KELLY RYALL

Composer

Kelly is an award-winning composer, musician and sound designer for theatre, dance and film.  Kelly is recognised internationally for creating immersive and multi-layered musical landscapes for the stage and screen. 

His recent focus has been to establish a music driven theatre/performance practice, where score not script is the driver behind a work. ANIMAL directed by Susie Dee and THE BACCHAE directed by Adena Jacobs (Melbourne Festival and Dark Mofo) are the first of these works - they were received to public and critical acclaim. 

Kelly’s music for theatre includes: for Melbourne Theatre Company, WORKING WITH CHILDREN, DI VIV AND ROSE, HAY FEVER, THREE LITTLE WORDS, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, PEDDLING, RUPERT (which toured to Sydney’s Theatre Royal and The Kennedy Centre in Washington DC), THE CRUCIBLE, ON THE PRODUCTION OF MONSTERS, RETURN TO EARTH, DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE, GOD OF CARNAGE, SAVAGE RIVER (with Griffin), DANCE OF DEATH, ON THE MISCONCEPTION OF OEDIPUS; for Sydney Theatre Company, BOYS WILL BE BOYS; THE TRIAL (with Malthouse); for Queensland Theatre: HEDDA, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE; for Bell Shakespeare, ROMEO AND JULIET, AS YOU LIKE IT; TARTUFFE, PHEDRE, HENRY IV, MACBETH, JULIUS CAESAR and THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES; for Malthouse BROTHERS WRECK (with State Theatre Company of South Australia), EDWARD II, THE SHADOW KING (toured to Barbican), DANCE OF DEATH, ONE NIGHT THE MOON, DIE WINTERREISSE (with Thin Ice and Brisbane Festival); for Griffin, THE BOYS (with Sydney Festival), AND NO MORE SHALL WE PART, DREAMS IN WHITE, MERCURY FUR and DON’T SAY THE WORDS; THE BACCHAE (Fraught Outfit, Melbourne Festival, Dark Mofo); and for Belvoir Theatre, TITLE AND DEED, NORA, HEDDA GABLER; CINDERELLA; KILL THE MESSENGER; and LOVE ME TENDER. 

Music for dance includes YOU ANIMAL, YOU directed by Danielle Micich (Force Majeure); 10,000 SMALL DEATHS with Paula Ley (Dance Massive); TEAM OF LIFE, FLESH AND BONE and SUNDOWNER for KAGE; EXPECTATION with Carlee Mellow; PIECES FOR SMALL SPACES with Lucy Guerin Inc; and PIECE FOR PERSON AND GHETTO BLASTER with Nicola Gunn including Australian and world tours.

For film, Kelly’s work includes composing the music for documentary film MEMORY PLAY (ABC); and short films: CHERRY SEASON, EYE CONTACT; TOMORROW, TOMORROW, TOMORROW; STASIS; THE CURTAIN BREATHED DEEPLY; LOIS; ONE NIGHT; FINALE; MEAT; SANDWICH; SQUOKA; MARCH; BE FAMOUS; WINNER; RUNAWAY; and APOCOLYPSE BEAR; as well as many TVCs.