Brett Ryback is an actor, composer, and playwright.
In addition to television and film, he was worked extensively with various regional theatres including: The Ahmanson Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, The Geffen, The Milwaukee Rep, South Coast Rep, and TheatreWorks Palo Alto. He’s workshopped and premiered many plays including The Prince of Atlantis, directed by Warner Shook (The Kentucky Cycle); Dr. Cerberus, by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Spiderman: Turn off the Dark, “Glee”); and a new version of Pal Joey, directed by Peter Schneider (The Lion King.) He recently appeared Off-Broadway in the acclaimed nightclub act All Hail the Queen, with Olivier Award-winner Lesli Margherita.
Click here for his acting resume.
He won the 2007 Tennessee Williams One-Act Competition for his play Weïrd. His play A Roz By Any Other Name was the winner of the 2007 Henrico County Theatre One-Act Competition. Both are published in The Best American Short Plays 2007-2008. His play Death Valley DQ received 3rd Prize in the McClean Drama Company’s 10-minute Play Contest, and an honorable mention at American Globe Theatre’s 18th annual fifteen-minute play festival.
As a composer/lyricist, he has written music and/or lyrics for Liberty Inn: The Musical (LA Ovation Award Nominations Best Book, Best Music/Lyrics),Quit India (Richard Rodgers Award Finalist 2007); High School! (UCLA’s Francis Ford Coppolla One Act Festival);and Shoulder Pads, a movie-musical written by Abe Sylvia (for whom he worked as Music Director on the film Dirty Girl.) He also wrote the book to Darling (2009 Pace New Musicals), and the play I, Abraham (UCLA commission). He is a regular composer for Milwaukee’s Skylight Opera Theatre’s Education program, Kidswrites, which pairs the uncorrected writing of inner-city grade school students with professional actors and composers. He also served for five years as the composer/lyricist for Next Act Theatre’s Next Actors Summer Theatre for Youth, during which time he composed music and lyrics for five original musical theatre pieces in collaboration with Milwaukee’s youth. He earned a B.A. in Music Composition from UCLA.
