Ronald Dario keeps it strange

A fixture of the improv scene in Vancouver, he’s a teacher at Blind Tiger Comedy and a performer in Treat Show and Little Mountain Improv, comedian Ronald Dario leans into the weird. I spoke with him about his comedy journey, his ideation process and getting comfortable with being silly on stage.

How did you get your start in comedy?

Ever since I was a kid, I was a comedy nerd trying to consume as much as I could. I was also an anxious child, and instead of shutting down or being quiet, I did the opposite. The Simpsons was a big part of learning to love comedy. It taught me the language of comedy: setups, punchlines, heightening. I was a weird kid. I would write down dialogue from the show that made me laugh and pick it apart to understand how it worked. I was obsessed with trying to figure out what all the references meant. I remember asking teachers, or the school librarian, what things meant. When they did know, I think they were more amused than anything else. They would go into detail and tell me who like Dick Cavett was, and I would write it down in my little notebook just to have it.

I started comedy probably a little bit later than most people. Part of that was I didn't see a lot of people like me on stage, so I never really thought it was something that would have been possible. Later, I started to see more people of colour on screen, and on stage at local comedy shows doing the kind of weird, silly comedy that I loved. That really made me want to start taking classes and learn how to do it.

How did you develop your comedic voice?

I've had very, very supportive teachers. I would get a lot of positive feedback on my specificity and the weird things that I would bring up in scenes. It took a while for me to be comfortable being the more silly character in a scene. Being in front of an audience and hearing them react positively when I was being strange on stage gave me such a good feeling, and I wanted to keep chasing that. I wanted to see how weird I could get on stage and still have the audience with me. Or even lose the audience and see if I could win them back while still being that weird character, instead backing down.

How do you develop your ideas?

My ideas come from a lot of places. I keep notebooks the way that most comedians do, and anytime there's something that feels unusual to me, I'll write it down. Then I'll just go through the brainstorming process. Maybe try to see if I can throw it into a different genre or push the idea as far as it can go. I like looking at tropes in movies and fiction to see if there's a way to skew it. Just play with expectations. I'm very into horror themed sketches lately. There's never really just one formula for me to come up with a sketch.

How do you keep yourself motivated?

It's very difficult right now, I think a lot of comedians are trying to figure out what they think is funny now, and even if the same pre pandemic things are still funny. Comedy is something that brings me joy — trying to discover what makes me laugh and what might make other people laugh. It's also just a cathartic release, being able to perform in front of people. I keep doing it because it's still something that brings me joy even in the darkest times that have been happening recently.

What's the best piece of advice you can give to somebody starting comedy?

A valuable piece of advice and something that was told to me early on, by my mentor and friend Caitlin Howden. I remember taking a class with her, and I was about to take a trip to Europe with my partner for about three weeks. I was very worried about missing these two improv shows. She told me that the experience I would have on the trip would be both good for me and my mental health and also a fun experience that would enrich my comedy. It's something that’s stuck with me. Even now, as a teacher, some of my students bring up the same sort of fear. They're worried that if they stop the hustle, everything will fall apart and they’ll forget everything and have to start from scratch. But the shows will still be here when you get back, and you'll have more to offer. Those experiences help you grow as a person so you can grow as a comedian.

See Ronald Dario at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival as part of the Opening Night Gala on March 23, and the Comedy Road Trip panel on March 26. www.torontosketchfest.com