About the Director
Ryk Lewis is a local theater professional with a career that incorporates music, theater and dance…the lynchpins of our programs here at Fusion.
Ryk comes from a musical family and has always been a singer. He began formal piano instruction at age 5. He began his professional singing career at age 12 becoming a touring member of the Philadelphia Boys’ Choir. His tours include China, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Canada.
Shortly after leaving the Boys’ Choir, Ryk furthered his instrumental instruction studying flute, cello and percussion.
Ryk was a Music education major at Nyack College in Rockland County New York.
Fast forward to the late 80’s. Ryk became an electronic music specialist for Zapf’s music store and Third Story Recording, both in Philadelphia. Shortly afterward, he decided to become involved in theater after sitting through a performance of ‘Phantom of the Opera’.
Combining his technical and performance knowledge he was able to quickly become involved in the Philadelphia theater scene. His first professional theater position was as an audio operator for ‘Love, Valor, Compassion’ at Philadelphia’s Plays and Players theater.
He also began producing his own works including ‘Godshopping’ and ‘Cutloose’. While improving his theatrical skills, Ryk began arranging for choirs and theatrical productions from Virginia to New York. He continued performing and/or conducting material at Constitution Hall in DC, The Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Madison Square Garden in New York and other venues.
In 1999 Ryk became a full time theatrical professional taking a staff audio position at the Prince Music Theater in Philly. During his three seasons at the Prince, Ryk worked with such notables as James Naughton, Lou Rawls, Darlene Love, Mandy Patinkin, Harold Prince, Andrea Marcovicci, Johnnie Hobbs and many, many others. He has also worked with Philadanco, Jeanne Ruddy Dance, the Garden State Dance Festival, and has produced and developed his own multi-discipline show, PlasmaDanceTheater.
Ryk spent three seasons as sound designer for the Walnut Street Theater’s main stage in Philadelphia designing sound for the Walnut’s productions of Les Miserables, Hairspray, Of Mice and Men, 42ND Street and other shows. He is a former faculty member at the University of the Arts in its School of Theater Arts.
His directing credits include Little Shop of Horrors, The Breakfast Club, David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, Man of La Mancha and others.
Having a personal interest in community involvement, Ryk has spent time as a technical director and scenic designer/builder at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, Cherry Hill West High School, Voorhees Theater Company, Langhorne Players, and Nice People Theater Company. He has done sound design for Gloucester County Institute of Technology and Cherry Hill East’s performance of Beauty and the Beast. He has also conducted recurring theatrical workshops for The Voorhees Theater Company’s summer camp program and at the Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill NJ.
