I was in a headlock, and we both tumbled right off the stage. Byrnes' students use daggers, rapiers, broadswords, and bare hands. She also took stage movement, the prerequisite for stage combat. The course includes mannerisms from bygone eras. Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp have the techniques down, says Byrnes.
Choices are essential for smooth movement and convincing combat.
You have to know how the action will be resolved. You must balance intense emotion with the technical control of acting. You can't get carried away emotionally. Byrnes' choreography ranges from dazzling to disgusting. He mapped the swordplay in Zorro, the Musical, but also designed a pie fight for an off-Broadway production.