Mason Tyer. Action and Movement Director.

Directing
Violence, Intimacy, Movement

At the Collision of Vision and Choice

Fight Direction Reel upcoming

Acting

Impulse, Intent, Impact

Actor Resume

Stunt Reel

Motion Capture Reel

Teaching

Play is the Highest Form of Research

Reviews

Imagination is Our Sense of Story

Romeo and Juliet, Minnesota Opera (2024)
"Verona is a town in which sword brandishing seems to be a local habit, members of the Capulet and Montague clans frequently threatening one another and occasionally bursting into full-scale fencing matches full of trickery and narrow escapes. (Kudos to fight director Mason Tyer.)"
-Star Tribune"Spoiler alert for anyone who somehow doesn’t know the ins and outs of the Western world’s favorite love story, but Romeo’s fight to the death with Tybalt (Angel Vargas) after Mercutio was slain was quite possibly my favorite part of this production, so kudos to Fight Director Mason Tyer for his work on that."
-Lavender Magazine

Macbeth, Open Window Theatre (2024)
“Zilic and Smith interact together like a log and a match, she the source of fire that turns him from inert object to a flaming rod, capable of great destruction... Fight director Mason Tyer has staged some of the finest swordplay, and other forms of violent engagement, that I have seen. One can imagine long rehearsals among cast members to bring these scenes so vividly to life.”
-Talkin' Broadway

The Lady Demands Satisfaction, Unqualified Theatre (2024)
"All of this is tied together with some bits of onstage violence and swordplay, ramping up the physicality of the production."
-Twin Cities Geek"The wildly inventive fight scenes (with swords, daggers, and baguettes) are choreographed by Mason Tyer and performed with gusto by the cast."
-Cherry and Spoon

Romeo and Juliet, Gray Mallard Theatre (2024)
"The fight scenes (choreographed by Mason Tyer) are bold and electric and up close."
-Cherry and Spoon

Love in a Time of Hate, Teatro del Pueblo (2024)
"The Fights are so full and engaged… the magic of what you do is so powerful and simply shared - powerful and potent and "safe!!!"
-Harry Waters Jr, co-director

True West, Theatre in the Round (2023)
"It's easy to believe there are decades of unspoken history between these two, as the conversation moves from false pleasantries, to angry words, to scarily realistic physical altercations"
-Cherry and Spoon

Three Musketeers, Lakeshore Players (2023)
"The biggest plus is some of the best stage combat I’ve seen… which is very tight, excellently devised and executed…. This is some of the best stage combat you are likely to see."
-Stages of MN"The large and talented cast ... performs some wicked fight choreography by Mason Tyer (during one intense fight scene I heard a young audience member say "this is sick," I think that's a good thing). There are too many sword fights to count, from one-on-ones to ten or more people moving all around the stage clanging swords. There are also some impressive hand-to-hand combat scenes, with some crazy lifts that hopefully are not as dangerous as they look. It's a beautiful dance... The play spills off the stage and into the audience, with the cast moving up and down the aisles and along the sides, for an immersive experience."

Sherwood, Theatre in the Round (2023)
"“Everyone understands the tone and knows when to be silly and when to be sincere… you’ll witness the scaling of tower walls, death defying leaps from castles into moats, and arrows shot from bows during battles.... Mason Tyer’s Violence direction for thrilling and well executed sword fights.”
-Stages of MN, “Ten Favorite Local Plays of 2023”"...directs the 14-person mostly new-to-me cast with much playfulness and a loose, almost improvisational style….The fight sequences are exciting and fun to watch, with things happening all over the stage."
-Cherry and Spoon

Anonymous, Full Circle Theatre (2023)
"“There's some lovely and evocative moment, and a couple of impressive fight scenes as Anon encounters some people up to no good.”
-Cherry and Spoon“Fight director Annie Enneking and assistant fight director Mason Tyer make strong contributions, including a tense duel with foreboding curved bolos.”
-Arthur Dorman, Temp Talking Broadway

The Play That Goes Wrong, GREAT Theatre (2022)
"I popped into rehearsal last night and it was such a joy to watch Mason in action!"
-Kendra Dando, GREAT Theatre Artistic Director

Jeeves in Bloom, Phipps Center for the Arts (2024)
"Thank you for your creation of the many scenes of violence in such an unlikely show as Jeeves in Bloom. I've learned much by watching you base your action on the character's skill, or lack thereof, and intent. Your careful work enhances each scene.”
-Production Member

Machinal, Clevername (2024)
"The only ones more uncomfortable on [the character's] wedding night than her might just be the audience. It’s a masterfully performed and directed scene that plays upon our societal and personal experiences to a heartbreaking effect."
-Stages of MN

The Game's Afoot, Expressions Theatre (2022)
"Given the nature of the show, Mason's input was invaluable. There was SO much stage combat/physicality and dealing with all the moving parts would have been overwhelming without his guidance… I appreciated how creative he was with staging the intimacy within the scope of the comedy as well as Covid concerns."
"He was very professional and had great techniques for helping the actors to express their level of comfortability."
-Cast Members

The Continuing Adventures of John Blade, Super Spy, Minnesota Fringe Festival (2018)
"The comedic timing is spot on..."
"The credit montage was so much fun..."
"I[it was like] watching Austin Powers with the need for stupidity..."
"The transitions with the ensemble were smooth and effortless"
"bold and brilliant choices in how they used their resources"
"a real sense of ensemble that let you know how much fun everyone was having on the stage"
-Audience Members

About

To plant Trees Who Shade I Shall Never Know

Mason Tyer has worked with Minnesota Opera, Children’s Theatre Company, Duluth Playhouse, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Journey North Opera Company, GREAT, Open Window Theatre, Theatre in the Round, numerous high schools and community theaters, and local film and video productions.A Certified Teacher and Theatrical Firearms Safety Instructor for the Society of American Fight Directors, Mason is a teaching artist for Children’s Theatre Company and has taught at The Guthrie, North Hennepin Community College, Art in Arms, and various workshops in New York City, Chicago, Dallas, and Louisiana.

Resources

Directing Violence, Intimacy, Movement