Ryder Tam
Improv Utopia East 2023
Ryder Tam presents
Be Playful! Chasing the Game
Workshop
What’s funny to you in an improv scene? This workshop focuses on playing game-of-scene improv. This fun play style will allow you to make use of the hidden math behind comedy to become a comedic genius! Impress your friends. Awe your enemies. We’ll cover topics including:
Creating a grounded, engaging base reality.
Identifying the fun, unusual bits in scenes that make them pop.
Justifying unusual character behavior.
Patternizing and heightening game in improv scenes.
Looking for a synopsis? This workshop is all about chasing the funny!
All improv levels are welcome.
About Ryder Tam
Ryder Tam is a Chinese-American improviser, actor, comedian and occasional aerospace engineer from Honolulu, Hawaii. He is a former improv instructor for Rise Comedy Denver, currently teaches for Ledge Theater in Los Angeles, and has taught workshops for Cornerstone Improv (San Diego), Bird City Improv (Baltimore), Neighborhood Comedy Theater (Phoenix), The Idiot Box (Greensboro, NC), and 3E's Comedy Club (Colorado Springs). Ryder trained at Upright Citizens Brigade, iO Chicago, Second City, Pack Theater, and Groundlings, where he is also a Saturday Night Live scholarship award winner. He performed as a headliner at the Detroit Improv Festival and Trill Comedy Festival (Houston), and has taught and performed for numerous other comedy festivals. International appearances include Ireland Improv Festival and Improfest Sweden.
Currently, Ryder performs with the Pack Theater house teams Wiggle Room (Sketch Comedy), Mind Reader (Improv), and with genre improv teams TVunscripted (Film Noir and D&D), Downtown Menagerie (Tennessee Williams), Kind Strangers (Tennessee Williams), A Very Special Episode (Sitcom), and Science Night Live (Producer; variety show). Fun fact: There is a polaroid picture of him in space! www.RyderTam.com