Photos by Olivia Chester
In the quiet corridors of UNC Chapel Hill’s Center for Dramatic Art, senior Kira Cornell is preparing for her final act—not with lines alone, but with blades. A double major in Dramatic Art and History, Kira has spent the past four years choreographing chaos, crafting stage combat scenes that blur the line between violence and art. From student films to the PlayMakers stage, and now on to the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy in D.C., her journey is as precise and dynamic as the weapons she wields. This photo story captures Kira in motion—graceful, grounded, and always ready for the next cue.
Kira Cornell is a graduating senior of UNC Chapel Hill’s departments of Dramatic Art and History. While in school at UNC, she has choreographed over fifteen performances, ranging from student films to assisting on the Playmaker’s stage. 
She is also certified as an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, holding certifications in their eight weapons. She currently assists and teaches in SAFD workshops around the country. 
Kira has experience fighting with a variety of weapons, ranging from swords, to sticks, to whips! Currently, her favorite to play with is the Rapier and Dagger set pictured here. This “double fenced” weapon relies on the reach of the rapier accompanied by the efficacy of the parrying dagger. 
She attended her first stage combat workshop in 2019, at the National Stage Combat Workshop in Ruston, Louisiana. She took the introductory track, and began to meet the wonderful people that make up the stage combat community around the country. 
Originally born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Kira grew up in Hillsborough, North Carolina. During middle and high school, she participated in school and community theater. 
Kira attributes her passion for the theater to her father, a world-class actor and accomplished professor at UNC. She grew up going to rehearsals in the Center for Dramatic Art, and watching tech rehearsals in the Paul Green theatre. She’s had the honor of sharing the stage with him a few times, the highlight being their performances as Ophelia (understudy for five performances) and Polonius, a real life father-daughter duo. 
Her first experience with combat at UNC was fight directing the 2022 production of Urinetown, directed by Aubrey Snowden. 
Post-grad, Kira will be attending the Shakespeare Theater Company’s Academy of Classical Acting in Washington, DC. In this MFA program, she will be able to grow vaulable performance skills, as well as deepen her love for Shakespeare’s works.
