Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Yvonne Cox.
Tiffany, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was in 10th grade I performed in a play called “Bang Bang You’re Dead” by William Mastrosimone. It was written after the Columbine shooting and featured a boy, named Josh, who goes to school and kills all his friends. The lesson at the end being that Josh realizes the gravity of his actions and how it has affected his community and him. We performed this show for three days for different high schools. After each show, we had a Q&A and the moderator would ask, “Has anyone ever felt like Josh?” On the 2nd day during this question, one kid stood up and said, “I’ve always felt like Josh, but now I know I can’t do the things that he did.”
That moment took my breath away. I was amazed at the power of words and the fact that theatre could change a person’s perspective so drastically.
That is when I decided I want to be an actor.
I decided to study Musical Theatre at Catawba College because I felt that as an African American artist I needed to be able to do anything and everything that may be thrown at me in this profession. After college, I interned at PCPA Theaterfest, which taught me to trust what I learned at Catawba. After PCPA, I interned at The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre which is where I got to see how a professional regional theatre functions and how people make a life as an actor. It also launched me into the Chicago Theatre Scene. Having the name of The Milwaukee Rep on one’s resume is a badge of honor and helped me get jobs on the stage within three months of arrival to the Windy City.
My time in Chicago was full and abundant with opportunities at some of the top stages such as Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens, The House Theatre, and many others.
When Chicago got the slate of Dick Wolf shows, and I was cast in my very first co-star, I realized I could buy a house one day if I kept this up. I gave myself 2 years to build my credits, secure my savings, and get my SAGAFTRA card. I then made the plunge to sunny Los Angeles. Those two years set me up for success because I arrived with a reel, union status, and representation. I booked a national commercial within three months upon my arrival and a theatrical role within six months. I was off to the races that has brought me to where I am today.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is it every really an easy path? I’d say no. But what makes the difference, in my humble opinion, is your attitude towards it all.
When I first arrived in Chicago I had three months’ worth of savings and could not get a job to save my life! I had a little journal where I marked every single penny I spent. If it got to the end of the month and I was about to go over budget, I would eat rice with chicpeas and cream cheese. Hey, it gave me protein and fiber! Sounds absolutely disgusting now, but I was disciplined and living vicariously as a newbie to life after college and internships.
At the end of the 3rd month, I happened upon a job at Starbucks because someone I met randomly at a party in Milwaukee saw my name on an application and told the manager to hire me. I have to tip my hat to Starbucks. The company saved me. I was making minimum wage and they offered health insurance. I could run away and do a show and that particular store took me back each time I returned from one of my three-month stints on stage. My roommate also worked at Starbucks so we would bring home sandwiches that were going to be thrown out and survive off of those. Another source of free food so we could squirrel away change for headshots and train passes. Honestly, those days were so much fun, because we were all struggling and just getting by but with so much joy.
Los Angeles was a step above that as I was older and more secure in my artistry. The rocky part was the realization that though I may be working bigger jobs on television, I had WAY more downtime in between. Also, the note I learned back in college finally rang true. For every 30 auditions MAYBE I would book one job. My job since being in Los Angeles truly turned into auditioning. While in Chicago I was used to doing about 3 -4 theatre shows per year. That meant being at a theatre with an ensemble for an average of three months at a time. The downtime in between was few and far between. Here in LA, unless you are a series regular or recurring, you work 1-8 days and then you are on to the next audition in hopes of work. Imagine working, say, ten jobs for the year. That is at a minimum of ten days of work and 355 days where you are auditioning, taking a class, or working a day job. Though these elements feed into our work, it can also feel like a barren desert of waiting for someone to hire you for your real skill set. Yeah… no, thank you. Before I allowed the: sitting around waiting for the possibility of a job” to drive me insane, I started writing and producing and hosting readings where I could control when I knew I would be performing.
Tell us about your work.
I am an actor, producer, and writer. My theatrical career is steadily rising with notable roles such as Grey’s Anatomy, Raven’s Home, as well as a hilarious co-star on Dead To Me that somehow I get recognized for on the street. I am also quite familiar with the world of commercials and recently had one of those moments of “why I am an actor” with a campaign for American Airlines – Stand Up To Cancer.
Fortunately, my work as an actor has allowed me to begin producing my own work that focuses on bringing fresh images to marginalized voices. My producing partners and I released our very first Digital Series called COMMUNE. You can find it on YouTube @CommuneTheSeries. We created it initially to show ourselves that we can tell a full story outside of just us as individual actors. Once we released it, we realized that creating vivid stories that relate to POC is a gift that we MUST continue to share and develop.
I am currently working on a series of short films to strengthen my work as a producer and creative. The next piece people will be seeing is about my first positive interaction with a cop, coupled with roundtable discussions I hope to develop that will encourage dialogue and a change within this broken system that is killing our brown people.
What sets me apart is my focus on community. This probably comes from my Trinidadian background and growing up as a Military Brat. I have always had to be a chameleon and learned to adapt quickly in new places. I am the producer that brings everyone together to execute a vision. I am the actor that gives weight and a dose of reality filtered through my lived experience with every role I perform. I am the artist that finds a community component to invest in with each project. Currently, I volunteer time with CSH Speak Up! as a Coach that helps people who have experienced homelessness craft a 3-5 minute story that is then taken to legislation to advocate for supportive housing. This all came from doing COMMUNE where one of the themes is reentry into society after incarceration.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My core beliefs:
The cup is always half full.
God, Family, and Community are what is most important in life.
My travel adventures remind me the world is way bigger than the moments I experience day to day in LA.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tiffanyyvonnecox.com and www.communetheseries.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @tiffany_y_cox
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiffanyyvonnecox
- Twitter: @TiffanyYvonneC
- Other: imdb.me/tiffanyyvonnecox
Image Credit:
The photo where I am doing a print job and the photographer is on the counter.
Modeling for a Print Job
She is Audrey Ma.
The photo with multiple people in front of the Step and Repeat for COMMUNE. L-R
COMMUNE’s Release Party
Sean Walton, Dionne Audain, Mildred Marie Langford, Brian D. Mason, Bridget Walker, Tiffany Yvonne Cox, D.K. Uzoukwu, A.J. Francois, and E. Milton Wheeler
The 1960’s photo on set
1960s commercial shoot
McKenzie Lee Foster, Tiffany Yvonne Cox, Wayne Wilderson
Photo with me and my backpack
One of my many solo trips to get grounded and gain perspective. This is in Amsterdam
Photo with me in a long green jacket
On set of How To Get Away With Murder
Photo with me in the fuschia dress
On set of Santa Clarita Diet
Photo of me laughing in a Victorian Dress
Meet & Greet at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre as Bianca in Taming of The Shrew
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