ryder's Info
Ryder Tam is a Chinese-American improviser, comedian and occasional aerospace engineer based out of Los Angeles. He has a passion for science, comedy, and all things nerdy. You can find him at The Pack Theater in Hollywood with his regular shows Science Night Live and Mind Reader improv, or on social media with his sketch comedy channel TVunscripted.He headlined the Trill Comedy Festival in Houston, TX and has performed abroad at Improfest Sweden. Other festival appearances include Westside Comedy Festival (LA), Denver Improv Festival, Purefest Chicago, and North Carolina Comedy Festival.
Ryder has taught improv for Rise Comedy (Denver) and Bird City Improv (Baltimore), and is a graduate of Upright Citizens Brigade, iO Chicago, and The Groundlings (improv track). His approach to coaching and teaching is to focus on imaginative play and to dive deep into characters and scenes moment by moment!
As a self-professed nerd and childhood LARPer, Ryder would love to show you just how much fun you can have with your imagination.
Workshops I offer:
1. Improvised Dungeons & Dragons
Students will learn how to create an improvised Dungeons & Dragons fantasy narrative. Topics will include narrative improv, creation of strong characters in a fantasy setting, and game of scene.
Looking for a unique improv experience, or a way to make your D&D campaign more fun and comedic? Sign up today and roll for initiative!
2. Duos! Crushing Full Length Sets With Only Two Performers
How can you make your two person scenes pop so much that you’ll never want to leave them? Get intimate with this rundown on successful twoprov teams.
This workshop will provide you with the tools necessary to create your own duo improv team. We’ll cover intimacy and connection, playing multiple characters in the same scene, balancing presence with “writer-brain,” and finding the spark of life in a dying scene – all under the purview and pressure of pure, two-person improv!
Open to duos (bring a friend and be paired up together!) or individuals! Not interested in creating a duo team? That’s ok! The skills you’ll learn here will make your two-person scenes stronger. Never depend on the back line again!
Skill level intermediate - students should have some prior improv experience.
3. Subtext! What’s going on beneath the surface?
In this workshop, we will explore and play with subtext - the hidden or less obvious meanings found in our dialogue, characters, and scenes.
What secret plots and plans can characters get themselves tangled in when they accidentally or willfully hide information from one another? Either way, it will be sure to delight the audience.
From miscommunications in sketch to dramatic irony in literature, subtext is a powerful and pervasive tool in comedy.
This workshop explores the fun that can be found by clearly communicating to improvisers and the audience information that characters don't understand.
A classic tool in narrative and comedy, subtext will open new doors to your scenic play!
For more info: http://www.rydertam.com
