Fox Valley Rep partners with MACE to bring Winter Wonderland Workshop

Fox Valley Repertory has partnered with MACE - Movement and Combat Education to host the largest stage combat workshop in the world. The 17th annual Winter Wonderland Workshop will be held at Pheasant Run Resort during the weekend of January 6-8, 2012.

Nearly 200 participants from all over the country are expected to attend, and those interested are still able to register online.

"We are lucky to have MACE and their prestigious Winter Wonderland Workshop return here at Fox Valley Rep at Pheasant Run Resort for a second year,” says Artistic Director John Gawlik. “This weekend-long workshop combined with the one-night only performance of The Swordsmen features some of the best fight directors and stage combat teachers from around the world.”

John Tovar, Geneva resident and executive director of MACE (Movement and Combat Education), had this to say:

"We are incredibly happy to be working with Fox Valley Rep again on this event. And to be back at Pheasant Run Resort is a huge benefit for our staff and students. The feedback from last year was overwhelmingly positive. The opportunity to be working with a first-class theater company, like Fox Valley Rep, at a truly incredible location is what helps make our event the largest of its kind in the world."

About MACE and the Winter Wonderland Workshop: Established in 1996, the Winter Wonderland Workshop is the largest stage combat workshop in the world. Endorsed by the Society of American Fight Directors and the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat, the Winter Wonderland Workshop draws students from all over the world to learn the art of staged combat for film, television and theatre from some of the best in the business.

Going into our 17th year, the Winter Wonderland Workshop has had the pleasure of hosting instructors who have worked on films such as "Troy" starring Brad Pitt, "Sherlock Holmes" 1 & 2 starring Robert Downey Jr., "Gulliver's Travels" starring Jack Black, "The Dark Knight" starring Christian Bale, "The Golden Compass" starring Nicole Kidman, "Stardust" starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert DeNiro, "Drugstore Cowboy" starring Matt Dillon, "Blue Velvet" starring Dennis Hopper, "Secondhand Lions" starring Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" starring Brendan Fraser, "Night at the Museum" starring Ben Stiller, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," and many more.

MACE (Movement and Combat Education) is a new company in the Fox Valley area whose purpose is to provide education and training that specializes around physical movement. For more information about MACE and the Winter Wonderland Workshop, go to www.macetraining.org

About The Swordsmen performance: Known for their annual award-winning swordplay at the Bristol Renaissance Faire and throughout the country, Master Swordsmen Dirk Perfect and Guido Crescendo return to the Pheasant Run Mainstage as The Swordsmen. Learn honor and the art of chivalry through some of the best comedic combat in the area! The Swordsmen perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7. Tickets are $32.

Fox Valley Repertory at Pheasant Run Resort is located at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. Additional organization and performance information may be obtained at www.foxvalleyrep.org. Those wishing to participate in the Winter Wonderland Workshop can visit www.macetraining.org/events.