Already a working standup comedian with nothing to lose, Ryman auditioned for “Last Comic Standing” season eight with no real expectations and made it to the top 25. He called it a fun opportunity and it gave him wider recognition to tour more, has released albums and become a favorite on Dry Bar Comedy, a website that streams a variety of comedians and their concerts.
“Most of my stuff is biographical storytelling, no politics and nothing too wild but relatable to everyone. These are jokes, simple and fun of what I think is funny,” said Ryman.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Ryman described himself as a goofy kid, but not a class clown, who was interested in theater and acting, but never thought of standup comedy. Influences such as “Saturday Night Live,” Conan O’Brien, Louie Anderson and especially fellow Minneapolis comic, the late Mitch Hedberg, steered him into comedy, which he prefers to do clean to appeal to a diverse audience.
Ryman is spending some of the summer on the road, and said he’ll mix some of his classic bits with some newer material. He’s also looking forward to playing the Gloria.
“It’s really neat to see these older venues,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of theaters, clubs and big amphitheaters and the Gloria staff has been cool and very supportive. A theater like the Gloria is as close to being an ideal setting as there is for my show.”
This area has seen a lot of standup comedy shows recently, from professionals to regional and amateurs. This first Stars on Stage series was created to showcase various music genres and entertainment like comedy, which fits the area’s demand for it.
“We have worked hard to renovate the Gloria to be a performing arts venue as well as a state-of-the-art cinema and are so pleased to be able to bring quality performances to the region,” said Staci Weller, CEO of the GrandWorks Foundation, that is helping renovate the Gloria.
Weller added that local students from the Urbana Youth Center will attend this performance as a way to get them further exposure to all different career paths, which is part of the organization’s mission to also back to the community.
The Stars on Stage will present diverse musical act B2wins on July 22 and three other shows through the end of 2023.
HOW TO GO
What: Comedian Tommy Ryman
Where: Gloria Theatre, 216 S. Main St., Urbana
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 10
Admission: $19-39
More info: gloriatheatre.org/ or 937-653-4853
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