My name is Joseph Reed, I am a freelance fight director and choreographer based in London.
Something about me…
I have always loved combat, ever since I was a little boy I have had an interest in martial arts and sword fighting. From choreographing lightsaber fights with my brothers in the back garden to fighting with real weapons on stage, that love has never diminished.
I began training in martial arts when I was fifteen and continue to practice, for now, focusing on Chinese Wing Chun. In my twenties I joined LAMDA as an acting student and was fully introduced to combat for the stage, I studied there for four years, winning three trophies on the way, and soon began assisting my teachers.
After graduating I returned to continue assisting and shadowing my tutors until I was able to instruct myself, I have since worked on many projects both on the stage and in film.
Combat is never separate from the story, it is an integral part of the characters journey.
My philosophy is that combat is for everyone, everyone is capable of creating fights that will put an audience on the edge of their seats.
Qualifications
I am certified in the use of Rapier and Dagger, Small Sword, Saber, Broad Sword and Buckler, Staff, Whip, Case of Small Sword, Case of Rapier, Hand to Hand and Found Weapons with a specialisation in the 16-1900’s and modern Hand to Hand combat. I am also able to teach Longsword, Axe/Sword and Shield, Spears and other Polearms.
I have practiced martial arts from the age of 15 and am currently focusing on Kong Dao Kwan Wing Chun under Sifu Greg Holloway ( Yip Man (Yip Kai Man) and Fung Ju/Fong Yee Ming (Gulao) -> Lee Shing -> Austin Goh -> Greg Holloway)
System
I teach the method passed down to me through Jon Waller and Rodney Cottier. Jon inherited his teaching from his father Jon Snr, who founded the Medieval Society, and along with the Royal Armouries in Leeds and the Tower of London, amassed and investigated historical manuscripts on sword fighting, using them to fashion a martial method that could be taught today with weapons made to historical specifications. In this way his method reflects as closely as possible the true fighting of the time. He was aided on this journey by Rodney Cottier a former competitive fencer and fight director at Shakespeare’s Globe and my mentor.
To this rich vein of knowledge I add my own knowledge of martial arts and modern hand to hand fighting.
Today I work as a specialist practitioner in stage combat at LAMDA as well as working as a freelance fight director with companies such as The Globe, The Yvonne Arnaud and The Watermill.
Images by Tristan Shepherd & Vincent Lai