Ryan Laskowski is a Chattanooga native and founder of Scenic City Shakespeare. He has been involved in hundreds of productions ranging from children’s theatre to rock concerts. In addition to numerous roles on stage, Ryan has worked in nearly every aspect of the theatre ranging from box office sales and marketing to lighting and sound design. Over the last decade, Ryan has assisted and led the development of two theatre companies with the goal to bring professional performance opportunities to the Tennessee Valley. Scenic City Shakespeare was among the first companies to produce online content in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. During the early days of shutdowns Ryan developed a new performance technique coined Remote Theatre with a mission to provide a creative outlet to out-of-work theatre artists. Using green screens, Scenic City Shakespeare produced 3 full-length adaptations of Shakespeare features actors performing from around the world on one virtual stage – LIVE. During this time Ryan learned that performances can be compelling to audiences and rewarding to cast members, even from within their own living rooms. He also developed a new appreciation for the collaborative nature of theatre and the adaptability of actors.
Ryan studied acting and improvisation under Rex Knowles and Sherry Landrum, original faculty members of the New Actor’s Workshop developed by EGOT winner Mike Nichols. The workshop’s method of experiential learning through a focus on Improvisation and Scene Study is the basis for Scenic City Shakespeare’s educational programming.
Memorable roles include: The Major General (Pirates of Penzance), Nicky (Avenue Q), Touchstone (As You Like It), Gooper (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), & Sam Phillips (Million Dollar Quartet) with special appearances in Into the Woods, A Christmas Carol the Musical, The Curious Savage, Falsettos, Seussical, Rumors and many others.
Ryan is also an avid photographer, drone pilot, video editor, graphic designer, and VR gamer. His love of the outdoors has inspired him to bring touring productions of Shakespeare’s works to Tennessee’s many scenic parks through the production company Scenic City Shakespeare.
Artist Work Samples
Sample Programs Offered
Program Type:
Program Description:
Older Adult Scene Study – A 12-week beginner/improver acting performance
program. This course covers the basics of voice and body work, improvisation,
text comprehension, performance, and audience feedback through the principles
of Role Distance. During this class students will select scenes and scene
partners and perform before classmates and guest artists and receiving
feedback. Through these performances students will learn to segment each
scene into “beats”, focus on characterization, and develop and adapt their
performances based on feedback. Each session ends with a scene night for
invited audience members.
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
Program Type:
Program Description:
Older Adult Beginner Improvisation – A weekly course focused on the basics of
Improvisation, utilizing the methods of Paul Sills & Viola Spolin. Students will
participate individually, in pairs, and in small groups moving from warm up
games to improvised scene work and theatre games. Students gain poise, build
confidence and unleash their creativity by learning the fundamental concepts of
improvisation. This class is a blast!
Lesson Plan Example: Download File
