After his second season in 1963, he decided to make Stratford, Ontario his home and worked as the festival's fight director until 1983.

"Being a fight director is not just choreography," Mr. Barry said.

I don't think "fight director" comes into most people's minds as a possible job.

I don't know how they imagine a female fight director - some sort of Amazonian warrior?

It was choreographed by William Hobbs, the fight director.

The fight director has two other newer pursuits of late.

Rick Sordelet, the fight director, does not allow graphic details of a battle scene to get beyond the point of grace.

The possibility of injury - and lawsuits - has also contributed to the growing importance of fight directors.

Some fight directors are ex-actors who gravitated to the specialty partly because they had been hurt at work.

Barry continues to work as a fight director, and is currently writing a series of books on fight directing for Shakespeare.