Bridget Ryan loves hearing stories — and telling them, too.
As co-host of CityTV's Breakfast Television in Edmonton, which was recently rebranded as Dinner Television, Ryan relishes the yarn: From talking politics with the mayor and meeting with the Bay City Rollers to plugging some of the best eateries in town.
But when Ryan hits Coquitlam this week, it'll be all about her life.
Ryan will bring her bubbly charm to the Evergreen Cultural Centre to present her original cabaret show, Under The Influence, which (of course!) will describe how she got to where she is today: at the top of the broadcasting game.
Ryan will spin her musical tale about what it was like growing up in a theatrical family in Edmonton. Her late father, Tim, founded the MacEwan University theatre arts department; her mother, Maralyn, is a well-known actor, director, playwright and coach; and her sister, Kate, acts and directs.
Ryan throws in other influences as well about her Irish Catholic upbringing. There's the pop/rock/alternative music from the 1980s/'90s, her friends, her high school, etc., etc. — all backed up by a trio made up of Jen McMillan on piano and vocals, Andrew Miller on drums and Daniel Semak on bass.
"It's a combination of all the influences I had experienced in my life to date — from birth to today," she said, "and even though it's my influences, there are certain universal influences that we're all so affected by. A lot of people see themselves in the show."
But while Ryan's upbringing may have been typical for a Canadian girl, her post-secondary years were anything but average.
She graduated from MacEwan and then the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music with a bachelor's of fine arts in musical theatre and later moved to New York City to act. That's where she fell in love with the art of cabaret. "It's more interesting and, as you age, it has more depth," she said.
But in 2001, she returned to her roots to take care of her ailing dad and, for the past 15 years, Ryan has used her talent for television talk. As well, she has written musicals and penned three children's books: Who Is Boo: The Terrific Tales of One Trickster Rabbit, Urban Animals and Who Is Boo 2: The Continuing Adventures of One Trickster Rabbit. She also is one part of the Carter-Ryan Gallery and Live Art Venue, with aboriginal visual artist Jason Carter, in Canmore.
Ryan said the big reveal in her Under The Influence show is that "we are each other's greatest influences and we need to keep inspiring each other and be connected," she said while in Edmonton last Friday. "That's how we grow and keep learning and taking risks."
"I think it's kind of a call to reconnect in a way because there's a false sense of connection in the world right now with all the cell phones and internet," she continued. "As a result, we are becoming less and less connected and unemotional with people."
• Bridget Ryan's Under the Influence opens Thursday at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam) and runs until Saturday with a matinee on Dec. 17. Tickets are $33/$28/$15 via the box office at 604-927-6555 or online at evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
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CONTEST: Want a pair of tickets to see Under The Influence on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m.? Email [email protected] by Friday for a chance to win.
