Ryan Bernsten is a writer and performer. His work has been performed onstage internationally––from the Huffington Post and TimeOutNY-recommended DREAM TICKET in New York to the critically-acclaimed ATLANTIC in Edinburgh produced in association with Northwestern University and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He has been published in USA Today, the Routine, and the Rockford Writer's Anthology. Other works include his one-man show CAMPAIGN/NO GAIN (Brentwood College); VOTE! THE MUSICAL (Stage 773); THE NEW ORDER (The Corkscrew Theatre Festival), and BAD PRESS (Cherry Lane Theatre). He is the creator of the touring UK show “Chris Cooke for Congress” which is the recipient of the King’s Hall Grant. Ryan is currently writing a book, “50 States of Mind” about his road trip through all 50 states to talk with mayors, governors, and regular folk. He is pursuing his Master’s in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford.
Ryan Bernsten
Official site of "50 States of Mind" author, podcast host, and political writer.
Ryan Bernsten is a writer whose work has been published and performed off-Broadway and internationally. While traveling to all 50 states, he fell in love with his native Midwest all over again and moved from the coast back to the center of the country. Ryan received his master's degree from the University of Oxford, where he graduated with honors and received a distinction for his narrative non-fiction account of his American travels, 50 States of Mind. Onstage, ATLANTIC––a collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and his alma mater Northwestern University––won critical acclaim at Edinburgh Fringe and DREAM TICKET (Players Theatre, off-Broadway) won the NY Fringe Excellence Award and was recommended by The Huffington Post and TimeOut. Other credits include BAD PRESS (Cherry Lane Theatre); THE NEW ORDER (Corkscrew Theatre Festival, Oxford University Dramatic Society Best Play for Voices); and his one-man show CAMPAIGN/NO GAIN, performed internationally. Ryan has been published in USA Today, The Oxford Political Review, and the Oxymoron, and worked with CONAN and The Onion. The companion podcast 50 States of Mind won the King’s Hall Grant and can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
PRESS
TV
PODCASTS
50 States of Mind
Host
Northwestern Intersections
Guest
Two Broads Talking Politics
Guest
Sanity
Guest
Indivisible Chicago
Guest
Travel for a Loop
Guest
Slightly Sophisticated
Guest
PRODUCTIONS
"Dream Ticket brings satirical Republican politics through Ryan Bernsten’s highly focused Democratic lens to shed light on our corrupt love of candidacy drama, instead of where the focus should really be—on the American people." - Theatre is Easy
"With comedy like "Veep", drama like "Scandal" and Sorkin-esque wisdom and sensibility, Dream Ticket by Ryan Bernsten is an aptly timed political play." - Theatre in the Now
"...tackl[es] identity and what it means to be American. The themes and dialogue allow us to look back in glorious hindsight to the faults of the time, while the emphasis on the dangers of the media draws relevant parallels with present times... and is undoubtedly an excellent theatre piece." - EdfestMagazine
"... a moving and dramatic piece of theatre." -British Theatre Guide
ATLANTIC: AMERICA & THE GREAT WAR
Edinburgh Fringe Mainstage, Assembly Hall
directed by David H. Bell
THE NEW ORDER
Best New Play for Voices, Oxford University
directed by Morag Campbell and Alice Taylor
Corkscrew Theatre Festival
directed by Kristin Skye Hoffmann
