About Ted
Hello!
I’m Ted O. Rhyner… welcome to my website. Please take a look around and feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas you have in mind. Thanks for stopping by!
Background
I am told that the first show I saw as a child, 42nd Street, so entirely captivated my interest that I did not move from my seat for the entire performance. And there isn’t much that keeps a five-year-old boy from incessantly darting about during anything that might typically be considered “boring” by a child’s standards. My parents used to say that I went into a theatre when I was five, and never really ever came back out. From that first experience on, I was hooked. As a young child, I used to enjoy attending my sister’s dance recitals because they had so much to do with technical things happening on the stage, with people moving around and being illuminated in imaginative and beautiful ways, for all of the audience to see. To this day, dance is still one of my most favorite performance genres to light. From these early memories, I developed a love for creating moments on stage for people to see and enjoy.
Mission
Originating exceptional theatrical and project-minded lighting designs, managing productions, developing and maintaining budgets, personnel and schedules for entire theatrical seasons, crafting sturdy and quality sets, and consulting on a variety of technical and design-oriented ventures accurately, safely, artistically and professionally is my strength. You’ll find that we can work together to design your project or production just the way you envision it, to suit the artistic vision, venue, budget, and timeline you have in mind. I am confident that the quality of my work and the results of our working relationship will far exceed your expectations.
Emphasis
My emphasis is on making people on stage and objects on display visible to the audiences that came to see them. I’ve worked in many areas of technical production including set design, build and construction, load-in, light board programmer, technical direction, sound operation, master electrician, freelance lighting designer, and production manager. But my strength, passion, and priority lie in production management, lighting design, technical direction, and consulting.
Experience
I am a BFA graduate of the PTTP (Professional Theatre Training Program) at UW-Milwaukee and earned my MFA degree in Production Design with an emphasis in Lighting from Michigan State University. My skills include production management (coordination, schedules, budgets, personnel), lighting design (techniques, vision, fixtures and lighting consoles of many varieties, comprehension of electrical theories and standards), video production (techniques, vision, fixtures and consoles of many varieties), technical direction (various CAD packages, most power tools including CNC, OSHA regulations for shop safety, rigging), consulting (drafting and design, budgeting, equipment recommendations, installations), and the design and construction of road cases to store and transport delicate electronic instruments.
I hope we can work together on a project – large or small – and I am confident that you can see the results you expect.
Ted
P.S. Go Packers!