Comedian Ronen Tverya is one of those uniquely talented performers who manages to find the funny bone in even the toughest members of the crowd-- you know the ones who look like they haven’t smiled since, well, ever. Born and raised in Israel, Ronen made a name for himself on comedy club stages back home early on in his career.
One of the aspects of Ronen’s act that makes him stand out is the way he interacts with the crowd. Regardless of whether one of his jokes causes the room to erupt in laughter, or falls flat, which is rare, Ronen continually engages the crowd, single out people in the room, asking them questions and wielding those organic, unscripted conversations into his routine on the spot. From impressions to improvisational songs, and a lot of self-deprecating humour, Ronen weaves together a multitude of styles into his routine, but one of the through lines that connects it all is his attention to the audience.
He explains, “I do a lot of crowd work, for me that's the most important and fun thing to do. I like to talk to them like they are a part of the show. Their reactions is very important to me. I want them to feel good and enjoy every moment.”
Recently Ronen began traveling around the United States on an extended vacation, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been able to have some fun on stage. A strong force in the comedy world, it’s not surprising that he’s been invited to perform as a featured guest at some of the coolest comedy clubs around the country thanks to his unique skill on stage. With Hebrew being his first language, adapting his act to English, as well as altering his jokes to an audience with vast cultural differences than the general population back home in Israel, has been a unique challenge for the comedian; but often times those challenges seem to work in his favor. Some might argue it’s the authentic way he delivers his personal experiences in America without stumbling over his words or apologizing for grammatical missteps, but instead owning the fact that English is his second language, and zeroing in on the fact that some of the practices in this country are downright perplexing to him.
“I think self-humor is a must. I laugh a lot about my life,” says Ronen. “Being a comedian requires you to reveal yourself. You can't hide anything from the audience as you're standing there all alone by yourself.”
Since coming stateside, Ronen has already performed as a guest at Laughs Comedy Club and Comedy Underground in Seattle, WA and San Francisco’s Brainwash café, where he performed during the Cookies and Comedy, comedy highlight of San Francisco founded by none other than Tony Sparks, the “Godfather of Comedy” himself.
“I think if Tony Sparks see’s me perform and recognizes my talent, that’s a big compliment for me,” admits Ronen with a smile.
Ronen has also performed on Mutiny Radio, a popular San Francisco radio collective that broadcast live musical performances, poetry, comedy, theater and interviews with the artists, activists and thinkers that come through the Bay Area.
Clearly his act has gone over well in the states, and more invitations to bring his comedy routine to stages across the country continue to roll in. You can catch Ronen performing live during the Dirty Martini Showcase at The Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington on Sunday August 27 at 6:30 p.m., as well as several other hilarious acts. If you’re not in Seattle don’t worry, you can still catch Ronen’s act, as the show will be broadcast live on Facebook through the Dirty Martini Shows page.
“I'm looking forward to it as the performance is going to be broadcast live, that's pretty exciting. Also I love The Rendezvous… I perform there almost every Saturday at the "Naked Brunch" improv event ,” explains Ronen. “As for the material, I'll I'll talk to the crowd and see how it feels.”
So don’t miss it!