STAGECOMBAT LINKS:

Fight Societies:

Note that many other countries have their own fight societies, which I have not listed here. Just do a web search, and I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for.

Online Discussion Forums:

Sword Forum International. | They have a great discussion forum (organized by topic, including a stage combat forum), classifieds, a store, gallery, and small section of articles.
Netsword | The closest to a completely neutral turf in any of the political battles in the historical european martial arts community. A mostly unmoderated forum for all types of discussion on swords and medieval warfare. No specific stage combat section.

Industry Networking:

Action Insider! | Robert Chapin's industry bulletin board... more useful to folks in CA than anyone else, but still good to see what's going on in the biz sometimes.
Seattle Stage | Auditions, etc. for the Seattle area.
Performers Callboard | More Seattle area auditions. Sign up for the emails and get told what's happening.

Historical European Martial Arts:

Chivalry Bookshelf | Publishers of some great resource material
Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts | Good source for medieval information, but nothing on rennaisance or later.
The Masters | Good source, especially for Renaissance masters.
The Atlanta Stage Combat Studio | These guys have a great page -- sources, manuals, descriptions, etc.
Association of Renaissance Martial Arts (formerly the Historical Armed Combat Association) | Regardless of my (and other people's) negative experiences with the director, his teaching, his books, and his politics, the webpage is still a good resource for original source material -- they have a number of online manuals available.

Stage Combat Vendors:

If you're just needing props for one show or film, generally it's best to rent. If you're in the Seattle area, please check out my rentals page- I have a small theatrical/film prop rental business.

If you need your own props, or just want to collect props you can use, I would encourage anyone looking into buying servicable swords to look at their local (or even not so local) smiths... but sometimes you just need cheap and/or fast, and places like this are the way to go. If you want parts, or lighter fencing style theatrical and fencing weapons, try Triplette Competition Arms... they have a theatrical and SCA section which has some stuff, and is better priced (if smaller) than American Fencer's Supply (also a possibility- click the link for "armory"). Triplette is smaller but cheaper, and the people have a better sense of humor. Another option is places like ebay, and the classifieds or store section from the sword forum or netsword (see the stage combat informative links above) just be wary of ebay scams, as much of what is sold there is crap.

Another option is renting, especially if there's something you only need for a specific show, or if you need a lot of weapons. I've used "Weapons of Choice" before- the swords were standard cheapie stage crap, and the firearms were passable, but they were cheap and fast.

A few vendors I have dealt with or heard good things about:

Albion Armorers | Makers of their own swords as well as dealers of Del Tin and other lines. Del Tin is a sort of an industry standard for historically accurate production swords.
Lutel Swords | a relative new kid on the block, giving del Tin a run for his money and then some, thanks to good attention to detail and a great exchange rate.
Sword Forum International | Sells Atrim and ArmArt swords. Atrim swords are best for cutting practice, as they tend to be light, fast, and sharp. ArmArt does custom work at high end production sword prices.
By the Sword | An online megastore with costumes, weapons, books, décor, etc. Some of the sword lines they carry are suitable for stage use and some are not. Check sword reviews on some of the information sites before buying.
Arms & Armor | Great top-of-the line production swords, but would you really be able to use one on stage without flinching at every little chip, scratch, or chink?
Starfire swords | The other end of the spectrum -- stereotypical stage combat swords: bastard children of real swords and crowbars, these are heavier than the originals, kinda ugly and overbuilt, but they can take a beating and last, and they aren't too pricey.
American Fencer's Supply | Go to "the armory" to see stage weapons. Reasonably cheap, modular. Very "stagey" look to them, but if that's ok with you, I've heard they're great about getting rush orders in for shows.
Triplette Fencing | Is a smaller competition for American Fencers -- less selection, but good sense of humor. Caters more to the SCA crowd, but if you're looking for parts for a smallsword, or a lightweight rapier, they can be good.
Del Tin | The sword maker's direct site, in case you want to know more. I wouldn't reccomend buying direct from them, as you may have to wait a long while, pay in Lira, and deal with other inconveniences, but this might still be of use.

You may also want to consider going with high grade aluminum swords -- they're lighter, cheaper, and tend to look just fine on stage, but there aren't many quality aluminum swords lines out there, so it's mostly custom work. One option is David at the Hollywood Combat Center. Ask around, you'll find something.

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