THE PEOPLE

The creative staff at The Ruzika Company brings a diverse design background to their work, including extensive theatrical and technical backgrounds. They have added their creative flair to casinos, theme parks, corporate plazas, shopping malls, retail stores, theatres, churches, restaurants, and residences. They have consulted on major performing arts centers, educational theatres, production support facilities, and live events. Having managed and supervised the installation of lighting systems in major theme park attractions and entertainment venues throughout the world, their electrical, architectural, and construction knowledge assures excellent communication of creative design ideas.

TOM RUZIKA

Tom's theatrical lighting designs have been seen on Broadway, in national tours, at major regional theatres, and for many national and international dance and opera companies. His entertainment lighting can be seen at theme parks in six different countries and his architectural lighting can be seen in prestigious hotels, casinos, restaurants, and retail centers across the nation and in multiple Asian and European countries. He has consulted on over 100 performance facilities for schools throughout California including the renovation of 14 historic auditoriums for the Pasadena Unified School District. Tom has created an extensive Master Plan for lighting the exterior facades of 104 historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles, he is preparing a Master Lighting Plan for the Fashion District of Los Angeles, and he has planned lighting renovation projects for the cities of Long Beach and Glendale.  Specialty lighting projects include Warner Bros. Movie World Australia, Germany, and Spain, Warner Bros. Abu Dhabi, Universal Studios Hollywood, Orlando, Japan, Paramount Park Spain, Knott's Berry Farm, Porto Europa Japan, Sanrio Puroland Japan, Sanrio Harmonyland Japan, Shirahama Energy Land Japan, Totally Nickelodeon, Disney Archives, Harry Potter the Exhibition, Narnia the Exhibition, Star Trek World Tour, Star Trek Jordan, Hard Rock Theme Park, and Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos. Ruzika's theatrical designs have received numerous Critics Circle Awards and his architectural lighting designs have received national and international design awards. Tom was 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.

BETTY ANN ANDREWS

Betty Ann has been a lighting designer with The Ruzika Company for over 30 years. As a Principal Designer she has creatively guided a wide variety of hospitality projects including Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, Rivers Casinos, exclusive restaurants as well as high end residences, educational facilities and several award winning projects including the San Diego Airport Smart Curb. She is driven to building strong relationships with clients who believe in the importance of lighting design, working closely with teams to provide creative yet practical design solutions that enhance both interior and exterior experiences, and leading the Ruzika team by sharing experiences and the love of illumination. Betty Ann’s holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Design from California State University Long Beach.

JOHN SOFRANKO

John has an extensive background in the design and specification of theatrical equipment systems and is currently providing theatre consulting services for over 25 new theatres or theatre renovations. He was the project manager for the renovation of the Chicago Lyric Opera House and has consulted for numerous themed entertainment projects including Universal Studios Hollywood, Orlando, and Japan, Warner Bros. Movie World Germany, Hard Rock Theme Park, Sanrio Puroland Japan, Porto Europa Japan, Korea Taejon Expo 93, and other international entertainment facilities and venues. John has 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. John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Iowa State University.

SHAWN FIDLER

Shawn joined The Ruzika Company in 2003 and has been involved in the design of theatrical equipment systems for dozens of new and renovated theatres. He has contributed to architectural lighting design projects at Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos and at tribal casinos in Southern California and nationwide. As a theatrical lighting designer he illuminates performances by contemporary dance companies in Los Angeles, and he works with future artists and technicians as a guest artist at an arts charter high school. Shawn received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design from UC Irvine.

TARAS BOHONOK

Taras comes from an architectural background and has over ten years of experience as a theatrical technical designer. Taras brings advanced CAD & Revit skills to assist on various theatrical projects. He has worked on a variety of theatre projects ranging from large arena theatres to intimate Black Box theatres. Prior to theatre design consulting, he worked at various architecture firms both nationally and internationally. Taras has a Bachelor of Architecture from Philadelphia University.

PAIGE STANLEY

Paige found her love of light in theatre. She started her career in stage lighting, scenic design, and theatrical production having worked for numerous regional theatres and international opera companies. During her 10 plus years with The Ruzika Company she has managed numerous architectural lighting design projects for resorts, casinos, restaurants, and private residences. As an Associate Principal, her creative design solutions, product knowledge and solid organizational skills have resulted in numerous successful lighting designs for close to ten years. Her theatrical and technical background brings a unique perspective to any team. Paige holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Charleston and a Masters of Fine Arts in Lighting Design from California State University Long Beach.

SZU-YUN WANG

Szu has an extensive background in lighting design for theatre, film productions, and installation arts. She has worked on numerous opera productions and has created dynamic lighting designs for regional theatres in Los Angeles. For The Ruzika Company she has both managed and assisted on architectural lighting projects for Seminole Hard Rock casinos and hotels in Florida, various casinos nationwide, and has a diverse array of hospitality projects. Originally from Taiwan, she holds a BFA degree in Technical Theatre from National Sun Yat-sen University. Szu recently received her MFA degree in Theatrical Lighting Design from California State University, Long Beach.

CRISTINA DE LEON

Cristina assisted on architectural design and production documents for multiple airports and industrial facilities in the Philippines for more than 5 years. For the past 10 plus years she has used her architectural and interior design talents for high profile hospitality projects in Australia, Las Vegas, and Florida including Star City, City Center Las Vegas, Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, and numerous retail and restaurant projects. Cristina has a BS in Architecture from Bulacan State University, Philippines.

EVAN HIGGINS

Evan started his lighting career working primarily in Theater having previously worked as an Assistant LD at George Street Playhouse, the New Jersey State Theater, and multiple seasons with the American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House. He eventually transitioned into Themed Entertainment and worked as a Lighting Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering for 5 years having worked on both new construction and refurbishments/enhancements across the Walt Disney World resort property. He has also worked on projects for Universal Studios Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando. He has a BFA in Theater Design and Production, with a concentration in Lighting Design, from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

RYAN LONG

Ryan has a background in interior architecture with extensive experience in the design-build of custom furniture and lighting solutions for both residential and commercial projects. With a passion for pushing boundaries, Ryan excels in product design and embraces emerging technologies that redefine possibilities in lighting design. Ryan holds an MA in Interior Architecture from The Academy of Art, San Francisco, CA. With a BFA in Furniture Design from Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA.

ANNE MCRAE

Anne brings in many years of finance and office management to The Ruzika Company since 2022. She has worked in the manufacturing, education, and nonprofit sectors and has found a passion working in architectural lighting and theatre design. Anne uses her experience in supervising along with a master’s degree in business leadership and learning to create a more robust role as a liaison with clients and designers to help make sure the TRC foundation runs as smoothly behind the scenes as possible.