Theatre lovers of all experience levels are invited to join Flashback Theater Co. for their Fall 2026 masterclass series. This year’s offerings will occur over November 21-22, and focus on helping actors build Stage Combat skill: Intro to Stage Combat: Unarmed and Putting Stage Combat Into Scenes. These classes will teach participants how to safely and effectively perform moments of violence onstage from Emily Norris,. Norris has achieved the Advanced Actor Combatant rank with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), an achievement synonymous with excellence throughout the national theatre community. Start with Intro to Stage Combat: Unarmed to learn the basic tools and techniques used in unarmed stage combat. Then, learn how to perform violence in context at Putting Stage Combat Into Scenes. All FbTC masterclasses are suggested for adults and young adults over the age of 14.
November Masterclasses
Intro to Stage Combat: Unarmed will occur on November 20th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Flashback Theater Co.’s downtown offices. This masterclass will give actors all of the foundational tools they need to begin their stage combat journey. Actors will learn the Pillars of Safety in stage combat: partnership, distance, targeting, tempo, and form. They will learn how to safely execute foundational unarmed stage combat techniques and discover where stage combat can take them as an actor.
The next morning, actors will have the chance to take their skills to the next level. Putting Stage Combat Into Scenes will occur from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on November 21st, with an included lunch forum. Actors will be partnered up and given scenes to work on. There will be one-on-one instruction from a fight director, giving performers the opportunity to practice learning stage combat.
Masterclasses may be taken as a course for a discounted price. Actors are also welcome to take individual courses. Putting Stage Combat Into Scenes has a prerequisite of Intro to Stage Combat: Unarmed.
What is Stage Combat?
Master artist Emily Norris says “stage combat is the choreographed illusion of violence that is safe and sustainable to tell a story.” Skills learned in a stage combat course are not actual hand-to-hand combat skills, but instead physical, spatial, and acting skills to create illusions.
Many skills taught in a stage combat course are transferable on stage. Norris encourages all actors to try out stage combat: “Stage combat is an important skill for actors to learn because it teaches essential acting skills like body awareness and partnership,” she says, ”Stage combat requires a full body engagement and awareness that is also vital in creating a character. Partnership is also extremely important and stage combat teaches actors how to be a good partner by giving more than they take.”
Why Masterclasses?
At Flashback Theater Co, we believe that theater education is a lifelong pursuit, and our artists thrive when given the opportunity to continually develop their skills and technique. When our artists get better, our productions get better, and those who started as beginners are able to take on new roles as teachers and leaders, creating a thriving artistic community that can be sustained for years to come.
Masterclasses at Flashback Theater Co. are led by artists with local, regional, and national experience. This gives our artists the opportunity to learn from established artists from all over the country – giving them a nuanced and professional perspective, all without ever leaving Somerset, KY.
In order to keep theatre education accessible, Flashback Theater Co. offers scholarships and payment plans for all masterclass offerings. Participants will also have the opportunity to earn points towards masterclasses through volunteering.
2026 Fall Masterclasses
Intro to Stage Combat: Unarmed
November 20th, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
Flashback Theater Co. Offices at 209 A East Mount Vernon, Somerset, KY 42501
Price: $60 (or $125 bundled with Putting Stage Combat in Scenes)
Deadline to register is Friday, November 13th at 4:00 p.m. ET
Scholarship and Payment Plan Application Deadline: Monday, November 9th at 11:59 p.m.
Putting Stage Combat Into Scenes
November 21st, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET
Flashback Theater Co. Offices at 209 A East Mount Vernon, Somerset, KY 42501
Price: $85 (or $125 bundled with Intro to Stage Combat: Unarmed)
Deadline to register is Friday, November 13th at 4:00 p.m. ET
Scholarship and Payment Plan Application Deadline: Monday, November 9th at 11:59 p.m.
About the Artists
Emily Norris (she/her) is a fight director, teaching artist, and actress based out of Central Kentucky. She grew up in Lexington where her love for theatre started and eventually found stage combat during her time at the University of Kentucky where she holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Theatre. Emily continued her stage combat training in graduate school at Louisiana Tech University where she earned her Master’s of Arts in Theatre. She is an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, which she has been a member of for the last 9 years. Emily has had the privilege of getting to teach at stage combat workshops all over the country and is certified in the 8 different weapons disciplines that the SAFD offers training in! She is passionate about using her skills to give back to the Lexington and surrounding theatre communities because they have given her so much.