2024 Melee Production Staff
Elena Anderson
Elena Anderson (she/her) is an actor, voiceover artist, and SAFD Intermediate Actor Combatant based in the Washington, DC area. She started her stage combat training in 2019 and has since been certified in six weapons. She has voiced characters for over 45 titles with the audio drama production company GraphicAudio, including the Red Rising saga and The Murderbot Diaries. She has a B.A. in Drama and History from the University of Virginia, and an M.F.A. in Acting from the Catholic University of America.
www.elena-anderson.com | IG: @elena.anderson.vo
Joshua Coslar
Joshua is a certified personal trainer, lifelong martial artist, and traditionally trained craftsman. He relishes the opportunity to leverage his technical and mechanical knowledge towards practical theatrical applications. His goal is to find the perfect bio-mechanical tool to enable any artist to move the way they want to.
Matthew Crawford
As a seasoned actor and Advanced Actor Combatant affiliated with the SAFD, I've passionately graced the stages of the DMV since 2011. My journey extends beyond acting, delving into the realm of education since 2018, coinciding with my formal stage combat training initiation. Specializing in the eloquent world of Shakespeare, my summers are marked by enchanting performances at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Beyond the spotlight, I proudly wear the badge of a dedicated Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast, embodying creativity both on and off the stage. With a rich tapestry of theatrical prowess, teaching artistry, and a touch of fantasy, my narrative unfolds as a dynamic fusion of thespian skill and nerdy charisma.
Emily Norris
Emily Norris is an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. She holds her B.A in Theatre from the University of Kentucky and will be graduating from Louisiana Tech University in May with her M.A in Theatre. Norris is also an actress and interned for AthensWest Theatre Company for 2 years. She discovered her passion for stage combat 7 years ago and has been doing it ever since, she hopes to one day be a Certified Teacher with the SAFD.
Kara Turner
Kara Turner is a SAFD intermediate actor combatant and a 2024 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellow for theatre. As a teaching artist, she works in public schools, colleges, and nonprofits, including The Life Stories Program at The Theatre Lab. Movement-based acting credits include: The Welders' The Earth That Is Sufficient, Theatre Prometheus' (Anon)ymous, and Washington National Opera’s Il trovatore. She was a 2023 cohort member of the Sumer Sling Fight Choreographer’s Track and trains in aerial arts at Cap City Circus.
Jordan Stanford
Jordan Stanford has been working professionally in the DMV as an actor, director and intimacy/fight choreographer for the past three years. She has choreographed intimacy and fights for Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (As You Like It) and Constellation Theatre Company (The School For Lies). She is certified in eight weapons by the SAFD and is currently Juliet in Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's student matinee production of Romeo and Juliet.
Katie Warner
Katie Warner is a performer, teaching artist, and fight choreographer based in the DC Metro Area. She was nominated for a WATCH Award for Stage Combat Choreography for her work on Big Fish with the City of Fairfax Theatre Company.
Recent fight direction credits include: Big Fish, POTUS (City of Fairfax Theatre Company); The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Sterling Playmakers); Guys and Dolls, Teen Sherlock (Sandburg Middle School); Newsies, Jr. (Lopez Studios).
Training: Duke Ellington School of the Arts, DC; Sarah Lawrence College, NY (BA, 2022); British American Drama Academy, Oxford (MCP ‘16, MIO ‘22)