plays Archives ⋆ Brett Ryback

Austin Film Festival Semifinalist!

My latest stage comedy, Free Speech Zone, is a semifinalist in the 2020 Austin Film Festival, Playwriting Category.

Free Speech Zone tells the story of an absurd on-campus confrontation between Megan Wallace, a conservative college sophomore, and Deborah Sprecher, a liberal English teacher. The fallout from their actions reach the highest levels of the university administration and state government, ultimately subverting the freedom speech for everyone involved.

For information on the script, please reach out!

The Donut Problem, or What’s the Matter with Ingénues?

The term isn’t mine, but the problem is one that lots of writers fall into. The Donut Problem describes what happens when your main character is nowhere near as interesting or as active as all the characters that surround her.

There are several reasons this may occur. Continue reading The Donut Problem, or What’s the Matter with Ingénues?

Post-Apocalypse Now

douma_strike_m — A cloud of smoke rises following an airstrike by Syrian government forces in the rebel-held area of Douma, northeast of Damascus, on February 5, 2015 (AFP Photo / Abd Doumany)

There’s an ad I often hear on NPR featuring a film critic saying, “I can’t wait for the real post-apocalyptic dystopia to arrive so we can finally stop seeing films about it.”

Every time I hear it I think:

I so often see synopses for new films or tv shows or plays that take place in this post-apocalyptic landscape, particularly written by younger, (I’m just guessing here, but…) white, male writers.

I totally get the impulse. It’s hugely dramatic after all. What do you do after the worse possible thing has happened? You fight the man and reclaim the day! Does matter how vague, contrived, or illogical the details. Hell yeah! Tune in! Continue reading Post-Apocalypse Now

Broadway Bound in La Mirada

I’m thrilled to share the news that I will be playing Stanley Jerome in McCoy/Rigby’s production of Neil Simon’s masterwork BROADWAY BOUND in La Mirada.

I’ve long been a huge fan of Simon’s work and this is the first chance I’ve gotten to play one of his characters. The semi-autobiographical story centers around the Jerome family as they all move on from their home in Brighton Beach.

Eugene and his older brother Stanley are working toward becoming comedy writers for CBS amidst family troubles that threaten to tear the home apart.

Ian Alda, with whom I performed in The Lieutenant of Inishmore, plays my brother Eugene.

The rest of the cast includes Gina Hecht, Cate Cohen, John Mariano, and Allan Miller.
Jeff Maynard directs.

We have a short run of performances from Sept. 20 – Oct. 13, 2013.
(W-Th: 7:30pm, F: 8pm; Sa: 2pm & 8pm; Su: 2pm.)

Get your tickets at the Box Office at 562-944-9801 or ORDER ONLINE.

Discounted tickets are available from Goldstar!