David Dean Hastings

David has been studying and teaching stage combat for over 28 years. He has been on the Stage Combat Faculty at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC for the past 19 years. David founded his own fight school, The En Garde Academy, located in downtown NYC in 2008 and co-founded The Vixens En Garde, a Nationally touring all female Shakespeare and sword fighting ensemble that same year. As an actor, fighter and fight director, his work has been seen from coast to coast. Fight direction credits include The Wild Party, Twilight Los Angeles 1992, Jihad (OOBR winner), Exhibit #9, The Red Rose, Brave Brood, Raps, The London Cuckolds (OOBR winner), Ceremony of Innocence, The Lion in Winter, Bedroom Farce, Merlin Redux, The Tales of Robin Hood, Brilliant Traces, The Winter's Tale (OOBR winner), Othello, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Richard III, The Taming of the Shrew and many others. David has trained with the Society of American Fight Directors in Unarmed Combat, Single Rapier, Broadsword, Quarterstaff, Shaolin Spear, Rapier and Dagger, Smallsword, Knife and Sword and Shield. David has taught stage combat at such institutions as Juilliard, NYU, Brooklyn College, Stella Adler, Columbia University, Pace University and the Public Theater.