Ryan Cooper Email & Phone Number

Historic Saint Charles, Missouri

Oversee the development and execution of creative programming for guests to the historic district and Foundry Art Centre in downtown Saint Charles, Missouri including the two largest annual holiday festivals, Legends & Lanterns: A "Spirited" Journey Through Halloween History® and Saint Charles Christmas Traditions®

Historic Saint Charles, Missouri

Working in collaboration with the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Saint Charles, Missouri, in 2016 I created "Legends & Lanterns: A 'Spirited' Journey Through Halloween History," a multi-week, family friendly festival that celebrates the historic origins of All Hallow's Eve through programming that includes interactive character performers, a Victorian Mourning exhibit, narrated horse drawn hayrides, scarecrow contests, Mexican Dia de los Muertos Plaza, a salute to the golden age of Monster Movies, storytelling, and more. Now in its fourth season, the Legends & Lanterns festival has proven to be a popular attraction for both local and out-of-state tourists, drawing thousands of visitors to Historic Main Street.My direct responsibilities include (but are not limited to):-Training and managing a cast and crew of 50 individuals-Creating and designing programming content and logistics (Victorian mourning exhibit, scarecrow contest, storytelling events, concerts, narrated horse-drawn hayrides, etc.)-Acting as event spokesperson on a variety of media platforms including television, radio, print, podcasts, and university/college media.-Managing the festival's social media presence -Writing event scripts and contents of each season's commemorative activity passport.-Working with suppliers (costumers, face painters, etc.)-Acquiring authentic artifacts and converting the historic Katy Train Depot into appropriate exhibition space for our "Morbid Curiosity: Mourning Traditions of the Victorian Age" attraction.-Designing and creating various scenic and décor elements.https://www.discoverstcharles.com/events/legends-and-lanterns/Listen to an interview I did with the Corbin in the Dell travel podcast in which I discuss the origins of the Legends & Lanterns festival, detail what guests can experience, and hint at what's to come http://corbininthedell.com/podcast/spend-halloween-weekend-in-saint-charles-missouri-legends-and-lanterns/

Washington D.C.

Scholastica Travel, Inc.specializes in group travel for school groups. As a Tour Leader I provide a memorable and hassle-free touring experiences of Washington D.C. for up to 50 students and chaperones. Responsibilities include developing engaging and interesting commentary for all sightseeing locations and points of interest, developing professional relationships with motorcoach operators and vendors, remaining on schedule, being able to proactively handle any unexpected situations, and ensuring guest safety and enjoyment.Scholastica Travel tailors each itinerary to the individual school groups' interests and needs. Sites that I have lead tours to include (but are not limited to): U.S. Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Ford's Theatre, Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, National Archives, Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Mount Vernon, Embassy Row, National Cathedral, Smithsonian Institution (Air and Space Museum, Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History), Old Town Alexandria, Library of Congress.

For twelve seasons I performed as "Jack Frost" along historic main street for the annual month long St. Charles Christmas Traditions festival (www.stcharleschristmas.com). The joys of this job consisted of interacting with guests from around the world in-character, in addition to participating in various parades, skits, and dinner theatres. Jack Frost also acted as a representative of the festival on numerous occasions on St. Louis television programs including "Show Me St. Louis," "Great Day St. Louis," and several appearances on "Fox 2 News in the Morning," as well as recurring interviews on KSLQ Radio. During my time with the festival I was voted "Most Valuable Character" by my peers three consecutive seasons.

Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Mo

As a member of the tour and museum staff for the St. Louis Cardinals, my main task involves leading group tours of up to 50 people on hour-long walking tours of Busch Stadium, while sharing information about the history and heritage of the ball club. In addition to leading stadium tours, I also act as a docent at the new Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum located within Ballpark Village, where in addition to interacting with guests, I oversee the popular interactive exhibit called "Holding History," where guests have the opportunity to put on protective gloves and handle authentic game-used bats that belonged to some of the Cardinals' best players of the past and present from Stan Musial to Yadier Molina.During the autumn and spring seasons, I also assist in the operation of CAP (the Cardinals Academic Program), an educational field trip experience where school groups (3rd-8th grade) visit Busch Stadium, and in addition to getting to see all the sights with a tour of the stadium, they enjoy the academic program, where I facilitate one of three classes they will attend (Communication Arts, History, Art, Math, or Science) that help reinforce the basics of these common subjects by surrounding the curriculum with baseball themed activities.

I performed as King Julien, Zeke the Zookeeper, Mason, Ship's Captain, Police Officer, and Foosa in STAGES St. Louis' 2018 Theatre for Young Audience production of MADAGASCAR: A MUSICAL ADVENTURE at the Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

Performed as the Cat in the Hat in STAGES St. Louis' 2017 Theatre for Young Audiences production of "Seussical" at the Westport Playhouse

Performed as the Mad Hatter in STAGES St. Louis' 2016 Theatre for Young Audiences production of "Alice in Wonderland" at the Westport Playhouse.

Fort Wilderness Resort And Campground (Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue)

Performed the role of "Six Bits Slocum" full-time at the popular, long-running "Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue"​ dinner theatre show at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.Performed​ the role of "Snort" part time with the "Storybook Circus Giggle Gang" at the Magic Kingdom park. The Giggle Gang was a three-person clown ensemble that performed in the Storybook Circus section of New Fantasyland from December 2012-October 2014.

Historic Main Street, St. Charles, Mo

St. Charles Christmas Traditions is one of the largest Christmas festivals in the country, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world each year. 2014 marked the 40th season of this popular month long festival. As a member of the production staff, in addition to various operational tasks, I was personally responsible for:-Managing and running the festival's social media presence.-Acting as the chief spokesperson for Christmas Traditions on various media outlets including: Fox 2 News in the Morning, Great Day St. Louis, the Radio Arts Foundation (107.3 FM), and KSLQ radio (104.5 FM)-Creating new experiences to commemorate the 2014 40th anniversary season.-Assisting in the hiring process of new actors to portray the street characters that are the cornerstone of the event.-Facilitating Character Development workshops for our cast of 60+-Facilitating orientation programs for returning cast members and new hires.-Writing the text for our detailed "Yuletide Times" visitor's guide-Creating and writing the scripts for festival events (including the Opening Day Ceremony, End of Parade Entertainment, as well as a dinner theatre experience that was new for 2014).-Personally designing and hand painting 40 giant ornaments for a popular new scavenger hunt activity.Here is a link to the commercial spot that aired regionally, featuring me promoting the festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0CTqe63iN0&feature=youtu.be

I was part of the original Cast Member team when Disney Store 696 re-opened at the St. Louis Galleria in September 2011. In addition to fulfilling all of the retail demands of the position (greeting, check-out, stocking, etc.), I also aided in the various special events that would be held daily (trivia competitions, learn to draw sessions, parades, etc) as well as facilitated special synergy events directed by the company to coincide with upcoming theatrical releases and milestones. Being the Disney Store, I also tried to incorporate as many special "Disney touches" when interacting with our guests as I could. These efforts helped lead to my nomination in the company's "Rewards and Recognition" program.

St. Louis, Mo (Laclede'S Landing)

For nearly two years I performed in the role of Patch Piece (jester to King Henry VIII) in the bawdy, interactive Royal Dumpe dinner theatre which has be playing to St. Louis audiences since 1973.

Using the ticketing software Paciolan, I charged ticket orders over the phone for various events held at venues throughout the greater St. Louis area (i.e. Fox Theatre, Chaifetz Arena, Sheldon Concert Hall, Jazz at the Bistro, the Muny, etc) in addition to answering various questions regarding upcoming productions, venues, and Metrotix accounts.

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.) Magna Cum Laude, Performing Arts

Magna Cum Laude