Second City Chicago and Harold Ramis Film School alum Ahyoka Saas is a Two-Spirit comedy writer. Their work explores ubiquitous situations through their cheerfully sardonic lens of satire. As a writer, director, and performer who has grappled with mental illness and disabilities, Ahyoka has found comedy to not only be a helpful coping skill in life, but also a way for them to explore their identity as well as inform others. Ahyoka’s best-loved live credits are writer, producer, and director of five hour-long sketch revues at The Second City Chicago. An avid live theater producer, Saas has booked and managed several weekly variety shows. During their time in Chicago, Ahyoka was lucky enough to perform over one-hundred and fifty narrative improv shows that helped hone their skills as a storyteller. In September 2022, Ahyoka won the Roadmap Writers Diversity Initiative Competition. A month later, they scored the Sundance Film Festival Indigenous Program short film, Headdress. Their film credits include writer and producer of Over It (2020) along with writer, producer, and director of Close To You (2021). They have also worked on the sets of Showtime’s Shameless and The CW’s Batwoman. Ahyoka is a founding member of the Chicago musical comedy collective Good Ass Group whose debut album, We All Miss Hugs, raised hundreds for Brave Space Alliance, Chicago’s first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ Center. Music production, composition, and performing has been a huge part of their life for the past thirteen years. Saas has even played in a blues-funk band and released a few tracks as a solo artist through Bandcamp. In 2022, they produced several instrumentals for a musical comedy influencer with millions of TikTok views. Four years experience in the visual arts settings of painting, ceramic, and graphic design helped develop Ahyoka’s immaculate improvisational approach to writing and directing. A dedicated writer, Ahyoka has finished several short film scripts and six polished original pilots. Their self-published book, Koalas & Other Funny Short Stories, is now available in Chicago bookstores and online.