RYAN BERNSTEN studied playwriting at Northwestern University and received his master's degree from the University of Oxford. His plays have been performed internationally: onstage, ATLANTIC – a collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Northwestern – 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 WE ARE BLOOD (William Jewell College, Olathe Civic Theatre, Kansas City Public Theatre, Angels Theatre Company, ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition Finalist; Jewish Theatre Project Play Competition Semifinalist); THE NEW ORDER (William Jewell College, Kansas City Horror Play Festival, Corkscrew Theatre Festival, Oxford University Dramatic Society Best Play for Voices); NOVEL (Kansas City Public Theatre, Charlotte Street Foundation); BAD PRESS (Cherry Lane Theatre). At Oxford, he received a distinction for his narrative nonfiction account of his American travels to all 50 states, which was published as 50 States of Mind: A Journey to Rediscover American Democracy in 2023. Leveraging his experience interviewing mayors, governors, and voters, Ryan is an international keynote speaker, exploring how we can have more effective conversations and use community involvement to make change. Ryan is a contributor for The Infatuation and has been published in The Kansas City Star, USA Today, The Fulcrum, and The Oxford Political Review, and worked with CONAN and The Onion. You may have seen him chatting with Helen Mirren as a Slytherin contestant on the quiz show HARRY POTTER: TOURNAMENT OF HOUSES hosted by Helen Mirren on MAX. Ryan has won Webby and Gold Telly Awards with The Trevor Project creative team where he oversees storytelling strategy to end suicide among LGBTQ+ young people.