Howdy Stranger

Founding (2008)

Ryan Huban founded Howdy Stranger in 2008 in northern New Jersey, building an improv troupe and training program in an area with strong proximity to the New York City improv scene but limited local improv infrastructure. The organization grew through classes, workshops, and performances at New Jersey venues while developing a reputation for quality through Northeast festival appearances.

Recognition and Programs

Howdy Stranger won the NYC Tournament of Improvisers in 2019 and competed at the Improv Arena and Improv Bowl XI. The organization developed educational partnerships, bringing improv workshops into New Jersey schools and serving as adjudicators at New Jersey state improv competitions. Over its first 15+ years, thousands of students completed Howdy Stranger's classes and workshops.

Ongoing Operations

Howdy Stranger continues to perform monthly shows at HACPAC (Hackensack Performing Arts Center) and other New Jersey venues, running class programs and workshops for students and corporate clients across the region.

Howdy Stranger operates as a performing ensemble and training organization rather than a fixed-venue theatre, adapting its performances to HACPAC and other host spaces across New Jersey. The organization's educational programs span school outreach, corporate workshops, and open class programs, positioning improv as a tool for personal development and community-building as well as theatrical performance.

Howdy Stranger was founded in 2008 by Ryan Huban as a Northern New Jersey improv troupe and training organization, and has performed at HACPAC (the Hackensack Performing Arts Center) and venues across New Jersey throughout its nearly two-decade history. The organization won the NYC Tournament of Improvisers in 2019, a competitive recognition that established its reputation beyond the regional circuit and positioned it among the top-performing improv ensembles in the New York metropolitan area. Over its history Howdy Stranger has trained thousands of students and performed at festivals throughout the Northeast.

By operating in Northern New Jersey rather than in New York City proper, Howdy Stranger has served as the primary professional improv resource for a densely populated suburban corridor that lacks its own major comedy infrastructure, bringing training and live performance to communities that would otherwise rely on Manhattan institutions. Specific named recurring productions and publicly documented notable alumni have not been confirmed through available sources.