Ryan Knowles
Encyclopedia
Ryan Knowles is an American actor, singer, comedian, writer, and television host.
Knowles has performed extensively in theatre, in New York City and across the U.S. In winter 2010, he performed in the North American tour of the Broadway production of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
." In spring 2010, he starred as the perverted and tyrannical Roman Emperor Caligula
in Randy Weiner
's (The Donkey Show
) and Alfred Preisser's Caligula Maximus, a new circus/musical/extravaganza at La MaMa ETC in the Ellen Stewart
Theatre to great critical acclaim. In winter 2009, Knowles toured the country in Todrick Hall's Oz the Musical as "Brenda," the "Wicked Witch of the West Side," alongside Vonzell Solomon
of American Idol
, Aundrea Fimbres
of Danity Kane
, and Orlando Brown
of Disney's That's So Raven
. In 2006 and 2007, Knowles starred as "The Genie" is Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
at Disney California Adventure Park, the multi-million dollar stage production based on the Disney animated film and directed by Francesca Zambello
(Broadway's "The Little Mermaid
"). In 2006, Knowles starred in the new musical, Tempest
at the Cherry Lane Theatre
in New York City. He adapted the text from Shakespeare's original and co-wrote the book with Daniel Neiden, working from a concept by Tony-winning book writer Thomas Meehan
. Knowles appeared in the New York premiere of the new mystery "Hound" portraying Sherlock Holmes
, a role which won him the award for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. In 2005, he starred as "Nick Bottom" for over a year of performances in the hit 1950's-style musical version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
, Fools In Love.
The author of five plays and musicals, Knowles completed a workshop production of his solo show, "DIG AND BE DUG: The Gospel of Lord Buckley
," based on the life and work of the pioneering jazz comedian Lord Buckley
. The show had its World Premiere run as part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity in June 2010 at the Gene Frankel
Theatre in New York City. The production, written and performed by Knowles, directed by David Kraft and presented by Jenny Cook and INTERprod Theatre, received five Planet Award nominations and was honored with two wins for Best Overall Production of a Solo Show and Best Performance in a Solo Show.
In 2006, Knowles was brought on as a Host of Nickelodeon
's daily live show ME:TV, entertaining millions of children nationwide every week day.
In 2007, Knowles filmed his first feature, Camp Hell, a supernatural thriller from Holedigger Films. The film also stars Academy Award-nominee Bruce Davison
and Emmy-winner Dana Delaney. The film had a 2010 theatrical release.
Knowles has penned a humor/theatre blog, "Burning Bridges with Nick Bottom," for TheDailyNewYorker.com.
In addition to performing, Knowles is a speech coach and political consultant. He has worked as a speech writer and debate/vocal coach for numerous local and state candidates nationwide. Also, Knowles is one of the country's foremost consultants in Speech and Interpretive Performance for competitive high school students. He is employed by a number of top high school programs, both public and private, on both coasts. Knowles is the co-founder (with David Kraft) of Interprod Performance Studies Institute in Boston, Massachusetts; a summer intensive program for gifted young performers. This line of work was inspired by Knowles' success as a high school and collegiate speech and debate competitor, during which time he won numerous State and National Championships, as well as becoming the first American in history to win the World Championship of Stand-Up Comedy at the 2000 World Universities Debate Association Championship Tournament at the University of Glasgow
in Scotland.
on March 22, 2010, "[The Producers] wisest decision is in the casting of Ryan Knowles. He carries the entire production on his slim shoulders, imbuing [it] with charisma, intelligence, tenderness, and a sense of irony."
Dan Bacalzo wrote on TheatreMania.com on March 21, 2010, "Knowles takes control of the stage...[he] has a dynamic presence and an appropriately seedy charisma. He also has a deep baritone which he utilizes to good effect."
Mark Roberson writes on NYTheatre.com on March 19, 2010, "Ryan Knowles is perfect. Made up as a Jagger-Hedwig hybrid, Knowles moves between his songs and speeches with ease, hitting all the right moments. We are enthalled..with him, and always interested."
Jason Clark writes in Slant Magazine on March 23, 2010, "Playing the titular self-created deity with a cheeky, pervy, party-boy hauteur, not unlike Cabaret
's furtive Emcee, the brave, highly attention-catching Ryan Knowles lords over a most unruly evening."
Lauren Wissot writes on TheatreOnline.com on March 22, 2010, "The Mick Jagger
-resembling Ryan Knowles [is] a charismatic performer who has both played villains and done time as a Nickelodeon TV show host...[He] is one big, punk rock smackdown answer to sissy hippie 'Hair
.'"
Mark Blankenship wrote in Variety
on July 18, 2005: "For sheer solo star power, however, no one tops Ryan Knowles as Bottom. The dexterity in his voice is astonishing, gliding from a twitter to wall-shattering thunder. His body contorts into countless postures of clownish arrogance without signs of effort. His fluidity and precision make him captivating to watch, suggesting he has a major career in the making."
The New Yorker
proclaimed on July 11, 2005: “Ryan Knowles steals the show with his braying, rubber-limbed portrayal of the vainglorious Bottom. His thundering voice, relentless moue-making, and mammoth charisma are a cartoony cocktail of Jim Carrey and Snagglepuss, with a little speed thrown in.”
Barbara and Scott Siegel wrote Theatermania.com on August 2, 2005: "Ryan Knowles is simply a dynamo of talent as Bottom; a combination of a young Peter O'Toole and Jim Carrey, he can seemingly do anything with his voice and his body...[A performer] so electric that you know you are catching [a] future star early in [his] career."
Mark Dundas Wood wrote in Back Stage
on March 31, 2005: “You’ll have to stop to applaud the gifted Ryan Knowles, perhaps the lankiest actor ever to play the role of Bottom. Knowles has a voice that fairly booms and a face that stretches like Dubble Bubble. He seems to have stepped out of lost footage from cartoonist Tex Avery.”
Knowles has performed extensively in theatre, in New York City and across the U.S. In winter 2010, he performed in the North American tour of the Broadway production of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (musical)
Dr Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! is a seasonal musical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book How The Grinch Stole Christmas.-Minneapolis:...
." In spring 2010, he starred as the perverted and tyrannical Roman Emperor Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
in Randy Weiner
Randy Weiner
Randy Weiner is an American playwright, producer and theater/nightclub owner. Weiner co-wrote the Off-Broadway musical The Donkey Show and, as one-third of EMURSIVE, produced the Drama Desk Award winning New York premiere of Punchdrunk's Sleep No More...
's (The Donkey Show
The Donkey Show (musical)
The Donkey Show: A Midsummer Night's Disco is a theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The production, created in a disco-era style, was written by Diane Paulus and her husband Randy Weiner and first appeared Off-Broadway, opening August 18, 1999. The show subsequently...
) and Alfred Preisser's Caligula Maximus, a new circus/musical/extravaganza at La MaMa ETC in the Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart was an American theater director and producer and the founder of La MaMa, E.T.C. . In the 1950s she worked as a fashion designer for Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, and Henri Bendel.-Biography:Ellen Stewart was either born in Alexandria, Louisiana or Chicago,...
Theatre to great critical acclaim. In winter 2009, Knowles toured the country in Todrick Hall's Oz the Musical as "Brenda," the "Wicked Witch of the West Side," alongside Vonzell Solomon
Vonzell Solomon
Vonzell Monique Solomon , nicknamed Baby V, is an American singer and aspiring actress who finished in third place in the fourth season of the televised singing competition American Idol. She also appeared in the independent movie Still Green.-Biography:Born in Baxley, Georgia, Solomon's family...
of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, Aundrea Fimbres
Aundrea Fimbres
Aundrea Aurora Fimbres is an American singer and dancer. Fimbres is a former member of the pop music group Danity Kane, from 2005 to 2009...
of Danity Kane
Danity Kane
Danity Kane was an American female music group signed to Bad Boy Records, first established in 2005. Formed on the third installment of MTV's Making the Band reality television series, the quintet comprised members Aubrey O'Day, Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgett, Shannon Bex, Dawn Richard, and Aundrea...
, and Orlando Brown
Orlando Brown
Orlando Brown is an American actor and musician. A child actor, his early roles included 3J in Family Matters, Eddie Thomas in That's So Raven, Tiger in Major Payne, and Nelson in The Jamie Foxx Show. He was also the voice of Sticky Web on the animated TV series The Proud Family...
of Disney's That's So Raven
That's So Raven
That's So Raven is an American cable television teen sitcom/fantasy series. The show premiered on the Disney Channel on January 17, 2003, and ended on November 10, 2007. The show spawned Disney Channel's first spin-off series: Cory in the House...
. In 2006 and 2007, Knowles starred as "The Genie" is Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular is a musical show with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, that plays at Disney California Adventure. Based on the Disney film by the same name, the show plays inside Hyperion Theater in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot...
at Disney California Adventure Park, the multi-million dollar stage production based on the Disney animated film and directed by Francesca Zambello
Francesca Zambello
Francesca Zambello is a leading American opera and theatre director. Zambello lived in Europe when she was a child, learning to speak French, Italian, German and Russian. Zambello is of Italian descent, the daughter of Jean , an actress and Charles C. Zambello, a former actor who became head of...
(Broadway's "The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince...
"). In 2006, Knowles starred in the new musical, Tempest
The Tempest Musical
The Tempest: A Musical is a musical production based on William Shakespeare's play The Tempest, with original songs by Daniel Neiden ....
at the Cherry Lane Theatre
Cherry Lane Theatre
The Cherry Lane Theatre , located at 38 Commerce Street in the borough of Manhattan, was New York City's oldest, continuously running off-Broadway theater...
in New York City. He adapted the text from Shakespeare's original and co-wrote the book with Daniel Neiden, working from a concept by Tony-winning book writer Thomas Meehan
Thomas Meehan
Thomas Meehan , was a noted British-born nurseryman, botanist and author. He worked as a Kew gardener in 1846–1848, and thereafter he moved to Germantown in Philadelphia...
. Knowles appeared in the New York premiere of the new mystery "Hound" portraying Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, a role which won him the award for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. In 2005, he starred as "Nick Bottom" for over a year of performances in the hit 1950's-style musical version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
, Fools In Love.
The author of five plays and musicals, Knowles completed a workshop production of his solo show, "DIG AND BE DUG: The Gospel of Lord Buckley
Lord Buckley
Lord Richard Buckley was an American stage performer, recording artist, monologist, and hip poet/comic...
," based on the life and work of the pioneering jazz comedian Lord Buckley
Lord Buckley
Lord Richard Buckley was an American stage performer, recording artist, monologist, and hip poet/comic...
. The show had its World Premiere run as part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity in June 2010 at the Gene Frankel
Gene Frankel
__notoc__Eugene V. "Gene" Frankel was an American actor, theater director, and acting teacher especially notable in the founding of the off-Broadway scene...
Theatre in New York City. The production, written and performed by Knowles, directed by David Kraft and presented by Jenny Cook and INTERprod Theatre, received five Planet Award nominations and was honored with two wins for Best Overall Production of a Solo Show and Best Performance in a Solo Show.
In 2006, Knowles was brought on as a Host of Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's daily live show ME:TV, entertaining millions of children nationwide every week day.
In 2007, Knowles filmed his first feature, Camp Hell, a supernatural thriller from Holedigger Films. The film also stars Academy Award-nominee Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...
and Emmy-winner Dana Delaney. The film had a 2010 theatrical release.
Knowles has penned a humor/theatre blog, "Burning Bridges with Nick Bottom," for TheDailyNewYorker.com.
In addition to performing, Knowles is a speech coach and political consultant. He has worked as a speech writer and debate/vocal coach for numerous local and state candidates nationwide. Also, Knowles is one of the country's foremost consultants in Speech and Interpretive Performance for competitive high school students. He is employed by a number of top high school programs, both public and private, on both coasts. Knowles is the co-founder (with David Kraft) of Interprod Performance Studies Institute in Boston, Massachusetts; a summer intensive program for gifted young performers. This line of work was inspired by Knowles' success as a high school and collegiate speech and debate competitor, during which time he won numerous State and National Championships, as well as becoming the first American in history to win the World Championship of Stand-Up Comedy at the 2000 World Universities Debate Association Championship Tournament at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
in Scotland.
Critical Acclaim
Clifford Johnson III wrote in Back StageBack Stage
Back Stage is an entertainment-industry brand aimed at people working in film and the performing arts, with a special focus on casting, job opportunities, and career advice.Back Stage publishes a weekly tabloid-sized trade magazine in the U.S...
on March 22, 2010, "[The Producers] wisest decision is in the casting of Ryan Knowles. He carries the entire production on his slim shoulders, imbuing [it] with charisma, intelligence, tenderness, and a sense of irony."
Dan Bacalzo wrote on TheatreMania.com on March 21, 2010, "Knowles takes control of the stage...[he] has a dynamic presence and an appropriately seedy charisma. He also has a deep baritone which he utilizes to good effect."
Mark Roberson writes on NYTheatre.com on March 19, 2010, "Ryan Knowles is perfect. Made up as a Jagger-Hedwig hybrid, Knowles moves between his songs and speeches with ease, hitting all the right moments. We are enthalled..with him, and always interested."
Jason Clark writes in Slant Magazine on March 23, 2010, "Playing the titular self-created deity with a cheeky, pervy, party-boy hauteur, not unlike Cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
's furtive Emcee, the brave, highly attention-catching Ryan Knowles lords over a most unruly evening."
Lauren Wissot writes on TheatreOnline.com on March 22, 2010, "The Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
-resembling Ryan Knowles [is] a charismatic performer who has both played villains and done time as a Nickelodeon TV show host...[He] is one big, punk rock smackdown answer to sissy hippie 'Hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
.'"
Mark Blankenship wrote in Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
on July 18, 2005: "For sheer solo star power, however, no one tops Ryan Knowles as Bottom. The dexterity in his voice is astonishing, gliding from a twitter to wall-shattering thunder. His body contorts into countless postures of clownish arrogance without signs of effort. His fluidity and precision make him captivating to watch, suggesting he has a major career in the making."
The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
proclaimed on July 11, 2005: “Ryan Knowles steals the show with his braying, rubber-limbed portrayal of the vainglorious Bottom. His thundering voice, relentless moue-making, and mammoth charisma are a cartoony cocktail of Jim Carrey and Snagglepuss, with a little speed thrown in.”
Barbara and Scott Siegel wrote Theatermania.com on August 2, 2005: "Ryan Knowles is simply a dynamo of talent as Bottom; a combination of a young Peter O'Toole and Jim Carrey, he can seemingly do anything with his voice and his body...[A performer] so electric that you know you are catching [a] future star early in [his] career."
Mark Dundas Wood wrote in Back Stage
Back Stage
Back Stage is an entertainment-industry brand aimed at people working in film and the performing arts, with a special focus on casting, job opportunities, and career advice.Back Stage publishes a weekly tabloid-sized trade magazine in the U.S...
on March 31, 2005: “You’ll have to stop to applaud the gifted Ryan Knowles, perhaps the lankiest actor ever to play the role of Bottom. Knowles has a voice that fairly booms and a face that stretches like Dubble Bubble. He seems to have stepped out of lost footage from cartoonist Tex Avery.”
External Links and Further Reading
- Full Review: Variety, "Fools In Love"
- Full Review: Theatremania, "Fools In Love"
- Theatre footage of Ryan Knowles as The Genie on YouTube
- "Burning Bridges with Nick Bottom" Blog
- Planet Connections Theatre Festivity Awards
- "Caligula Maximus" Website
- "DIG & BE DUG: The Gospel of Lord Buckley" Show Web Site