Press
- “The production design certainly conveys the opulence of Hollywood. Ryan Emens has designed a beautiful, intricate bar and Christine Pascual’s costumes easily transport audiences back to the 1940s.”
Boulevard of Bold Dreams, Timeline Theatre
- Parked away in TimeLine’s unique, inventive black box space, the set for Boulevard of Bold Dreams from scenic designer Ryan Emens is immaculate and incredible. The millwork on the bar is exquisite. The painting is ideal. The bottles and glasses and other properties from Lonnae Hickman finish off the perfect picture. The attention to detail by Emens and Hickman is absolutely astounding. It is one of the best sets Chicago has ever seen.
Boulevard of Bold Dreams, Timeline Theatre
- “Stunningly designed by Ryan Emens with lighting by Jason Lynch, the bar is closed at the moment, but Arthur is polishing glasses and making other preparations for the big event and the after party.”
Boulevard of Bold Dreams, Timeline Theatre
- “Ryan Emens’s cozy set captures the feeling of both a temporary sanctuary for McDaniel (who comes in while the bar is closed, saying “I won’t be no trouble to nobody”) and a private club where the three characters can speak freely of their creative passions and personal pain in ways they can’t in front of the white hotel guests and Hollywood bigwigs.”
Boulevard of Bold Dreams, Timeline Theatre
- “...So that’s the background for William’s interesting clever, work-in-progress play, which has been given a superbly acted premiere, as staged by director Malkia Stampley on a cool art-deco set from Ryan Emens”
Boulevard of Bold Dreams, Timeline Theatre
- “Ryan Emens’ expressionistic scenic design and Jason Lynch’s lighting make a skateboard park into an elegantly slick purgatory.”
Kill Move Paradise, Timeline Theatre
- “Ryan Emens’ pulsing set for “Kill Move Paradise,” the new show at TimeLine Theatre, looks like a half pipe in a skateboard park. On to that ramp, one after another, are flung a series of bodies, all belonging to African-American men.”
Kill Move Paradise, Timeline Theatre
- “Although the set is minimalist, Ryan Emens (scenic designer) and Jason Lynch (lighting Designer) created the ramp so that Ijames gladiator arena can keep the audience focused on the performance and the text.”
Kill Move Paradise, Timeline Theatre
- "This is an incredibly fun play, a play I could spend hours talking about simply to analyze and enjoy the way Winkler subverts and exploits Greek-tragedy tropes. And perhaps that’s the best credit to this production. They bolster an already great script with smart choices.For example, Ryan Emens’ sparse set design, featuring large panels on the back and side walls, painted to resemble the sky, makes the space feel larger than it is. Which, subsequently, dwarfs Gavino in comparison, adding to that childlike feeling of going home again.."
Kentucky, The Gift Theatre
- "And there is a nifty scenic reveal courtesy of designer Ryan Emens that I won’t spoil here–but it was one of the coolest, spookiest scene shifts I’ve ever seen, packing mood and story into a transition I didn’t want to end."
Dutch Masters, Jackalope Theatre
- "Scenic Designer Ryan Emens’ set begins fairly minimalistic, with a set of New York subway seats on stage left, and a park bench on stage right. These two elements live right in front of a large fence with graffiti at the bottom. Emens’ set offers just enough to give us a sense of the location, and there is little space between the audience and these pieces. Clark and Emens’ collaboration allows us to focus more on the characters themselves, and the feelings that both of them have surrounding their new “friendship” – inviting us to even feel those emotions alongside them."
Dutch Masters, Jackalope Theatre
- "Clark’s design team does indispensable work. Ryan Emens’ set design includes a remarkable transition from subway to apartment that is engulfing and low-key terrifying."
Dutch Masters, Jackalope
- “In the depths of Midwest winter, you can feel the city heat in the air, sticky, thick and pressing in on all sides. Even before the radical transformation of the set (designed by Ryan Emens), the atmosphere of this production marks a consummate technical achievement."
Dutch Masters, Jackalope
- "And nod out to Scenic Designer Ryan Emens for powerful transformation of the set without the aid of an intermission."
Dutch Masters, Jackalope
- "Ryan Emens’ noir unit set, marked by fire escapes offering no outlet, transport theatergoers to that long-ago world, yet leaving enough wiggle room for one’s imagination to perceive the action taking place here and now."
Native Son, Yale School of Drama
- "The brick and steel backdrop of “Native Son” has been designed to striking effect by scenic designer Ryan Emens…"
Native Son, Yale School of Drama
- "The real star, however, of Lotto Fever is its lovely set, for which designer Ryan Emens deserves many kudos. It’s a perfect replication of an old-school diner with a big dose of Midwestern charm, complete with booths, kitschy wall decorations and a bell that rings when customers enter and exit. I’m a sucker for diners in all forms, and Lotto Fever’s made me want to sit down, swill coffee and eat my weight in pie."
Lotto Fever in the Sucker State, Saint Sebastian Players
- "Ryan Emens' scenic design is eerily beautiful and goes a long way toward establishing the grey dissatisfaction of the "real world" and sinister, off-kilter outlines of the Other world with just a few wooden frames laddered with broken slats and windows that give the impression the world is tilting in."
Coraline, City Lit Theatre
- "Rarely is the rearranging of furniture as portentous an act as it is in this play..."-Jena Cutie, Chicago Reader
- "Ryan Emens’ set design is very creative: white rectangles with old photographs that represent the history museum at the beginning of the play are stripped away during every scene transition as the Rubenstein home is revealed."
The Rubenstein Kiss, Greenhouse Theatre