Ryan Case

Ryan Heath Case,

Artistic/Managing  Co-Director

The Balagula Theatre Company

DOB 6/4/1975, Lexington, KY

Ryan Case, a Kentucky native and  a lifelong resident, grew up in Winchester, in a family of Appalachian musicians and performers that goes back at least six generations. True to his family tradition, Ryan began playing music at an early age and started his formal theatrical career at the age of 14 at the Leeds Center for The Arts. After graduating from George Rogers Clark, he attended Kentucky Wesleyan College (Owensboro, KY) where he majored in Music and Theatre, while continuing to appear in various productions in the regional theatres .

Mr. Case's early body of work includes; “A Midsummer Night's Dream“(Thisby), “Jesus Christ Superstar“ (Simon Zealots), “Tartuffe” (title role), “The Picture Of Dorian Gray” (Basil), “Macbeth”  (Young McDuff), “The Glass Menagerie “ (Tom), “Our Town” (George Gibbs), “Bat Boy:The Musical”  (title role), “The Cripple of Inishmaan”  (title role), “ Vincent in Brixton” (title role of Vincent Van Gogh), to name a few. 

In 2002 Mr. Case was accepted as a lifelong Associate Member by the National Society of Arts and Letters, and  in 2005 he starred, along with the internationally acclaimed British actor, director and writer Barry Morse, in the world premiere of the drama "Contact" by Doug Grissom (Tampa, Florida).

In 2006 the Board of Directors of the Leeds Center for the Arts invited Mr. Case to serve as a consultant for developing and managing Leeds’ artistic programming, a position that Mr. Case resigned from in 2007 to become a full time Artistic/ Managing Co-Director of the Balagula Theatre (with Natasha Williams).

 Mr. Case has been working with the Balagula Theatre in various capacities since 2003 and became the company’s incorporator in 2007. Jointly with Ms. Williams he developed and implemented the theatre’s mission, vision and artistic programming as well as managed its operations. While acting as a producer and co-producer of most of the Balagula Theatre’s productions, Mr. Case  also directed  several full length productions including "No Exit" by Jean Paul Sartre, "Line" by Israel Horowits, and "Play" by Samuel Beckett, and a number of “ten-minute plays. He also appeared in "Some Things You Need To Know Before The World Ends (A Final Evening With Illuminati” (Brother Lawrence), “The Dresser” (Norman), “Copenhagen“ (Heisenberg), “Power Plays”  (Ms.Asquith and Lefty), “The Pillowman” (Katurian),  “The Mystery of Irma Vep” (Multiple),  “Not I” (Mouth),  “Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You In The Closet And I’m Feeling So Sad” (Madame Rosepetal), “The Woman in Black” (Kipps), and others.

While serving as an Artistic/Managing Co-Director of the Balagula Theatre Mr. Case has appeared as a guest teacher in several educational institutions around Kentucky, including Transylvania University, Bluegrass School for Creative and Performing Arts, Sayer School, Winchester Dance Academy , and as an outreach actor/educator with the Kentucky Historical Society Museum Theatre Program (2006-2011). In 2008 Kentucky Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters appointed Mr. Case as a producer/coordinator of  NSAL Drama Competition (occurring once every 6 years).

Outside of his artistic career Mr. Case has served in numerous managerial positions, most recently as the Manager of the “Props” Gallery (Lexington, Kentucky).

Mr. Case is a recipient of several prestigious awards:

  • Lexington Best Actor Award (2001) for his performance of the title role of  “The Cripple of Inishmaan” ;
  • First Prize NASL Comedy Competition  (2002)  for his performance of   Mr. Fribble in  "Miss in Her Teens" by David Garrick;
  • Lexington Best Actor Award (2003) for his performance of the title role of “Bat Boy: The Musical”  ;
  • Lexington Project Best Acting Performance (2005 ) for his performance of Vincent Van Gogh in “Vincent in Brixton”;
  • Best Director Award at Kentucky Theatre Association Conference (Morehead, 2009)  and First Runner Up  at 61st Southeastern Theatre Conference for “Play” by Samuel Beckett;
  • Best Actor Award at Kentucky Theatre Association Conference (Morehead, 2009) and First Runner Up  at 61st Southeastern Theatre Conference for his performance of Mouth in “Not I” by Samuel Beckett.                                 

His work, both as actor and director, received local and national coverage, including a featured performance on NPR (August, 2009) and a feature article in The Lexington Herald Leader. Mr. Case's artistic reputation has become a foundation of trust Lexington actors and audiences invest in The Balagula Theatre.