Ryan Duncan-Ayala has worked his way up from beginnings in local theatre to the Broadway co-producer of the musical How to Dance in Ohio, based on the documentary of the same name.
He credits his success to his hometown of Laredo.
“Laredo is at the core of a lot of things I do and my work in the industry as a whole,” Duncan-Ayala said.
He started in theatre as an eight-year-old with Laredo Musical Theatre International, which became Laredo Theatre Guild International.
“The year before, my dad and my brother did a production together, and I sat in the audience, and I said, that’s what I want to do,” he said.
He went on to participate in shows onstage and backstage for several years.
While enrolled at Texas A&M-Kingsville, he participated in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, in which he presented the idea of renovating Downtown Laredo and turning it into a nonprofit cultural space and performing arts center, which earned him an internship in Connecticut.
“That was my jumping board into working in professional theatre,” he said. “The reason I get to work in this field is because of my love of my hometown.”
Duncan-Ayala hopes to inspire and encourage Laredoans pursuing theatre as a career.
“It’s always been the core of my mission to go back and influence the art scene by showing that professional arts and making a living in the arts is possible in Laredo,” he said. “When I was growing up that didn’t feel like an option.”
The musical focuses on a group of autistic young adults in group therapy who decide to throw a formal dance as a way to learn skills that help them navigate the world.
“All of the actors in the show were on the spectrum.” Duncan-Ayala said. “Getting to work on a piece of art that reshaped how we look at and tell stories about learning disabilities, mental health, and representation really excited me.”
Today, he is the company manager of Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California.
Duncan-Ayala shares this advice to aspiring artists:
“Absorb as much information as you can, ask the right questions, meet the right people whenever you have the opportunity, and [know] when to jump in.”
