Brett Ryback (Lyricist and Writer) is an actor, composer/lyricist, and playwright based in LA.
He is the 2016 recipient of the ASCAP Foundation's Cole Porter Award. His plays and musicals include: Liberty Inn: The Musical (Ovation nominations Best Book, Best Music/Lyrics); Darling (Weston Playhouse New Musical Award, Featured on NBC's The Apprentice); The Tavern Keeper's Daughter (Best Musical, Pasadena Weekly); and Just a Little Critter Musical (Commission and Premiere by Milwaukee's First Stage children's theatre). His plays Weïrd (Winner, Tennessee Williams One-Act Competition) and A Roz By Any Other Name are both published in The Best American Short Plays 2007-2008.
His musical Quit India was a finalist for the Richard Rodgers award, and his songs have been featured at Barrington Stages in William Finn's "Ridiculously Talented…" concert series. He scored the short film 30 Nights (Official selection for Chicago Comedy Film Festival and Broad Humor Festival) and he wrote, directed, and scored the parody trailer of ARGO! The Musical, which reached over 3,000 hits in two days and was featured on the coveted homepage of FunnyorDie. His musical Joe Schmoe Saves the World was selected for the ASCAP/Dreamworks Musical Theatre Workshop lead by Stephen Schwartz, the NAMT Festival of New Musicals, and received development at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He was invited two years in a row to participate in the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed to develop his latest project Passing Through.
He originated the role of Marcus Off-Broadway in Murder for Two at Second Stage and New World Stages. Recent TV/Film appearances include: Mom, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, House, Hail, Caesar!, and the Lifetime movie The Assistant. Regional theatre credits include: The History Boys (Ahmanson); The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Mark Taper Forum); and the world premieres of The Prince of Atlantis, Dr. Cerberus (South Coast Rep), and Upright Grand (Theatreworks, Palo Alto). He teaches musical theatre at the University of Southern California. www.brettryback.com
The College of Arts