We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Moller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.

Ryan , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Theatre is the quiet industry most do not know about. Because we think of it as entertainment, the work that goes into it is often not seen as a serious career. Like most careers that are freelance based, it can be frustrating always trying to prove yourself to get the next job. The urge to find something steady, that will keep you in one place is strong. To be successful in theatre you really have to love it and be determined to make it a career.

I felt from a very young age that I wanted to be on stage. I wanted to make people laugh, I wanted to hear the applause of a job well done. As I matured in my education I went from wanting to be on stage, to dressing the characters instead. While on the journey towards my Masters Degree, I had to learn about clothing construction as well as makeup and hair for the theatre. By the time I finished my degree I could take a job in any aspect of my chosen profession. Some of my first jobs were not as a designer but in the wig dept’s, as a dresser, as a shopper as an assistant, or as a costume maker. I was determined to make my dream become a reality no matter what it took. I am proud to say since graduating college I have never not worked within my field. Perhaps not always in my fist choice, but I have always been adjacent to design. That is part of my determination to make it in my field, making myself well rounded enough that I am always able to find work within the theatre.

Ryan , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I began as an actor, as so many in my field do. Performing in shows since primary school, I had always planned on being an actor, with a special interest in musical theatre. I did all the usual school plays and community theatre things in my small Minnesota town. At that level you are usually required to help out backstage as well and my mother, Sheila, who had always been a crafty person, taught me to sew around 2nd grade and I really enjoyed working with my hands in that way so I would put my time in working in the costume dept’s.

When I got to college I had an abrupt awakening when my advisor pulled me into his office and told me the hard truth: I would never make it as an actor because my singing voice was not good enough. Heartbroken, I thought my dreams of being onstage were done for good. However, he said “This thing, you seem to think is a hobby, is a much more viable career path for you.” Until that moment I had never really thought about being a professional designer. I knew the job existed, but the thought had not crossed my mind as an option since I was so set on being an actor. Not wanting to loose me as a student, Rockford University and my advisor, Jeff Hendry, created a costume design curriculum for me and I was the first student in the schools history to design a main stage production and graduate with a concentration in costume.
From there I went on to study costume design as well as costume construction and wig making/styling at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where I earned my MFA.

I am so grateful that my head was turned in college. I think my desire and training to be an actor shaped the way I see characters as a designer. I think about the clothes from the characters point of view. I understand the psychology of the character and am able to bring out aspects of them that perhaps the actor has not thought about. Taking dance classes taught me how a dancer moves, what they need and provided the vocabulary to speak with a choreographer about their vision. Learning about the history of hair styles and wig making gives me the ability to communicate with wig and makeup designers to achieve the overall look I am going after. And knowing how clothes are constructed allows me to speak with drapers and crafts artisans about how the clothes should fit or how they should be rigged for a quick change. I believe that this diverse background has allowed me to become a well rounded and effective designer.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Maybe I am old fashion, but I do not understand NFT’s. While there is some artistry to creating them, the art is meant to be digital. You can not print them, you can not touch them, you can not really own them. You invest in owning a digital image for a limited amount of time and then trade it to someone else hoping to make money, much as you would with a painting, sculpture or antique. But with an NFT your gallery is all digital which to me means it does not really exist outside of an electronic atmosphere. Why would anyone want to “own” that?

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I got a great education. I learned a lot about being an artist: color, proportion, line, texture, character development, movement etc. But the one thing I never learned was how to be a “working” artist.
How to negotiate a contract, how to get an agent, how much that agent should be paid, how to join a union, what sort of things to ask for in a contract, what sort of pay is an industry standard, or even how to get the job to begin with!
What we really needed was a “business of the business” style class in our final year. At that point in time a website for a theatre designer was still a new thing so I understand why some of these things were not thought of, but having this knowledge base would have changed the beginning of my career and I think helped me grow faster in the industry. I am constantly amazed at the younger generations who enter the workforce with this knowledge base already and wish it had been part of my education.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://RyanMollerDesigns.com
• Instagram: @RJMoller, @RyanTriesItOn

Image Credits

Beauty and the Beast – Leavitt Wells
The Wiz – Kinectiv
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, -Leavitt Wells
Chicago – Kinectiv
Frozen – Leavitt Wells