TOM RUZIKA
Tom has enjoyed creating lighting for many varied productions and architectural spaces. As resident Lighting Director, he has had the pleasure of creating designs for over 75 productions at South Coast Repertory Theatre. Other projects have included the South American premiere of La Cage Aux Folles in Buenos Aires, Children of a Lesser God, Julius Cesar, and A Christmas Carol at the Mark Taper Forum, Eugene Loring's Billy the Kid at the Louisville Ballet, Forbidden Hollywood, The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, 14 musicals for Reprise! Broadway's Best, the acclaimed production of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, the 20th Anniversary Production of Sweeney Todd, the Los Angeles revival of Hair, Songs from the Tall Grass at Ford's Theatre Washington D.C., and the 1984 Olympic Arts Dance Festival.

At Universal Studios Hollywood his designs include Backdraft, Earthquake, Back To The Future, Alfred Hitchcock, Harry and the Hendersons, and the Rugrats Magical Adventure. At Disneyland, he has designed the Club Buzz stage show, the Main Street Emporium and the renovation of the Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom. He created the design concepts for the Disney Store Japan and his lighting can also be seen in five theme parks in Japan, including the new Universal Studios Japan. For Warner Bros. he has designed the Batman Forever and Maverick shows at Movie World Australia, and multiple themed attractions and productions for Movie World Germany and Spain. His lighting can also be seen at Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure, Knott’s Berry Farm, the Star Trek World Tour, and Korea Science and Technology Expo in Taejon.

Architectural projects include Boomtown Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Sam’s Town Casino, MGM Grand Hotel Star Lane, South Coast Plaza Mall, the Los Angeles Music Center, Santa Monica Place, Palm Springs Mall, Universal CityWalk's Panasonic Pavilion, and the Firebird Sculpture at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Other projects include the production direction of major fireworks spectaculars, the coordination of television specials, consulting on numerous performance facilities, and the management of regional musical groups.

His professional associations have included the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, Long Beach Civic Light Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, International City Theatre, Sacramento Light Opera, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Japan America Theatre, Houston's Music Hall, Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre, Westwood Playhouse, the Penn State Festival Theatre, Utah Shakespearean Festival, McDonnell Douglas Aircraft and Osmond Family Entertainment.

Ruzika's theatrical designs have received numerous Critics Circle Awards and his architectural lighting designs have received national and international design awards. Tom was recently presented the Lifetime Achievement Award in Lighting from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and the distinguished alumni award at Cal Poly Pomona. He is a recipient of the Lighting Dimensions Designer of the Year award for 2000. Professional affiliations include United Scenic Artists, International Association of Lighting Designers, Illuminating Engineering Society, Designers Lighting Forum, and Themed Entertainment Association.

BETTY ANN CASTANEDA
Betty Ann has been a designer for The Ruzika Company for over 12 years. She has been involved in projects such as Hard Rock Hotel and Casinos, Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Japan, Porto Europa Entertainment District, Warner Bros. Movie World Spain, and the Boomtown Hotel & Casino. Betty Ann has designed the architectural lighting for many high end residences, libraries, the award winning Viejas Retail Outlet Complex, and the Disney Store in Tokyo Japan. Betty Ann holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Design from California State University at Long Beach.

SHAWN FIDLER
Shawn, a BFA Stage Management graduate of USC and a Master of Fine Arts Lighting Design graduate of UC Irvine, has served as a theatrical lighting designer or an assistant lighting designer for South Coast Repertory Theatre, Opera Pacific, the Ivar Theatre, and contemporary dance companies. Since joining The Ruzika Company, Shawn has been involved in projects including the Hard Rock Seminole Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and the Body English Ultra Lounge in Las Vegas, as well as multiple architectural lighting and theatre consulting projects.

BEVERLEY THIES
Beverley has a broad background in lighting design encompassing theatre, opera, musicals, dance, concerts, special events, plus theme park shows, attractions, and retail. Beverley's work has been seen at numerous venues including Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Tokyo DisneySea, Knott's Berry Farm, The Walt Disney Studios, Los Angeles Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and Orange County Performing Arts Center. Beverley is an active Theatre Consultant planning numerous production facilities and theatrical equipment systems for theme parks and educational institutions.

JOHN SOFRANKO
John has worked with The Ruzika Company on numerous themed entertainment projects including Universal Studios Japan, Warner Bros. Movie World Germany, Hard Rock Theme Park, Porto Europa Wakayama Japan Entertainment District, Backdraft, Korea Taejon Expo 93, and other international entertainment facilities and venues. He has also served as Master Production Electrician for the Utah Shakespearean Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, U.C. Irvine School of Fine Arts, and the Minneapolis Children's Theatre.

JEN OZAI
Jen brings strong interior and graphic design skills to The Ruzika Company team with a Bachelor of Fine Art's degree in Interior Architecture. She has had experience in the interior and lighting design fields and currently assists with all aspects of the lighting design process. Jen has been responsible for presentation boards, design documentation, and specifications on numerous architectural lighting design projects including Pala Casino & resort Expansion, Mastro's Restaurants, and Indiana Live Casino.

KAITLIN LESAGE
Kaitlin holds a BFA in Theatre Design from California State University at Fullerton, and is currently an assistant lighting designer with The Ruzika Company. Her theatrical lighting design experience and organizational skills have complimented several architectural lighting design projects including Shoppes at Del Rey, Genesis Residential Complex, The Hard Rock Casino Expansion in Tampa, Florida, and several high end residential projects.

ASHLEY OLDAG
Ashley oversees the daily operations of The Ruzika Company while providing assistance with current projects. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art from University of California at Irvine.

ASSOCIATE DESIGNERS

• JOHN BASS