Tonya Lynn

Bio

Tonya Lynn is a Pittsburgh, PA-based fight director and educator whose credits include over 170 productions, with highlights including Il Trovatore, Tosca, and Pagliacci at Pittsburgh Opera, the world premiere of Storming Heaven at West Virginia Public Theatre, the original production Sword Play at Colonial Williamsburg, VA, the Pittsburgh premiere of She Kills Monsters at the University of Pittsburgh (including a sold-out encore performance at the August Wilson Cultural Center), and 18 productions with Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks. She has trained with the United Stuntmens’ Association and for over 20 years has been an active member of the Society of American Fight Directors, with whom she is recognized as a Fight Director and a Certified Teacher and currently serves on the Governing Body as Fight Director Representative.

Tonya is a co-founder of Brawling Bard Theater, a company focusing on reimagining classical theatrical works while providing opportunities for young actors to learn and perform stage combat. She is also the recipient of the 2024 KCACTF Award for Distinguished Achievement in Fight and Intimacy Direction for ≈ [Almost Equal To] at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and a 2025 KCACTF Commendation for Excellence in Stage Combat for The Inseparables.

As a theatrical educator, Tonya recently served as the Richard E. Rauh Teaching Artist-in-Residence in Performance at the University of Pittsburgh, and has taught as an adjunct instructor at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, Point Park University’s College of Performing Arts, and the Community College of Allegheny County. Tonya has also been a teaching artist with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, City Theatre, Gateway to the Arts, and Hope Academy for Music & the Arts.

She is a co-founder and Workshop Coordinator for the Allegheny Alley Fight regional stage combat workshop, and co-Coordinator for the Fight Director Training Workshop. Tonya teaches ongoing public SPT courses through her company, Eclectic Mayhem.