Kyle Ransbottom

Kyle Ransbottom serves as Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre at Eckerd College, based in the Bininger Center for Performing Arts. He maintains an active dual career as both an academic educator and professional scenic/prop designer with extensive industry experience.

Education:

• MFA in Scenic Design, Purdue University
• B.A. in English and Theatre with Honors, Wake Forest University (2012)

His research centers on the convergence of immersive theatre and themed entertainment environments, exploring narrative design transfer between academic theatre and commercial attractions. This interdisciplinary focus drives his investigation into how audience engagement strategies in immersive theatre can enhance large-scale themed experiences and vice versa.

Professionally, Ransbottom designs scenery and props for regional theatres including Garden Theatre and Orlando REP while fabricating for major entertainment entities: Universal Creative (Islands of Adventure, Universal Beijing), Walt Disney Imagineering, Gaylord Palm's ICE! 2019, and Cirque du Soleil. His industry work directly informs his pedagogy in Eckerd's Theatre/Musical Theatre BFA program.