Norman Garcy Yap is a multi-award-winning actor, writer, and producer whose work centers on outsiders with conscience — people who mask pain with humor until truth forces them to act. A veteran of Chicago’s improv scene and over a hundred performances in lead roles in Equity theatre, he brings spontaneity, precision, and emotional depth to every role.
He was selected for the 2025 East West Players × NBCUniversal Launch Actor’s Program, highlighting promising Asian talent for series-regular roles.
Norman won the 2024 Deutsche Bank Frieze LA Jury Award for his lead performance in The Metamorphosis Project, which also screened at the 2025 LA Shorts International Film Festival.
He stars in the feature film Sun King (Best Illinois Feature – BIFF, streaming on Amazon and tubiTV) and plays the title role in The Trafficker, showcased at festivals worldwide.
THE TRAFFICKER, in which Norm plays the title character Ren, is about two Chinese immigrants who find their lives intertwined when a human trafficker gets ready to pass off his latest target. Take a look at the trailer here:
On stage, Norman completed an 80-performance run as Zhang Lin in TimeLine Theatre’s Chimerica, praised as “one of the truest things I’ve seen on stage in a long time.”
PC Laura Goetsch
He later portrayed Wen Chang in The Great Leap (Hangar Theatre / Portland Stage), hailed as “funny, heart-wrenching, brilliantly played.”
Norman has logged hundreds of performances across genres. His background in classical theatre, advanced Meisner, and Second City/IO training shapes his versatility on screen and his instinct for collaboration. Television audiences have seen him in NBC’s Chicago Med and Discovery’s Mayday / Air Emergency, along with national commercials, industrials, and voice work.
Beyond acting, Norman was an inaugural member of the Rideback Rise Writer Cohort, bringing a storyteller’s eye to every performance. He has been featured on panels celebrating Asian American artistry, given talks on creativity and resilience, and served as guest performance artist at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Born and raised in Canada, Norman is a dual U.S.–Canadian citizen, a husband and father, and a lifelong traveler who has visited more than 35 countries. He is a PADI-certified scuba diver, having explored the Great Barrier Reef, and once solo skydived from 4,000 feet—an experience that began with pure adrenaline and ended in quiet, floating peace. He is a Reelworld E20 Alum, a McGill University and Robbins Research Mastery University graduate, and speaks French, Mandarin, and Hakka Chinese.