Ryan Hartley (any pronouns) is a neurodivergent genderqueer theater artist. Ryan is currently focusing on directing and dramaturgy, with a renewed interest in acting.
Queerness, loss of innocence, and skepticism are frequent themes in Ryan’s work, which examines how much of what we hold onto is illusion. When our illusions fall away, we’re left with our bodies, our attractions, our physical needs, and our storytelling impulses.
A graduate of Pepperdine University, Ryan made a journey through musical theater and corporate-branded entertainment toward contemporary plays and new play development.
Ryan is the founding artist of The New Cosmopolitans – a laboratory for collaboration with fellow theater artists. Under this umbrella, Ryan curated the New Queer Works virtual series of developmental readings, and most recently directed an award-winning production of Gummy Worm by Nathaniel Foster at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Ryan has trained with SITI Company and the Yale Summer directing intensive, and now trains with The Barrow Group. Ryan is also a member of Literary Managers and Dramaturgy of the Americas.
Ryan Hartley: Theater Artist 