Tonya Lynn • Society of American Fight Directors

Tonya Lynn

she/her

Fight Director/Certified Teacher/Advanced Actor Combatant

  • Knife badge
  • Rapier & dagger badge
  • Single sword badge
  • Smallsword badge
  • Staff badge
  • Sword & shield badge
  • Two-handed sword badge
  • Unarmed badge

Where I Work

Pittsburgh, PA and the surrounding region

Where I Live

East Central Region • PA

About Me

Teaches Privately

Get In Touch

  • Website
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  • Instagram

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.

Education and Training

MFA in Theatre Pedagogy with a certificate in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning, University of Idaho
MA in Theatre Arts, University of Pittsburgh

Affiliations

Other union(s)

Related Skills

Intimacy Direction

Selected Credits

No credits listed.

Portfolio

No images set.

Certification History

BP = Basic Pass, RP = Recommended Pass

Test ID Date Discipline Location Sponsor Grade
10961 August 10, 2018 Rapier and Dagger Ruston, LA LA Tech BP
10961 August 10, 2018 Unarmed Ruston, LA LA Tech BP
10961 August 10, 2018 Smallsword Ruston, LA LA Tech BP
10961 August 10, 2018 Two Handed Sword Ruston, LA LA Tech BP
10961 August 10, 2018 Sword and Shield Ruston, LA LA Tech RP
10961 August 10, 2018 Staff Ruston, LA LA Tech RP
10961 August 10, 2018 Knife Ruston, LA LA Tech RP
10767 October 6, 2017 Smallsword Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia Stage Combat Workshop BP
10767 October 6, 2017 Knife Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia Stage Combat Workshop BP
10704 May 13, 2017 Single Sword Pittsburgh, PA Allegheny Alley Fight RP
10383 May 14, 2016 Sword and Shield Pittsburgh, PA Savage Mountain Stage Combat Club RP
9873 March 28, 2014 Single Sword Philadelphia, PA Rose Academy of Armes 1 RP
9873 March 28, 2014 Staff Philadelphia, PA Rose Academy of Armes 1 RP
9798 November 23, 2013 Unarmed Des Moines, IA Carnage in the Corn VI BP
9485 December 17, 2011 Unarmed Pittsburgh, PA RP
9452 November 20, 2011 Single Sword Des Moines, IA Carnage In The Corn RP
9306 August 22, 2010 Smallsword Pittsburgh, PA BP
9306 August 22, 2010 Sword and Shield Pittsburgh, PA BP
9197 November 21, 2009 Staff Des Moines, IA RP
9197 November 21, 2009 Knife Des Moines, IA RP
9052 July 25, 2008 Rapier and Dagger Winston Salem, NC BP
9052 July 25, 2008 Unarmed Winston Salem, NC BP
9052 July 25, 2008 Two Handed Sword Winston Salem, NC BP
9049 July 3, 2008 Single Sword Cincinnati, OH BP
9049 July 3, 2008 Unarmed Cincinnati, OH BP
9049 July 3, 2008 Staff Cincinnati, OH BP
9049 July 3, 2008 Knife Cincinnati, OH BP