Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ramona Ryder. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ramona, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Honestly, I have been performing on stage since I could walk. I started in toddler ballet classes and plays at my parents church, and then went on to do community theater and high school productions to hone my stage presence and abilities. I’ve always had a passion for acting, singing, and stage makeup, but it wasn’t until my freshmen year of college that I really started experimenting. I joined Tiktok through the recommendation of a friend and I started posting special effects makeup looks and cosplay videos using whatever I had in my closet, and over time I started growing a following and learning how to improve my makeup and costuming skills. I also discovered my love for theatrical lip syncing this way. In December of 2020, I used what I had learned to audition for the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players – Pittsburgh’s official Rocky Horror Shadowcast – and that was when things really rocketed off! I started experimenting even more with gender expression as I played more masculine characters, I learned how to interact with a crowd and keep them engaged and involved, and I gained the confidence to be weird! I feel like that has been the most important part about this craft: You can’t be afraid to be a weirdo! The more I let my true self out, the better and more creative my performances became. After a couple years of being in the JCCP, I started branching out to try open stages and variety shows. It opened my eyes to so many more fun possibilities and I immediately started working on how to do drag makeup and practicing my strip teases. Along with these avenues of expression, something that was a core memory for me was performing in a cosplay masquerade at Tekko in 2024 with my close friend and colleague, Maxxx Massacre. The energy of the masquerade was so welcoming and everyone was so supportive, and we decided right then and there that there needed to be more performing spaces like this in Pittsburgh. That is when Jami Starling, Maxxx and I decided to form the Coven of Misfits! The Coven is our production group and we take pride in bringing the strange and unusual. We wanted to create a safe space for performers of all talents and walks of life, and even though it’s only been 3 months of us producing so far, I really think we’ve made something so special and important.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Ramona Ryder, Pittsburgh’s very own Manic Pixie Dreamboat! I have been in the performing industry “professionally” for 5 years, but before that I was a very passionate member of any theater production or drama club I could join. I got my start in makeup and drag in college thanks largely to Tiktok, and I used the lockdown time during the pandemic to really hone my skills. Cosplay, drag, horror, dancing, singing, and sometimes just some good old fashioned chaos are elements that make up my performing repertoire. I love to love things loudly and I am unabashedly a misfit, a badge I wear with honor. I am one of the three founding members of the Coven of Misfits, a Pittsburgh-based performing/production group that consists of myself, Jami Starling, and Maxxx Massacre. Along with this, I am also a proud member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players shadowcast troupe, which is Pittsburgh’s official Rocky Horror cast. When I am not performing, my other biggest passion is film. I worked professionally in the film industry for about 8 years, and I plan to continue pursuing this love by making new projects of my own.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part is just getting to tell stories. Whether it’s in my performance, my singing, or my short film work, I love getting to tell a story and often will develop my acts around some sort of plot. I find that this helps the performance flow better and also I just love the feeling of sharing a narrative through the use of my body. I am a very visual person, so for me when I hear a song I start to see the story and the movements come together in my mind as if I were in the audience watching myself. I find that being able to successfully convey emotions and a theme throughout an act and then having the crowd cheer and react along, especially during the parts you spent a lot of time crafting up, is truly the best part.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

GO SUPPORT LOCAL TALENT!!! I cannot stress that enough! Yes, it’s fun to go see your favorite band or celebrity, but in order to keep the art scene thriving, it is vital that we help boost those in our community. Go see a local drag show; go watch a play at the community playhouse; attend an art gallery; find a basement show with a band you have never heard of! By showing up and showing interest, we build each other up and keep the community thriving and growing

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ramonaryder_pgh
• Other: Tiktok – @starchild.jpeg

  Bluesky – @starchild-jpeg

  Tumblr – @starchild-jpeg