Mike Catron is a Stage Combat Choreographer, Performer, and Consultant working out of Lincoln, NE. A full-time High School English Teacher and Assistant Director in his school's Theatre Program, Mike has decades of experience working with young thespians. He has presented Stage Combat Workshops at International Thespian Festival and a State and Regional Festivals in the Midwest. In addition to his Theatre and Education backgrounds, Mike is a 6th Dan Black Belt in the Universal Taekwondo Association and is ranked in Kendo by the Kyoto Prefecture (Japan) Kendo Promotions Board. He has taught martial arts for over 20 years and worked as an assistant director and combat choreographer for over 10. Mike's study of myriad combat arts ranging from Boxing to Aikido and brings a practical understanding of combat to his choreography. Mike's principle work as a choreographer has been for high school productions: designing, training, and directing high school performers in combat scenes in plays and musicals including: Dangerous Liaisons, Little Shop of Horrors, Peter Pan, Macbeth, Spy School,

Aida, and She Kills Monsters. Mike's workshops focus on performer safety and understanding violence as part of larger narrative arc. Each instance of violence in a scene must arise from characters' goals and

motivations.