NEWS & APPEARANCES



~CURRENT~




Ryan Case just completed his starring role in The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlum. The show ran October 5, 7-9, 12 and 14-16 at Natasha's Cafe, 112 Esplanade in downtown Lexington. It also starred Shayne Brakefield. Case said, "It's a two-man, eight-character play and it's a comedy that sends out an homage to the classic horror movies and drama of the cinema. It was actually the first play I saw when I left Winchester to seek out a theatrical education that really inspired me to be an actor." The Mystery of Irma Vep required Case and Brakefield to make 84 entrances and exits and 62 costume changes, as well as playing both male and female roles.











~PAST EVENTS~




Ryan Case appearred in the touring production of Barrymore presented by Balagula Theatre, starring Ed Desiato and directed by Clay Watkins. The play begins with Barrymore's stunning entrance onto a stage that the 60 year old legendary actor has rented to prepare for a comeback performance of Richard III. The first stop was the State Theatre in Louisville on Thursday, August 21, 2008.





Ryan Case is to appear in the upcoming Lexington productions of Barrymore and Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Barrymore is be presented at Balagula Theatre and stars Ed Desiato and is directed by Clay Watkins. The play begins with Barrymore's stunning entrance onto a stage that the 60 year old legendary actor has rented to prepare for a comeback performance of Richard III. He jokes with the audience, spars with an offstage prompter (Ryan Case), reminisces about better times and does delicious imitations of his siblings Lionel and Ethel. Opens June 24th at Natasha's Bistro. Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra is set in antiquity and is an epic portrayal of love. Driven by his passion for Cleopatra, Mark Antony sacrifices his career, his friends, and his standing as the champion of Rome to be with his Egyptian queen. Together they must face the wrath of the country he left behind. Antony and Cleopatra will open in July.





Ryan Case just concluded his run in Balagula Theatre Company's The Pillowman, by Martin McDonagh. A very dark comedy, it tells the tale of Katurian, a fiction writer living in a police state who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories, and their similarities to a number of bizarre incidents occurring in his town. The play originally premiered in London at the Royal National Theatre and received the 2004 Olivier Award for Best New Play.

Directed by Natasha Williams, the Lexington production starred Ryan Case, Joe Gatton, David Richmond and Pete Sears. It ran from April 13 to 24, 2008. For additional information please click HERE, for reservations click HERE - or phone directly to 859-259-2754.

The March 22nd edition of The Lexington Herald-Leader ran a great article about Balagula Theatre, Natasha's Cafe and owner Natasha Willams - along with a mention of Ryan Case. To read the article, right click HERE and save the pdf document to your hard drive. Also, go to the Pillowman page to see photos from the production and read the review.





The Balagula Theatre Company presents Line by Israel Horovitz, directed by Ryan Case. The play was written by Israel Horovitz in November of 1967 and is currently in it’s 35th season at Edith O’hara’s 13th Street Theatre in New York City. The play is the longest running off-off Broadway show on the boards and was the production that launched actor Richard Dryfus’s career. Line has been performed in thirty different languages by thousands of different actors all over the world and the Lexington performance marks 40th anniversary since its first staging and Kentucky premiere. Directed by Ryan Case, the Lexington production stars Ed Desiato, Gareth Evans, Lew Bowling, Debbie Sharp, and Pete Sears; it is produced by Natasha Williams.

The show will run the dates of November 27-29 and December 4-6. The show times are: Seating between 7:00pm and 7:30pm with curtain at 8:30pm. Reservations strongly recommended. Menu ordering. Show contains language and adult situations. For additional information please click HERE, for reservations click HERE - or phone directly to 859-259-2754.





Ryan has been appointed Artistic Director of Balagula Theatre. The Theatre and Bistro are owned and managed by Natasha and Gene Williams (photo above shows Ryan Case and Natasha). The Theatre has now attained nonprofit status and will continue to mount performances in Natasha's Bistro, located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Past shows include Copenhagen, a number of performances of Surprise Theatre, Power Plays, and The Dresser. More information on Balagula Theatre can be found HERE.





Ryan's new miniseries True Self is now in post-production and will be released in the near future. His co-stars in the production include his recent partner from the hit play The Dresser and the radio show Walden, veteran actor Ed Desiato. Click HERE to see photos from the production. Further information on the production company is available at FILMdyne, LLC.





Ryan just finished his starring roles in the comedic Power Plays, written by Elaine May and Alan Arkin. The show also starred Shayne Brakefield and was directed by Ed Desiato. It consisted of two pieces entitled The Way of All Fish (in which Ryan plays the role of 'Ms. Asquith') and Virtual Reality (the role of 'Lefty'). Power Plays was presented by The Balagula Theatre Company at Natasha's Cafe. The show ran May 23-25, 27, and May 30 - June 1, 2007.





In celebration of Earth Day 2007, Ryan Case starred in the world debut of the new theatrical play Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau, written by Michael Johnathon. The show was performed as a drama in the style of classic radio plays and is being broadcast on over 500 radio stations, internet broadcasters and XM Satellite Radio. The piece starred actor Ryan Case as 'Henry David Thoreau' in a story about the final two days Thoreau spent in his cabin before leaving Walden Pond. Walden also starred Ed Desiato as 'Ralph Waldo Emerson', Ross Carter as the common man 'Joshua Barnett', and Tara Adkins as 'Rachel Stuers'.





Ryan Case, Adam Luckey and Janet Scott reunited for an encore performance in early April 2007 of their hit production from last Fall. The drama was performed at Morehead State University and was very received by attending physics students and professors. Directed by Natasha Williams and Ed Desiato, the Tony award-winning play by Michael Frayn focuses on a real-life mysterious meeting between German physicist Werner Heisenberg and Danish physicist Niels Bohr that took place in German-occupied Denmark during World War II. It was a risky trip for Heisenberg, and for years, people in the scientific community have speculated about why the two old friends met then and why the meeting apparently ended in a heated disagreement.





The reviews are in! The show was a big hit and Ryan Case was praised by The Lexington Herald-Leader: "Case simply astounds in one of his best roles to date, which is saying something." Click HERE to read the full review.

Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser played at Balagula Theater, Natasha's, from March 7-16, 2007. The play is a double backstage portrait of an old actor touring the provinces of England during the Second World War and the loyal dresser who so devotedly serves him. It is based loosely on the life of one of England's greatest Shakespearean actors, Sir Donald Wolfit (who had his own provincial touring company before and during the war). Playwright Ronald Harwood was Wolfit's dresser for five years and his play is considered to be Harwood’s finest literary triumph, with dialogue that sparkles with theatrical wit.

SYNOPSIS: The Dresser is set in January 1942 in a theatre in the English provinces, with the country in the middle of the blitz. The company, headed by Sir (Ed Desiato) and his wife "Her Ladyship" (Deb Sharp), is doing Shakespeare rep and tonight is King Lear. Sir is nearly burned out, suffering from sheer exhaustion and forgetting most of his lines. As they say, "he should pack it in," but actors being actors, he still wants the limelight and struggles to keep a grip on his sanity to complete his 227th performance of King Lear. His dresser, Norman (Ryan Case), is a fuss budget who has served the actor faithfully for 16 years. His job is not only to dress the man but to massage his ego and remind him of his opening lines.

The Dresser played March 7-11 and 14-16 at Balagula Theater, Natasha’s Café at 112 Esplanade in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. It starred Ed Desiato, Ryan Case, Deb Sharpe, Robin Roth, Celeste Buxton, Greg Jones, Richard Broadus and is directed by Adam Luckey. For more information, visit the Balagula Theater website by clicking HERE.





In 2006, Ryan Case was brought on board to serve as a managing director of the Leeds Center for the Arts. His tenure helped result in The Leeds Theatre being recognized as a vital theatrical presence in Winchester and the region, through his hard work and promotion of the facility and its artistic offerings. The Leeds has truly entered a new era and will continue to bring top-notch entertainment to the area, even as Ryan moves on in 2007 to concentrate more fully on his acting. More info on the theatre is available HERE.





Copenhagen was the opening production of the 2006/2007 season for Balagula Theater. Click HERE to read the full review and other background info on the show. It starred Ryan Case, Adam Luckey and Janet Scott; and was directed by Natasha Williams and Ed Desiato. This Tony award-winning play by Michael Frayn focuses on a real-life mysterious meeting between German physicist Werner Heisenberg and Danish physicist Niels Bohr that took place in German-occupied Denmark during World War II. It was a risky trip for Heisenberg, and for years, people in the scientific community have speculated about why the two old friends met then and why the meeting apparently ended in a heated disagreement. The play ran the dates of September 26-28, October 1, and October 3-5 at Natasha's Cafe in Lexington; tickets were $12. For more information, click HERE or phone .





More information about the Ryan's TV miniseries True Self has been released. It's being described as a "Science Fiction, Spy, Super Hero psychological thriller in the tradition of The Matrix". Ryan's complete character name is 'Ernie Tipton’. His other co-stars include Casey Miracle, Samer Yayawhi, Jamie Mullins, Apollo Bacala, Cherokee Hall, Eve Stern, and veteran actor Ed Desiato. Additional photos have been added to the True Self photo page. Further information on the producer, FILMdyne LLC, is also available at their website here.





Ryan is now in rehearsals for the upcoming Lexington production of the hit Broadway and London West End play Copenhagen, coming in September. Ryan Case, along with Adam Luckey, will perform this brilliantly written piece at the Balagula Theatre at Natasha's Cafe. Watch this space for specific dates to be announced, along with pricing and other information.





Ryan is in the middle of filming True Self for FILMdyne LLC, a television miniseries. He is playing the lead role of ‘Ernie’. The project is comprised of nine episodes, which are being filmed over the period of three months, and is scheduled to continue into the month of August. FILMdyne is an independent production company located in Lexington, Kentucky. Their expertise is in cinematic video, which is described as “video that is shot on a digital video camera, but that looks like it was shot on 35mm film”. The first generation of Cinematic video cameras came to market in January of 2006 and FILMdyne LLC is a leader and pioneer in the use of these emerging technologies for cost effective high quality productions.

For more information, visit their website at FILMdyne LLC and for photos of Ryan in the production, click HERE.





Ryan is starring in the lead role on the nine-part independent film True Self, currently in production. A preview trailer was screened the weekend of May 13th at the Kentucky Theatre.





RYAN CASE was named as giving the Number One "Best Acting Performance" in Lexington during 2005 by The Lexington Project, for his role as the young Vincent Van Gogh in the hit play Vincent in Brixton by Nicholas Wright, produced by the Actor's Guild of Lexington. Other honorable mentions include: JENNY FITZPATRICK as 'Elizabeth Key' in the University of Kentucky's The Noise in the Room by Lauren Argo; JUANITA JETER as 'Sue Bayliss' in the Actor's Guild of Lexington's All My Sons by Arthur Miller; JIM LIKENS as 'Peter' in Studio Player's Prelude to a Kiss Craig Lucas; and DARA TILLER as 'Amanda' in University of Kentucky's The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Congratulations, Ryan!





Ryan finished another run in "Surprise Theatre" at Natasha's Cafe on March 22-24, 2006. He appeared in two productions: Playwriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson by Rich Orlof, along with Lew Bowling and Eric Seale; and Soap Opera by David Ives, along with Tara Adkins, Lew Bowling and Maric Crim.





Ryan filmed his first television commericial on March 15, 2006! The spot is part of a promotional campaign for the Lexington Public Library's "One Book, One Lexington" program. The year-long project takes one chosen book and attempts to have as many people reading it as possible. For the Library's first year of the project, they've chosen F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Ryan plays the title role of 'Gatsby' in the spot, a role he's always wanted to tackle. The Library's promotion is extensive, including CDs of music from that era, t-shirts, and a staged one act play from the story in which Ryan will also portray the character of 'Gatsby'. The play will also feature two other actors and will be performed at schools and will be given at least one public performance. The commerical is currently playing on The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, and on Lifetime.





Ryan performed two runs of the "Surprise Theatre" production of Dr. Fritz, or; The Forces of Light at Natasha's Cafe in Lexington during December 2005. Ryan played the dual roles of 'Maria' and 'Dr. Fritz' in the show. Following these performances, Ryan and the rest of the cast traveled to WUKY Radio in January 2006 to perform both Dr. Fritz and another play, English Made Simple.





Ryan starred in Harold Pinter's Family Voices, on November 8, 9, and 10, and November 15, 16, and 17, 2005. Ryan appeared along with Janet Scott, Bettye Stull and Art Herman. The show was presented by Balagula Theatre as a tribute to Nobel Prize Winner Harold Pinter at Natasha's Cafe. Family Voices is one of Pinter's less well known radio scripts written and performed for the BBC in 1983. Balagula Theatre took the piece and gave it a twist. It was presented in two parts - the first, in the style it would've been performed for radio; the second part combined all characters into a one person play. For full information on Balagula, click Here, then go to the "Balagula Theatre" link.





Ryan starred in the production of Vincent in Brixton, by Nicholas Wright, at the Actor's Guild of Lexington. The show ran from October 20th to November 13, 2005. Ryan was quite excited to be playing Vincent Van Gogh and having his hair dyed red for the role!


Ryan Case and Jane Dewey

Mention Vincent Van Gogh and you think of sunflowers, severed ears and frenzied brushstrokes of vibrant colors. But before he picked up a brush to paint some of the world's most famous art, Van Gogh worked as an art dealer in London. Inspired by Van Gogh's family correspondence, Vincent in Brixton garnered the 2003 Olivier Award winner for best new play. The drama offers a fascinating, funny and often poignant portrait of Van Gogh's life from 1873 to 1876. After taking lodging in the house of a widowed schoolteacher in Brixton, the naive Van Gogh falls for the landlady's daughter. Since she's already involved with another lodger who fancies himself an artist, young Vincent transfers his affections to her wistful mother. These two tormented spirits find unconventional love and a common bond--depression. As Wright's sympathetic play unfolds, so does the artist's malignant sadness and a glimmer of his artistic genius.


Jane Dewey and Ryan Case

Vincent in Brixton ran from October 20 to November 13, 2005, and was directed by Patrick Kagan-Moore. Click HERE for more information.





Some Things You Need To Know Before The World Ends (A Final Evening With The Illuminati) has turned out to be a big success! A great audience pleaser, word of mouth circulated enabling an extra peformance to be added at the end of the engagement to accommodate the added interest.

Ryan Case starred, along with Adam Luckey, in the hugely successful Lexington, Kentucky production of Some Things You Need To Know Before The World Ends (A Final Evening With The Illuminati) written by Larry Larson and Levi Lee. This was his final Lexington performance.



The show ran September 6 and 7, and again on September 11, 12, 13 and 14, and 15, 2005 at Natasha's Cafe. Ryan played six separate characters. In the play, the two actors did everything - sets, props, directing each other!


Natasha's Cafe and Theatre - contemporary dining and
theatre in historic downtown Lexington, Kentucky.

Play Synopsis: The play explores issues of blind faith and organized religion through the characters of Reverend Eddie and Brother Lawrence, survivors of an apocalypse who have taken shelter in their church. As Reverend Eddie prepares his final sermon, his grip on reality and his faith are challenged by the unseen presence of the Illuminati. For full information on the play, click Here, then go to the "Balagula Theatre" link.





Ryan Case and Barry Morse starred together in the world premiere presentation of the one act science fiction play Contact written by playwright Doug Grissom. The performance was held in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, July 23, 2005 at the Earthbound: 2005 convention. For more information on Ryan in Contact, click HERE.




Earthbound: 2005 featured actors Barry Morse, Kathryn Leigh Scott, and Shane Rimmer; Space: 1999 Series Co-Creator and Producer Sylvia Anderson as well as actors Zienia Merton and Nick Tate joined via LIVE telephone conference calls from around the world. Featured fan guests were Ryan Case and Terry S. Bowers. All in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the series, held in Tampa, Florida over the dates of July 22-24, 2005.





Ryan was a member of the Balagula Players and appeared in Phyro-Giants, a play by Michael Blieden at Natasha's Cafe in Lexington. These dinner theater performances were on March 9 and 10, 2004. Synopsis: This sharp-witted and comical play allows the audience to eavesdrop on some scintillating dinner conversation. Four virtual strangers explore everything from religion to relationships to ghosts in the course of a single meal, with surprising revelations throughout. Directed by Alkioni Valsari and starring Anitra Brumagen, Ryan Case, Marcie Crim, Adam Luckey and Julie Smead. The advertising stated "Phyro-Giants is a dinner date you don't want to miss!"








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