, Director of The Wayfarer
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“Firen is an amazing fight choreographer, she organized rehearsals in a way that maximized the amount of practice and time she could spend on each fight. Safety was put first the entire time and she made sure that every person was comfortable with the choreography, and she was always open to questions and helping.”
Ashlynn Alderman, Actor
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"Firen is an exceptional teacher. Her rehearsal management was so appreciated and she brings energy, enthusiasm, and focus. Even our more timid students felt empowered to take risks and work on new skills. They learned important vocabulary and felt empowered to work together to keep their colleagues safe. She cultivated a strong sense of ownership in their work, which was great. Simply put, she is an excellent fight choreographer and teacher adept at teaching a group of complete beginners a brand new set of skills. She came in with an artistically strong plan but was able to adapt to our students’ abilities when needed. It was the most focused I had seen the group because she inspired a great level of joy and determination in the work. Students learned a lot, they worked really hard, and they had FUN doing so. "
Joanna Flaten, Director and Drama Teacher at Hanford High School
