Every good story starts with an Act I…

Founded in 2020, Theatrica Gladiatoria is a guild of stage combat and stunt performers focused on evolving the art of martial story telling. Through training, choreography, consultation, performance, and educational content our group creates innovative and dynamic fights and action that are as integral to supporting a story as costumes, lighting, sound, and cinematography. We serve the theatrical and film community in southeastern Michigan. From the casual enthusiast to professional actors, community theatres to large film productions, we create art that resonates.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming learning environment for all persons without discrimination against age, race, nationality, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, social class, or ability.

 
 
Photography by Bridget Anne Artistry

Facta, Non Verba

Show, don’t tell. Actions break the barriers of language. Rooted in the principles of good theatre, we believe in using our action as the basis for our storytelling.

 

Who We Are

Jen Pan
Co-Founder & Fight Instructor

Pronouns: she/her/they/them

Characteristics: Smol, sarcastic, tough, gets stuff done

Super Power: Deathstare, maker of delicious things, super organized

Preferred Nerd Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Critical Role

Beverage of Choice: Hot water, tea, bubble tea (there might be a pattern here…)

Quote: “Joe, no.”

Jen is a fight and intimacy director, stunt performer, movement teacher, martial artist, Advanced Actor Combatant (SAFD), and occasional creative. As a former theatrical technical crew member (stage management, technical direction, and lighting and set design), Jen believes that there is a place for stage combatants who don’t come from an acting background.

In addition to her background in Historical European Martial Arts and stunts, she also has experience in:

  • Aerial silks

  • Wing Chun kung fu

  • Muay Thai

Jen is passionate about creating safe, collaborative and exciting stories through movement. They are an advocate of lifelong learning, creating learning spaces for underrepresented minorities, intimacy and consent work, pedagogy, and having greater BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation in the arts.

A waist-up photo of Joe Wright. He is wearing a black long-sleeve shirt while holding a cup-hilt rapier in his right hand and a main gauche dagger in the left.

Joe Wright
Co-Founder & Fight Instructor

Pronouns: he/him/his

Characteristics: Loud mouth, loud laugh, tough-looking (but actually a big softy)

Super Power: Picks things up and puts them down, making people feel good about themselves, bad puns

Preferred Nerd Fandom: Star Wars, Star Trek (“I liek space”)

Beverage of Choice: Apple cider, frozen Coke, bubble tea

Quote: “JOE YESSSSS!”

Joe is a fight & intimacy director, actor, stunt performer, personal trainer, and general movement enthusiast based out of south-eastern Michigan.

In the stage combat world, he is a co-director/co-founder and trainer for Theatrica Gladiatoria (based out of Ypsilanti, Michigan) and works with various theatres and schools in the area as a stage combat instructor and choreographer.  

As a movement enthusiast he has training in:

  • Parkour

  • High Falls

  • Mini Trampoline stunts

  • Fencing (foil, saber, and epee)

  • Historical European Martial Arts

  • Tactical Movement Training (Individual, Team, and larger elements)

And as a physical educator and personal trainer he is a:

  • Certified Personal Trainer (NASM)

  • Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM)

  • Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM)

  • Spartan SGX level 1 Coach (Spartan Race)

  • Certified Parkour Coach, level 2 (WFPF)

  • Member and Advanced Actor-Combatant (Society of American Fight Directors)

  • Member and Advanced Actor/Combatant (Fight Directors Canada)

  • Member - United States Fencing Coaches Association

A black and white headshot photo of Rebecca Garber. She is touching the brim of her hat while looking at the camera.

Rebecca Garber
Historian

Pronouns: she/her/they/them

Characteristics: Short, introverted, I stan dead languages

Super Power: n/a

Preferred Nerd Fandom: Girl Genius

Beverage of Choice: Hot coffee, tea, cocoa. Single malt scotch (ice is for the weak).

Quote: “Death. Delicious death.”

Rebecca Garber wrote her dissertation about nuns in 14th century Germany when her academic career took an unexpected left turn at Albuquerque.

A decade of stage combat experience and a chance conversation led her to the Cambridge (Mass) Historical European Martial Arts Study Group and their efforts to translate combat manuals from Middle and Early New High German in their free time. Nearly 20 years later, she has given numerous academic talks on different combat manuals and issues in their translation.

Her publications include a translation of the Latin Flower of Battle of Master Fiore Friulano de’i Liberi in 2016 with her partner in Latin crime, Kendra Brown, and a new translation from the German of Hans Talhoffer’s Personal Manuscript in 2020. Her current projects include a translation of Johannes Meyer’s magnum opus, the Gründliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens and she and Brown continue to collaborate on a translation of Paulus Hector Mair’s fifteenth-century Latin translation of Lev’s gloss on Liechtenauer’s Zettel.

 
A 6-photo collage of Cristina Pellerano, each with a different facial expression. She has long black hair and is wearing a black dress.

Cristina Pellerano
Dramaturge

Pronouns: she/her/they/them

Characteristics: Chaotic good, enthusiastic, candid, prompt

Preferred Nerd Fandom: Star Wars, Marvel

Beverage of Choice: Black coffee

Quote: “Can we stop talking about it and just start doing it?”

Cristina is a dramaturg specializing in Shakespeare and Greek Theater. She is a vocal coach emphasizing volume, elocution techniques, and foreign accents. As an actress and director, Cristina was recently featured at Ann Arbor Civic Theater, Shakespeare in the Arb, The 4th Wall, and Livonia Shakespeare in the Park.

Cristina holds a BFA in Theater from the University of Miami, and MSI from the University of Michigan. She has a Theater Education Certification and specializes in Theater Curriculum Development for K-12. Favorite classes taught include Improvisation, Theater History, and Musical Theater Styles.

A chest-up photo of Zeb Mientkiewicz. He is wearing a navy blue ren faire shirt and holding a large metal shield. His head is clean shaven and he has a beard.

Zebadiah “Zeb” Mientkiewicz
Props Fabrication, Firearms, & Demolitions Expert

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Characteristics: Likes to create/build/tinker. Smooth, melodious voice. Food motivated.

Super Power: Government training, shaggy dog stories, a last name that sounds nothing like it looks

Preferred Nerdom: Space, Fantasy, Comics, Steampunk

Beverage of Choice: Smoothies, bubble tea, drinks that include an umbrella and/or a loopy straw

Quote: "Have you ever heard the story of The White Coffin?"

Zeb is just a guy who enjoys drama, action, the satisfaction of creating something well, and the thrill of explosions. A member of the Army National Guard since 2007, Zeb was able to nurture all these passions while also attending the State University of New York at Fredonia, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts, and running the Interactive Theater Society for a number of years.

Currently, Zeb is serving as a Team Leader in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit out of Camp Grayling, MI, while also supporting projects close to his home in Ypsilanti with knowledge, material, and creative assistance.

Zeb's background includes:

  • Modern Squad and Team Level Tactics

  • Proficiency with Small Arms

  • Explosive, Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Threat Mitigation

  • First-Aid and CPR

  • Firearm Use for Stage and Film Productions

  • Costume Construction and History

  • Set Design and Building

  • Prop Manufacturing