Meet Ryan Vasquez | Actor/Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Vasquez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Everything is downstream of culture, so I believe art to be a driving force in everything from what you see on the news to what you see on your phone when you need a mindless scroll (which I do not recommend, for the record). I think even growing up,I started to see our attention waver. We were moving away from monoculture, networks were beginning to ebb in the shadow of streaming services, phones were becoming the addictive product we now know them to be, and I began to see art, especially live entertainment where everyone is semi-forced to pay attention, as a way to unite a few hundred people at any one time under the umbrella of something meaningful: an idea, a purpose, a reason for being that’s a little grander than your weekly task list.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to call myself a creator over anything because while I have certainly been in shows where I am expected to follow what came before me, my most valuable experiences have come when I have been invited to create. I have originated many roles in shows that have then come to Broadway, including Waitress, The Outsiders, The Notebook, Water for Elephants, to name a few. When I am trusted as a collaborator, not just as an engine, I am at my best.

And it has bled into other parts of my life. I am a game administrator for Dungeons and Dragons, creating worlds for my players to exist in and rediscover a sense of play. I organize mock games of The Traitors on every contract I work now, inviting co-workers to step outside of the work they are doing an engage with each other in silly, but communal, ways. Everything comes back to the importance of community and partnership. If the product is good, but there are ruptures on the inside, the model does not sustain. It’s why even at a company like Zoom, which was made to lionize remote work as a perfectly reasonable substitute for in-person connection, employees are being asked to return to their desks. Creativity suffers alone.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First and foremost, we are going to the water. I love the water, especially in cities. Reminds you of how small you are and helps me to shake off a little of that paranoia that comes from Main Character Syndrome.

There are too many amazing restaurants in New York to name, but Cho Dang Gol in K-Town is a must, and a day in Central Park is required as well. I love to bike, so getting on my Brompton and taking a bike tour through the city is a great time. Knick’s game at MSG, I’m a huge basketball fan. Other than that, the beauty of New York is that you can do anything you want at any time. Every trip is unique.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A huge part of my personal development can be attributed to adrienne maree brown, whose book, Emergent Strategy, was given to me by a director who I also really admire, Liesl Tommy. While her work is full of ideas and images that have guided me through some difficult times (recovery programs, the pandemic, health struggles, to name a few), one that remains ingrained is the starling murmuration, a group of birds that travel in enormous formations, but without a leader. I have tried, as a leader and a participant, to act in that way. No migratory V, no one leader who speaks over the rest and demands we move southeast, but a group of people, sensing energetic shifts that allow us to move as one. The best idea always wins, but it doesn’t need to originate with, or be approved by, a single person. Beyond it feeling wrong in my bones more and more, it’s also an inefficient way to be.

And, of course, my teachers. Kevin Hauge, Tom Alessandri, Linda Goodrich, Mark Madama, Brent Wagner, many more who walked me through the woods so I could come out the other side with any modicum of skill or confidence. Education is gold.

Website: https://itsryanvasquez.com

Instagram: itsryanvasquez