Cuthbert Urimus Talbert

Noble Captain of the ship Half Dozen Of Another.  Cuthbert grew up an orphan, the child of a sailor who bequeathed his young son in servitude to his ship’s Captain.  Honoring the sailor’s last request, the Captain raised the lad as a protégée.  Cuthbert at once showed promise both with the sword and as a sailor.  Soon he had worked his way from able seaman up through the ranks, becoming First Mate shortly after the Captain went before the Lord Admiral of England and received letters of marque to hunt the Turks, the French and other enemies of the Crown.  Thus armed, they set forth to make their fortune.  It was ill fortune for the ship however, for their first engagement with the Turks was both bloody and vicious, and to the crew’s shock and grief, the Captain fell.

Cuthbert immediately took command of the wounded ship, and used all his hard-won skill to keep her still afloat while moving, tacking and swinging behind the enemy vessel.   He and the vengeful crew gave chase and, on Cuthbert’s angry order, cut the Turkish ship to pieces when at last they came in range. 

As they boarded the ship that had cost them their Captain, he cried "No mercy and No quarter!!!"   No lives were to be spared, in vengeance for the loss of their Captain.  Among the fire and wreckage, enemy and loyal crew alike shivered to see Cuthbert slaughtering the Turks, laughing as he bid them give his Captain their regards on their way to Hell.

The crew of the Half Dozen, awed and inspired, crowned him King that very same day, saying no man fought so well, nor was so able a leader; they would follow him to the very gates of Hell.   From that day forth he was known to all as 'Captain Cut,' and to that name he has lived true; for in action he cuts deep, fast, and without mercy.  In port and at sea, he lives for love and loves to live, and be damned and dead any who do not live the day as his last.
 

Cut Deep...Cut Long...Cut Hard...and Cut True!

Maestro Shane Richmond

Born in 1975 Shane first became a student of eastern martial arts at the age of five due to the influence of his father. In 1981 his mother and father, at the behest of family friends, joined Scarborough Faire. On their fist weekend in workshops Michael Ore, the improve instructor, was so impressed that he said, "Shane should join the cast and perform." After a short time even the wise and eminent sage David KC felt that his character was up to scratch. Shane was awarded the youngest performer on cast in order of the plume.

At the age of seven his stepfather, via Texas Lone Star Stunt Men Society introduced him to stunt training. This consisted of gaffed falls and horse training; mostly traditional western stunts.

At the faire he began work in the human chess match, where he met his first western arts instructor, Roy Cox. Roy Cox, who studied under William Hobbs, was a practitioner of early, middle, and late period weapons. He headed up several stage combat groups and was a co-owner with Kelly Bailey of The New Riders of a Golden Age. After they split, Roy founded the Free Lancers where Shane would become a Knight and Jouster.

After seven of the eleven years he worked and trained with Roy, Shane would reach the level of 'instructor' under Roy of the American Academy of Stage and Screen Combat Choreographers (A.A.S.S.C.C.).  During this time he would work with Roy as Squire, Actor, Stage Combatant, Knight, Fight Choreographer, and Assistant Instructor. Four years into his training with Roy he would meet Maestro Byron Seastrunk, a classical fencer and scholar of historical fence. Maestro Seastrunk brought more detailed elements to Shane's attention and became His Father of The Sword.

In his first year of high school Shane attended the Professional Youth Conservatoire were he received dance training in jazz, modern, and ballet under Katharine Ward. The school also provided voice, stage direction, technical theatre, method, and a large number of other stage based skills.

However, Shane always worked with both instructors of fence constantly and at the age of fourteen became the assistant instructor under Maestro Seastrunk. He later founded the American Renaissance Rapier Guild (A.R.R.G.). This group would train with maestro Byron Seastrunk, Paul Dubro, William Von Douiester, Ross Stots, Allen Dudley, Barry Eisenberg, and Shane Richmond. Today this group continues, and through Shane, has founded the H'Art of Defense School of Combat.

In 1994 Shane became a choreographer for Rumors Of War, a lanes based combat group, that in the year 1996 sized down to three people and hit the stage while simultaneously choreographing the human chess match and all lanes fights. This would be the first of three years Shane would fight direct for Scarborough Faire, though R.O.W. would only last for one year on stage. After continuing on as a performer at the festival he finally met Bill Riddle, who would first be a student and later a colleague. Together they found people who worked well together, and became Cut Thrust And Run!

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