JUSTIN ZIMMERMAN  

Since Justin was a child, he has been fascinated with history. His father would tell him ancestral legends and war stories, and inspire him to do his own research. As Justin got older, he became more and more fascinated with military history and this led to an interest in living history. As a Civil War re-enactor at age thirteen, Justin’s officers were impressed enough with his knowledge, skill and maturity to let him carry a musket, despite rules and standards that required other combatants to be at least sixteen years of age. By nineteen, Justin was certified by the National Parks Service as an expert in the safe use of artillery and firearms for demonstration purposes. Through this certification and because of the respect from his peers,   Justin was put in command of an artillery section, and was involved in films such as Gettysburg and Ride with the Devil. 

            In his high school years, Justin was often frustrated with school, until a teacher told him to audition for a play. This began a passionate love for the acting and singing. During this time he also became very interested in staged combat, and by the time he was 21 he was choreographing fights with friends just because he could. For another class project, Justin and a friend built a working trebuchet and staged a sword fight for classmates. This led to Justin co-creating Eldaraenth, a medieval sword fighting and recreation group. Justin was the lead organizer for this group from sixteen until he was twenty seven. 

        While attending college at Southwest Missouri State University, Justin studied SAFD style staged combat with Lou Bird, and his life has never been the same. Ever since, Justin has studied both historical and modern staged violence and continues to both perform in and direct staged combat. It was only natural then that Justin would combine his love of history and acting.

 In 1998, while acting for the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, Justin got it in his head to write a show. Over the next three years, and through several different scripts, actors and shows, the idea of The Musical Blades was born. When Justin talked to a musician friend named Albert Hall, the current and successful version of the Musical Blades came to its fruition.

 Apart from promoting and performing with the Musical Blades show, Justin also makes leather accessories for the Renaissance era re-enactor and swordfighter under the business name Scandalous Rogues Creations. In the last two years Justin has directed fights for Minds Eye Theatre, Cinnamon Eye Productions, Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival and several independent film projects. He continues to work on staged combat and acting.

 Since 2000 the Musical Blades Show has only grown, forging ahead with their swift, dazzling staged fights, a intelligently humorous script, and original songs, The Musical Blades Show is unlike any act you have seen before.