Flying V and Noble Blades Present:

Theatrical Firearms Safety Certification Workshop with Robb Hunter

$215 – price thru Feb 1
$245 – price thru Feb 28
$285 – Full Registration Fee

Saturday & Sunday
March 28 & 29, 2026 @ 9am to 5pm

at Silver Spring Black Box
8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Guns are many things; dangerous, pervasive, persuasive, polarizing, terrifying, threatening and even life-saving. They are all of these things (and more) and, if you spend any time at all doing theatre, you will eventually have to handle one on stage. In some situations you may even be called upon to handle a blank-firing weapon; with smoke, flame, thunderous sound and potentially lethal consequences if mishandled. With proper training these moments can be both theatrically transformative and (absolutely must) be safe and worry-free for actors, crew and audience.

This Society of American Fight Directors Theatrical Firearms Safety Certification workshop encompasses more than 14 hours of training over the course of two days and will be taught by SAFD Fight Master and Theatrical Firearms Instructor Robb Hunter. In this course we will learn the terminology for the most common types of firearms and ammunition, the protocols for handling these firearms, techniques for gun wrangling on a set or on stage, procedures for cleaning these weapons as well as protocols for handling jamming and other potential firearm malfunctions (which will happen), a brief history of firearms, and of course, we will fire many rounds through several different types of blank firing guns and will stage a "shootout" on the second day. At the end of the workshop there will be a test with both a written and a practical portion. All firearms, ammunition, hearing protection and eye protection will be provided for you although you may bring your own hearing and eye protection if you so desire (subject to instructor approval). This course has no prerequisites.

Robb Hunter is a Fight Master and Theatrical Firearms Instructor for the Society of American Fight Directors, as well as a long-time member of AEA, SAG/AFTRA and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. He is an award winning movement and fight director in the DC Metro Area and has choreographed violence/movement for theatres all along the East Coast including The Shakespeare Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Arena Stage, The Studio Theatre, The Public Theatre, Theatre Harlem, Washington National Opera, The Cape Playhouse, Olney Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Signature Theatre, Theatre J. and many others. Robb holds an MFA in theatre pedagogy from the Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently the combat instructor for STC's Academy and Catholic University, artist in Residence at American University and teaching artist for The Studio Theatre Conservatory. When he is not teaching or directing violence he is “enabling” it through his theatrical weapons rental company, Preferred Arms, which supplies prop weapons to theatres and universities nationwide.
www.preferredarms.com, #DCfightdirector, www.robbhunter.org

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the class, payment, COVID safety, or any other topic, please email Noble@NobleBlades.org or contact us here.