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About Us

Established in 2005 by Fight Directors Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown, Rc-Annie Ltd is the UK’s leading dramatic violence company. Rachel and Ruth have built a business which offers a comprehensive range of violent services, providing the entertainment industry and education establishments with a one stop shop.

Every aspect of Rc-Annie Ltd has been thoughtfully created and lovingly developed. Rachel and Ruth are passionate and committed to furthering the art of Stage Combat by offering excellent training, creative and innovative Fight Direction/Action Co-ordination and reliable Dramatic Violence solutions for Stage and Screen. They are known for their sensitive and respectful approach, from intimacy direction to epic battle scenes.

WE OFFER

Both Rachel and Ruth come from performing backgrounds; Rachel having trained as an actress at Rose Bruford College and Ruth as a performer, variety artist and technician. Both were drawn to Stage Combat via performance, training with the British Academy of Dramatic Combat as Teachers and Examiners, both have served on the committee with Ruth was Chairperson for 6 years. 

WHO WE ARE

RACHEL CRISTI BOWN-WILLIAMS

Rc-Annie Company Director, Fight Director, Fight Instructor

rachel williams

  • HEIGHT

  • 5ft 5.5 inches (recurring)

  • TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

  • Training and Qualifications: Black belt Shotokan Karate
    Fencing: 5* Epee, Sabre Level 1 coaching: Foil
    Intermediate Tactical Knife (AoC)
    BADC (British Academy Of Stage Combat) Teacher
    BA Acting (Rose Bruford School of Speech and Drama)
    Tactical Firearms (Primlus Pilus)
    UK Rigging For the Entertainment industry
    Aerial and Stunt Rigging (Stunt360)
    BADC Examiner
    First Aid

  • LICENCES

  • UK Driving License, Powered Access Licence for Mobile Boom (3B)

  • MEMBERSHIPS

  • Equity, BADC, WFTV

  • WEIGHT AT BIRTH

  • 7lbs something

  • CHARACTERISTICS

  • Tough, cute, loveable and scary

  • POWERS

  • Flying Volte and Deathstare

  • NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS

  • Poor, likely to get lost in a classroom, always in a theatre

RUTH COOPER-BROWN

Rc-Annie Company Director, Fight Director, Fight Instructor

IMG 1849

  • HEIGHT

  • 5ft 4 and a half inches

  • TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

  • British Academy Of Stage Combat (BADC) Teacher
    BADC Examiner
    Boxing Training (12 Rounds)
    Level 1 Fencing coach in foil
    Tactical Firearms (Primlus Pilus)
    Intermediate Tactical Knife (AoC)
    Preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector (PTLLS)
    Aerial and Stunt Rigging (Stunt360)
    UK Rigging For the Entertainment industry
    First Aid

  • LICENCES

  • UK Driving License, Powered Access Licence for Mobile Boom (3B)

  • MEMBERSHIPS

  • BADC, Equity, WFTV.

  • WEIGHT AT BIRTH

  • 7lbs and a bit

  • CHARACTERISTICS

  • Blonde spiked hair, big mouth, loud laugh, big softy really

  • POWERS

  • Gurning and a killer left hook

  • NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS

  • Good outside buildings, shockingly bad inside

MEET THE REST OF OUR TEAM

victoria john

VICTORIA JOHN

DETAILS >

VICTORIA JOHN

- Rc-Agent and Administrator

  • HEIGHT

    5ft 6.5 inches

  • WEIGHT AT BIRTH

    7lbs 6 ounces

  • TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

    BA (Hons) Acting
    (Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama)

  • CHARACTERISTICS

    Direct and friendly but sometimes fiercer than a dragon!

  • LICENCES

    UK Driving Licence

  • POWERS

    Organising the life out of people, making people smile and cry

  • MEMBERSHIPS

    Equity

  • NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS

    Excellent - there isn’t anywhere I can’t find
staff 2

CLAIRE LLEWELLYN

DETAILS >

CLAIRE LLEWELLYN

- Associate Fight Instructor

  • HEIGHT

    5ft 5ins

  • WEIGHT AT BIRTH

    7lb 13oz

  • TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

    BADC Teacher
    BA (Hons) Acting (Mountview Academy)
    Level 2 First Aid at Work
    PTTLS Level 4
    Level 1 Fencing Foil
    10m swimming badge

  • CHARACTERISTICS

    Fun, feisty, formidable (but only on the outside)

  • LICENCES

    Full Clean Driving License

  • POWERS

    I'm the granddaughter of a Royal Marine

  • MEMBERSHIPS

    BADC, Equity

  • NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS

    I can't tell my left from my right!
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BETHAN CLARK

DETAILS >

BETHAN CLARK

- Rc-Armourer and Associate Fight Instructor

  • HEIGHT

    5ft 6 inches

  • WEIGHT AT BIRTH

    2lbs 7oz

  • TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

    BA (Hons) Drama (Exeter Uni)
    MA Classical Acting (Drama Centre)
    BADC Teacher
    First Aid trained

  • CHARACTERISTICS

    Friendly, witty, suspicious

  • LICENCES

    Full UK driving licence

  • POWERS

    Ostrich Leap, Supreme Provider of Snacks

  • MEMBERSHIPS

    Equity, BADC

  • NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS

    Exceptional (a necessary requirement to be Rachel’s Apprentice)
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LEWIS PENFOLD

DETAILS >

LEWIS PENFOLD

- Associate Fight Instructor

  • HEIGHT

    5'11 some seasonal fluctuation should be expected

  • WEIGHT AT BIRTH

    Heavy

  • TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

    BADC Teacher
    BADC Examiner
    Acting Diploma from Mountview Theatre School
    First Aid Trained

  • CHARACTERISTICS

    My nose has very little structural integrity

  • LICENCES

    UK car and motorcycle

  • POWERS

    Fridge Clearance and Crippling Skepticism

  • MEMBERSHIPS

    Equity, BADC, UCU

  • NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS

    Uses the Force (and GPS)
Minna Paija

MINNA PAIJA

DETAILS >

MINNA PAIJA

- Associate Fight Instructor

  • HEIGHT

    5ft 7.75 inches

  • WEIGHT AT BIRTH

    9lbs - A Viking at Birth!

  • TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

    BADC Teacher
    Level 1 Archery
    1st Aid certified
    Intermediate Tactical Knife Fight

  • CHARACTERISTICS

    Bubbly, slightly berserk… but in a good way… Norse Maiden

  • LICENCES

    EU/UK Driving Licence

  • POWERS

    Chain fighting and twirls with lighting speed and heart melting cuddles

  • MEMBERSHIPS

    BADC (British Academy of Dramatic Combat), FSFS (Finnish), NSFS (Nordic)

  • NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS

    Great… I always know the direction even though I don’t where I am
IMG 6148

BAXTER

DETAILS >

BAXTER

- The Combat Canine

  • HEIGHT

    About right

  • WEIGHT AT BIRTH

    Minuscule

  • TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

    First rate attention seeker
    Highly skilled in sleeping
    Expert stuffed toy killer
    Very gifted in the art of subterfuge

  • CHARACTERISTICS

    Waggle bum!

  • LICENCES

    To lick

  • POWERS

    The ability to make everyone go 'ahhhhhh'

  • MEMBERSHIPS

    Who needs a membership when you got my looks

  • NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS

    Like a rocket!

RC-ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Rc-Annie has been going and growing since 2005.
  • First and only Fight Directing Duo in the UK.
  • Fight Directors working both nationally and internationally.
  • We work regularly with notable theatrical institutions such as Shakespeare's Globe, The RSC, The National Theatre, The Royal Opera House, The National Theatre of Scotland, Theatre Clwyd, Leeds playhouse, Theatre Royal Bath, Northern Stage, Chichester Festival Theatre and more...
  • We created the first comprehensive Theatrical Handguns and Sblood FX Course for Performers and Stage Management.
  • Industry recognised innovative Fight Training including UK’s First Aerial Fighting Courses.
  • Developed their own high quality, non-staining Theatrical SBlood fake blood.
  • We have built an extensive stock of 'Fit for Purpose' theatrical weaponry for hire.
  • All our teachers teach regularly at drama schools.
  • International Teaching credits include: Paddy Crean Conference in Banff, Canada. The Winter Wonderland Workshop in Chicago, The Southeast Missouri State University, St Louis, Schauspielhaus Salzburg, Austria, The Nordic Stage Fight Society in Lund Sweden, TASIS in Umbria, Italy, The Sibiu International Theatre Festival, Romania.
  • We create opportunities for the next generation of Stage Combat Teachers.
  • We are investing in emerging Fight Directors 
  • We created an Rc-Annie Methodology of teaching and creating Dramatic Violence which incorporates acting and Stage Combat techniques.
  • The first female BADC Chairperson (Ruth Cooper-Brown)
  • The first female BADC Examiner (Rachel Bown-Williams)
THEATRICAL BLOOD
THEATRICAL WEAPON HIRE
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