Ralph Gregory Krumins Biography

“Mitzy, Mitzy, Mitzy, do you love me?”​

As early as he can remember, Ralph would hear this mother sing to their dog.  She was known to bounce around the kitchen creating original ditties to which Ralph would roll his eyes, or sigh as it expelled another bubbling laugh from his mother.  Little did he know, this introduction to creative songwriting would propel Ralph for the rest of his life. ​

Ralph began violin lessons at a young age with piano following soon after.  At seven he wrote his first composition The Princess and the Dragon, which consisted mainly of chords running up and down the length of the keys. His parents would continue to encourage these performances for friends and family with Ralph growing as a songwriter.

​Ralph's mentorship during his high school & undergraduate days helped him shape his voice and his style with the guidance of Marilyn Foree, Diane Heustead, and Lee Snook.  While he would be encouraged to build his ability to study and practice traditional musical songs, Ralph shirked the responsibility and continued to weave his songs, grabbing a makeshift battalion of fledgling artists and dropping their first and only album as The Velvet Hammers which the track Conan O’Brien Rocks, Conan O’Brien Rules became a local hit.​

After catching the theatre bug teaching at Helen Hocker Theatre Camp, Ralph’s trajectory changed as he was regularly seen performing onstage and creating Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) content.  During his college years, Ralph was a highly versatile actor tackling roles ranging from Jekyll/Hyde in Jekyll & Hyde, Jerry Lukowski in The Full Monty, and Buddy Holly in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. While Ralph was a gifted performer his true joy came from creating TYA musicals, and with his senior project The Clumsy Duckling he was on the path his mother unknowingly created.

​Snagging his first acting gig outside of college, Ralph found himself at Great Plains Theatre.  Ralph expressing interest in teaching summer classes and after a very successful run of a new original musical Mall Ratz, Ralph was snatched up as the company’s new Education Director. During this time he performed in Rumors, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls,  Much Ado About Nothing, and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. He also penned new music works The Very Hungry Caterpillar Musical and a show that would become the basis for Prince(cess).​

Wanting to explore the world further Ralph became an Edutainer at Gyeonggi English Village in Paju South Korea. While there he was a performer and educator, writing the English Secondary Language Immersive show Ambush: The Capture of Billy the Kid and the ESL musical Rapunzel in the Wild West. 

Sierra Repertory Theatre in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas became Ralph's next stop as he held the role of Education Director.  While there he was a company actor performing in Hank Willams: Lost Highway, The Music Man, and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and creating TYA immersive interactive performances Jason & The Argonauts, The Littlest Pirate, Dino-RAWR, and The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.​

Continuing education was on the horizon as Ralph was selected as one of five Graduate students in the University of Central Florida’s Theatre for Young Audiences MFA track with mentors Vandy Wood, Julia Listengarten, & Sybil St. Claire.  Researching identity and authentic representation, Ralph served as an Instructor of Record for Script Analysis, Acting, and Theatre Survey.  Ralph also founded Celebrate TYA, a student organization that focused on producing canonical TYA and creating new originals.  He also was one of the founders Playback UCF which explores social community storytelling through metaphor, music, movement, and symbolism- a troupe that still performs to this date.​

After graduation, Ralph moved to SWFL and joined the staff of Seacrest Country Day School as a theatre and music instructor.  While there, he moved into the Director of Arts position, enhanced programming in visual, music, theatre, and digital arts, and produced/directed multiple shows a year.  Additionally, during his time he created a choral rendition of the school song Be the Best, a musical short Millions of Boxes, and the musical Haunted High. ​

Ralph continues to write and collaborate as a music Director for several improvisational troupes including, Four First Names, Limboland, and Solonovela.  He has also created a one-man musical improv performance Ivories Guy which crafts characters and songs based on audiences' experiences, creating an interactive and immersive performance. With his musical improv workshop The Head and the Heart: Unlocking Vulnerability through Musical Improv Ralph continues to share his passion and expertise with actors of all ages. ​

Quite a journey from the first days of: “Mitzy, Mitzy, Mitzy, do you love me?”

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