Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Oglesby.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in College Park, Georgia just minutes away from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and home to many notable athletes and artists including: Cam Newton, Jermaine Dupri, Monica, and 2 Chainz. My interest in acting started at the age of fourteen when I was preparing to make the transition from middle to high school. I no longer had a desire to join the marching band after playing the flute since the fourth grade. Joining the band would mean sacrificing my summers for daily band practice which was an absolute no go! I had to find an alternative. I decided to try my luck in the drama department at Tri-Cities Visual and Performing Arts High School in East Point, GA. Alums from Tri-Cities include: Grammy award winners Big Boi, Andre 3000, Kandi Burruss, Tiny Harris, Tony award winner Joaquina Kalukango, and SNL’s longest-tenured cast member Kenan Thompson. It was here, under the guidance of my drama teachers, where I realized how much I – a tall and mostly quiet kid – absolutely LOVED acting on stage. After performing in my first play as Martha Pentecost in August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”, I knew being an actor was the career path for me.
During my senior year, I was a Theatre finalist and Presidential Scholar nominee for the YoungArts (NFAA) Foundation. This allowed me to travel to Miami and New York to perform with other talented young students from all over the country. Many well known artists had their start through the support of YoungArts including: Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Timothée Chalamet, and Vanessa L. Williams. During my time at YoungArts, I was featured in a short documentary titled “Rehearsing a Dream” which went on to be nominated for an Academy Award. This foundation granted me the opportunity to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design with an artistic scholarship. A mentor of mine advised me to seek more training as an actor after graduating SCAD, so I moved to Chicago to attend the graduate program at The Theatre School at DePaul University. After receiving my Master’s Degree, I stayed in Chicago to work as a full time actor in theatre, tv, commercials and voice-overs. I credit so much of my artistic development and technique to my time spent in Chicago. I consider it my second home. I don’t miss the winters though! On December 31, 2018, after driving solo for five days across the country in my trusted Toyota Corolla, I arrived in Los Angeles. Since living in LA, I’ve become more than an actor. I’ve expanded my interests into writing, directing, teaching, and producing. A girl’s gotta be multi-hyphenate out here!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It comes as no surprise that being an actor, or any sort of artist for that matter, includes a sea of challenges. As a woman that stands six feet tall WITHOUT heels, it can be exhausting to hear I didn’t book a role because of my height or I’m only being considered for the “authoritative” role rather than a love interest. You enter this industry with the understanding that you will hear “NO” more than “YES” and even with that prior knowledge, the rejection isn’t something that you necessarily get used to. I was in LA one year before Covid took its toll. In fact, I was stuck in Sacramento for several months in 2020 after a show I was performing in at B Street Theatre was called to an end with only one week of performances under our belt. After that, it was the writer and actor strikes, and most recently the fires earlier this year. All of this has caused many artists (myself included) to pivot and adapt new skills in order to persist and survive. I’m truly thankful to still be here fighting the good fight. This industry isn’t easy, but nothing worth pursuing is. I try to remind myself of that. I remain faithful and hopeful. I appreciate the love and support I receive on a daily basis from my community. I’d say having a strong network of people that encourage me, pray for me, laugh as well as cry with me, and speak my name in rooms are the fundamental tools needed to sustain the journey. Those are the people that help me push forward. Special shout out to my mother and brother who have supported me since the beginning. “Imagine the possibilities!” my mother always says to me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work as an actor includes recurring roles on Tyler Perry’s Ruthless (BET+), The Chi (SHOWTIME), and Chicago Med (NBC). Several clips of my time on Chicago Med as Officer Kate Windham have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram to my surprise. My most memorable scene involves my character arresting Marlyne Barrett’s “Maggie” while trying to get blood drawn from a suspected DUI patient without his consent. This episode was inspired by true events. I’m in an upcoming film titled “Paw Paw and Dayja” directed by Gregory Alan Williams (The Righteous Gemstones, Remember the Titans). I recently played Risa in a staged reading of August Wilson’s “Two Trains Running” for The Black Creators Collective and Oshana Arts’ “August and August Festival” at the Zephyr Theatre. At the beginning of October, I helped to produce and star in an amazing staged reading of Dael Orlandesmith’s “Yellowman” as Alma at the Mark Theatre. I am looking forward to producing a full production of this miraculous and poetic two-hander next year. I am proud to have originated the role of Genesis in the play “The Light” written by the talented Loy A. Webb (Reasonable Doubt, The Ms. Pat Show).
As mentioned previously, I’ve learned to add more to my catalogue alongside my passion for acting, which will always hold the number one place in my heart! It is because of acting that I’ve developed an appreciation for other disciplines. I’m currently a Teaching Artist at the Geffen Playhouse where I have the honor and privilege of introducing a new generation of students to the world of live theatre. My interest in directing led me to being the assistant director for A Noise Within’s production of August Wilson’s King Hedley II as well as directing my first short film titled “Final Date” written by Conisha Wade. Next year, I will direct a reading of a play with Bottle Tree Theatre. My work as a writer has been included in theatre festivals and readings in Chicago and LA. I was recently selected as a semi-finalist in the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference. I’m currently working on a comedy pilot and I’m very excited about it!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @tiffany.oglesby
Image Credits
Tandem Photography
Alex Jones Photography
Kamal Bolden Photography
