From catching fire to flying through walls, Coleman Taylor and his team have seen — and done — it all.
Taylor founded Ronin Stunt Company nearly a decade ago. Since then, it has operated out of the Trilogy Cultural Arts Centre in Olathe, steadily forming a group of trained actors who can fall from great heights or get hit by cars and walk away intact.
Now the company is moving into a bigger space of its own, marking the first stand-alone stunt training facility in Johnson County.
Ronin Stunt Company will officially open its new Lenexa facility in September, a move that the team said will expand its capabilities and offerings.
Ronin Stunt Company is at 10565 Widmer Road
- The company uses a former warehouse space at an office park in Lenexa just off of Pflumm Road and Interstate 435.
- Ronin Stunt Company held an “open house” preview event this past weekend, with plans to officially start offering classes on Sept. 3.
- Once it opens, Ronin Stunt Company will offer classes and training on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Ronin Stunt Company offers classes, workshops
Ronin Stunt Company offers various stunt classes and training sessions for beginners and seasoned stunt performers, along with “open gym” practice opportunities.
With the Lenexa facility’s equipment, actors can work on a variety of stunts for either film or theater, ranging from martial arts and weapon work for fight scenes to flying through walls and falling from tall heights.
Ronin Stunt Company has monthly classes and workshops catered toward both adults and “junior” stunt performers starting at age 10.
“The training and the services that we offer are open to pretty much anyone who’s interested — whether they’re explicitly looking at pursuing a full-time career in stunt work, or are actors that are just wanting to round out their skill-set a little bit,” said Trail White, Ronin Stunt Company team member. “It’s one of those things that is open to anybody who’s willing to put the work in.”
Filmmakers can also rent the new Lenexa space for productions.
The name of the company comes from the Japanese term for “masterless samurai,” a sentiment that Taylor said speaks to the company’s mission.
“We use that name as a sense of inspiration for a bunch of warriors that are training and specifically looking for a master (or a director) to work for,” he said. “It’s not just a cool name, but a purpose.”
Ronin team hopes to help grow local film industry
In 2023, a bill offering tax incentives for filmmaking and production passed in Missouri, creating a new opportunity for the film industry to grow on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro.
While Kansas hasn’t passed a similar bill of its own, the Ronin team said the new surge of film opportunities in Missouri has already opened up a world of new opportunities for them too.
“As the greater film industry grew in Kansas City, so did we,” said Ronin Stunt Company team member Noah Barrette. “We worked very hard to establish a reputation of being safe and professional, so it’s starting to get recognized. … It just opens up a whole new world of possibilities.”
With an expanding film presence in the area, the Ronin team feels optimistic that local actors and performers can start to pursue their dreams on their home turf, no longer having to leave their friends and families to find work.
Through their new Lenexa facility and its capabilities, they hope Ronin Stunt Company can continue to be a part of that.
“Seeing the recognition and excitement in everyone’s faces, for our hard work paying off and (for us) to be growing, it’s just great,” Taylor said. “We can stay here and we can grow this industry, and kind of show off this region to the world at large.”
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