Lady Gail B. Ryan

'Lady' Gail B. Ryan

Educator, Performer, Leader

‘Lady’ Gail, the founder of the Brevard Theatrical Ensemble, Inc., is a renowned educator, known throughout the state of Florida for her innovative teaching style, charisma, and most of all, the enduring positive influence she has had on all her students.  Attendees to a BTE production will not find it unusual to find some of ‘Lady’ Gail’s loyal students from 30 or 40 years ago among the cast. 

‘Lady’ Gail retired from the Dade County, Florida public school system after having taught music and drama for 36 years.  Following her long and illustrious career as a public school teacher, she taught for one year at a prestigious private school in Miami and served for seven years as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, Barry University, and Nova Southeastern University. 

During the late 1950s, ‘Lady’ Gail lived in Rome, Italy, where she studied and performed classical music and, in conjunction with the Fulbright Program, coordinated all the musical entertainment at the US Embassy.  For seven years during the 1970s and 1980s, ‘Lady’ Gail hosted her own educational program on the local NBC channel in Miami.  For 10 years during the 1970s and 1980s, she was the coordinator for the nationally-televised opening  performance of the Junior Orange Bowl Parade.  In the early 1970s, she produced the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, which was performed to some 15,000 people throughout Dade County.

In 1978, ‘Lady’ Gail co-founded the Florida Renaissance Guild, Inc. (a non-profit educational corporation), which produced what became over the years to be one of the largest Renaissance Fayres in the country. 

Since retiring and moving to Brevard County, ‘Lady’ Gail has devoted herself to bringing quality educational entertainment to the residents of the Space Coast.  In addition to founding and heading what is now the BTE, she served for three years as an adjunct professor at Brevard Community College, where she taught early childhood classes.  She has also taught workshops in storytelling at several Brevard County, Orange County, and Dade County public schools.  Finally, ‘Lady’ Gail worked closely with Walt Disney World as a presenter and Assistant Creative Coordinator for the EPCOT Center and Animal Kingdom theme parks. ‘Lady’ Gail was awarded this moniker by the City of Miami in 1980 in recognition of her years of contribution to the arts in that city. 

Performance is the great joy in Gail's life. She has been a professional storyteller for the past 17 years.  She was a professional bassoonist with several symphonies between 1946 and 1959, including those in Miami Beach, the University of Miami, New Hampshire, Ft. Lauderdale and Rome, Italy.  She's also directed and appeared on over 900 television shows and countless radio shows including several NBC's Today Show segments.

After her retirement and subsequent move to Merritt Island, she formed the Brevard Theatrical Ensemble, Inc. and coordinates the efforts of approximately 57 ensemble members including storytellers, singers, actors, dancers, instrumentalists, and junior members still in school. Today, the ensemble is extremely successful, performing a new production almost every month!  She also introduced a new art form - a theatrical presentation of storytelling with music, costume, and theatrical staging with such productions as Canterbury Tales, Isitsoornot, and We Are.

Gail has been honored by several groups. She was included in the International Directory of Distinguished Leadership for contributions to education; the Dictionary of International Biography; Who's Who, South and Southwest edition; and the World's Who's Who of Women.  The Miami Herald recognized Gail with the "Spirit of Excellence" in 1987, and the Dade County's Public School Centennial Celebration selected her as "Pioneer" in 1985.