Kim E. Ruyle
he, him, his
Fond du Lac, WI
Kim Ruyle is a playwright and talent management consultant living in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin..
[contact]
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Biography

Kim E. Ruyle is an award-winning playwright based in Wisconsin.  He is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America, The Playwrights’ Center, and Chicago Dramatists.  Kim writes stories that spring from his unique background.  A US Army veteran with blue-collar roots, he went on to earn three master’s degrees and a PhD.  After growing up in rural America, Kim had a 35-year business career took him to 49 states and 45 countries.  As a writer, he composes edgy dramas and comedies that have meaty roles for mature actors, characters that bristle with vitality, and razor-sharp, crackling dialogue.

Plays

Kalispell
by Kim E. Ruyle

A debut play written by Kim E. Ruyle, Kalispell, explores the dynamics of a western Montana logging family.  A plot that sizzles and characters that bristle with vitality.  A volatile redneck patriarch.  A doting matriarch.  Four sons, including a plastic surgeon, a fashion designer, a televangelist, and a hapless alcoholic.  One daughter, an occasional lounge singer who runs her own construction company.  And an insightful immigrant couple.  Throw them all together and you get hilarity, rivalry, and mayhem.  A Thanksgiving holiday brings this dysfunctional family together and forces them to confront their biases, broken relationships, and a series of crises that careen between tragic and hilarious.

Cast:
BUD HAMILTON 70s, hard-working, and bigoted. He’s tough, opinionated, intolerant, and protective. Has run the Bud Hamilton Logging Company for many years. CORA HAMILTON 70s, the family matriarch; blindly loyal to Bud; dotes on her children. CLEVE HAMILTON 40s-50s, oldest son; alcoholic; seeks approval of others but can’t maintain relationships; a disappointment to everyone, especially Bud. BRUCE HAMILTON 40s-50s, 2nd son; successful plastic surgeon living in Seattle; not gay, but maybe hard to tell – he’s an articulate metro-sexual who is experiencing a bit of mid-life crisis. JEFFREY HAMILTON 40s-50s, 3rd son; successful fashion designer living in New York City; like Bruce, a metro-sexual, but married with kids. CLIFFORD HAMILTON 40s-50s; 4th son; former car salesman turned church pastor in Missoula and televangelist host of religious sportsmen’s show. CLAIRE HAMILTON 40s-50s, attractive, confident, feminine but tough; CEO of a successful construction company she founded in Great Falls, an avid sportswoman, and occasional lounge singer. DRAGOS IBANESCU 30s, Romanian immigrant and proprietor of the Sit-a-Spell Cafe′. TULLIA IBANESCU 30s, wife and partner in café business with Dragos. TIFFANY 30s, attractive tart; director of God, Geese, and Grizzlies. Note: Tullia and Tiffany are to be played by the same actor.
Sliding into Seniorhood
by Kim E. Ruyle

The paths of six intriguing characters intersect as they navigate the unpredictable and challenging twists and turns of aging. On the slide into seniorhood, they encounter relationships and experiences, some painful, some sensual, and some just downright silly. When all is said and done, will they find that life has left them with anything more than simple memories?

Cast:
MATT Male, 50s; devil-may-care industrial-organizational psychologist with a sensitive side. Walt’s son. VALERIE Female, 40s; confident and presumptuous neuropsychologist and professor. Sherry’s niece. SHERRY Female, 60s; recently retired high school Spanish teacher; determined to succeed in first community theatre acting experience. WALT Male, late 60s – 70s; retired professor of Latin American history and resident of Nob Hill Manor; refined and nattily dressed. BONNIE Female, 60s; a legend in the local community theatre scene; vivacious, provocative, and at times outrageous; an open book. EDDY Male, late 60s – 70s; retired plumber and Nob Hill Manor resident where he relishes a well-deserved reputation as a lothario. AIRPORT ANNOUNCER Offstage voice announcing flights over intercom. STAGE MANAGER Offstage voice prompting actors over intercom.
Five Frickin Winters
by Kim E. Ruyle

The year is 2017, and in Florida, Hurricane Irma won’t come calling for a couple of months and no one’s thinking about a global pandemic.  Life is good for most everyone but Roger, a struggling writer faced with an uncertain future and disappointing past.  While Roger struggles with choices surrounding his career and relationships, his next-door neighbors and a paramour create thorny and perilous complications.

Cast:
ROGER QUILL Male; 60-ish, intelligent but some rough edges; in reasonably good shape. A writer and next-door neighbor to Kev and Kat. CARM RUIZ Female; 50s, bouncy, brainy, and brash. Employed as a golf pro. KAT ROBINS Female; 50s, a simmering, volatile brew of intensity. Employed as a nurse. Kev’s wife. KEV ROBINS Male; 60s, retired, simple, and amiably tottering through life. Kat’s husband. COURIER (DOUBLING) Female; off-stage voice provided by Carm’s character.

Successes

Kalispell - Winner of the 2018 Brevard Full-Length Play Writing Competition.

Sky Club Compatibility - Winner of the 2019 Brevard One-Act Play Competition.

Sliding into Seniorhood - Winner of the 2020/2021 Grand Award for Original Playwrights Full-Length Competition, Shawnee Playhouse and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.