About me...

I've had the absolute pleasure of ten wonderful years and over a hundred productions of professional experience in scenic design.  In that time I have had the honor of working on productions for theaters around the US and the world including Off-Broadway (New Victory Theatre-New York) and Regional Theatre (Cincinnati Ballet, St. Louis Rep, Kansas City Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Arizona Theatre Company).  I was also involved in the feature film, You're Next as the scenic artist.

I've had the great pleasure of working with such incredible directors as Michael Evan Haney, Michael Rothhaar, Barry Kyle, Quin Gresham, Jeff Church, Len Plfuger, David Caldwell, and Joe Price and with amazing creative teams including Henry Krieger (Composer, Dreamgirls), Bill Russell (Book, Sideshow), Jeffery Hatcher (Book, Emma, Tuesdays with Morrie) and Ron Hutchinson (Writer, Island of Dr. Moreau). 

I am very proud to be Resident Scenic Designer for Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, where I spend most of my summers.

After nearly twenty years of shooting I couldn't be happier to also be returning to where art began for me, which is photography.  I've shot several promotional photos for shows that I've been involved in, head shots for many working professionals and fashion photography for a number of amazing designers.  I'm so excited to continue expanding on this venture as well!

Please feel free to contact me, I would love to hear what I can do for you!

Ryan J Zirngibl
Designer/Photographer

Publicity/reviews

The show certainly isn't watered down like some children's shows; instead, it is quite complex and surprisingly enjoyable for both children and adults. Children will appreciate the cartoonish sets (Ryan J. Zirngibl)...but the parents will truly appreciate the details, like the proscenium made from egg cartons.            -Broadway World ,Lucky Duck at the New Victory Theatre, New York

“It takes a special artist like Ryan for me to entrust all of these shows to him,” Gresham [Artistic Director, Arrow Rock Lyceum] said. “I would say, honestly, that’s the neatest part of our story this year — that he has the challenge of being unique eight different times. And that’s one of the great things about how he approaches the work. It’s very much story first, so his designs are always as unique as the material they are to support. That’s not always the case with a designer. ... He doesn’t just pull the same trick out of the bag that you saw three shows ago.”          -Columbia Tribune about the opening of the Arrow Rock Lyceum Season, 2015

I wasn't convinced that the latest of Irish playwright Martin McDonagh's violent tall tales to thrill or traumatize local theatergoers could offer slaughter to match its savage wit or hairpin plot turns.  Then I saw Ryan J. Zirngibl's set. He's built a shit-hole Irish shack, ... McDonagh's Ireland is full of hell, not blarney, so Zirngibl has installed something you never see at the theater: moppable tiling. His killing floor is one step away from having sluices and a drain.             -The Pitch (Kansas City), Lieutenant of Inishmor at Unicorn Theatre, Kansas City

"Scenic designer Ryan Zirngibl has transformed the stage's thrust into a comic-book panel, its edges alternating between rounded speech-bubble humps and Wonder Woman's angular insignia. A triptych of angled backdrops looks, at first blush, like a set of simple projection screens... But the projections mask hidden panels, which actors pull out like drawers or flip down on hinges, transforming the set into dynamic new arrangements.             -The Pitch, Kansas City, Lasso of Truth at Unicorn Theatre, Kansas City

“The set design, by Ryan Zirngibl, was impeccable. In the center we have the recording room in Sun Studios, with the recording booth behind where Reed would often stand, and on the sides were the alleys of the street next to the studio. The design was completely immersive.” - The Gettysburg Times
 

Resume

For a resume of selected recent work click here.