We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Arianna Tysinger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Arianna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most recent film I’ve worked on, Clementine Rodeo, I feel was a creative calling card for all of the skills I’ve cultivated over the years.
I got to play Clementine Rodeo, a mime-styled clown who wanders around a town and finds herself involved in multiple extreme situations. In this project, I got to play the piano (which I started playing at 3-years-old), perform my sideshow performance skills, showcase my film background in the subtleties of facial performance, and also got to tap into the direction of guiding actors to a deeper performance and connection.
Aside from the skills, I felt this project was special because my fiancé was the one who wrote and directed the piece. He showed me in his unique, creative way that he sees every aspect of me. Not only that, he also made it to where it was a project that we both created together in every step of the process.
Overall, this film will always have a special place in my heart.
Arianna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Arianna Tysinger, and I like to describe myself as the love-child of Danny Devito and Lucille Ball.
The creative field started at birth. My mother would always tell the story about how when she gave birth, she had to page the nurses a few hours later because they were enjoying taking turns holding me because I was so sweet.
Professionally, I got involved with taking classes at Raleigh Little Theatre when I was 9 after seeing a production at their blackbox theatre. I had done school productions for parents before, but this was the move that started the domino effect. I did the theatre productions at my school in Raleigh, then started professional community theatre at the age of 12.
Theatre was such a rewarding experience for me, being a key part of what I attribute to be the core of my values and beliefs. But, as I went into college, many people would tell me that it wasn’t a career. So I went in to my first day at community college ready to give up. As fate would have it, in my first class, a classmate told me I had a great look and asked if I wanted to work on a TV pilot for the local channel.
Since then, I’ve been a part in over 50 films and 60 theatrical productions in North Carolina, Virginia, California, and Georgia. I have received a few acting awards as well, but always accredit those awards to the people that worked on each production, seeing as the creative field is a team effort that everyone that contributes is of equal importance.
Outside of film, I am also a burlesque and sideshow performer. Much like my acting career, I was almost tricked into becoming involved and just happened to say yes at the right time and place. I am grateful that I got to perform with such troupes as Burlesque Nights at Bourgie Nights, FreakShow LA, The Secret Circus of Los Angeles, and Basilisk Burlesque. This career helped me with hosting shows and got me comfortable enough to try stand-up comedy, where I got to open for comedians at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles and The Ontario Improv.
My hope is to continue to grow in every aspect creatively that I can, and maybe one day making a space to welcome artists and creatives together to make some really neat stuff.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the community.
Without theatre at all young age, I don’t know if I’d be alive. Theatre taught me how to create a work ethic, how to process my emotions ima focused manor, how to work together with all sorts of people from a variety of backgrounds, how to schedule my time effectively, and gave me a deeper driving sense of purpose.
My film career only furthered these principles while focusing and refining them to make me a more successful adult. It has continued to teach me patience, hard work, dedication, kindness, empathy, and team building. All while allowing me to expand and grow with myself and with the creative community.
Over these working years, I have created strong and permanent bonds with all sorts of people. I am so grateful that I have friends around the world that continue to spread their creative abilities, to which I am always supporting them.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Go see your local theatre shows. Visit the local art galleries. Go to a local film screening. Eat at the local restaurant when you can. Buy from local stores.
Free ways to support are sharing someone’s event on social media, referring a friend to a local spot, and simply cheering on your creative colleagues.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ariannatysinger.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariannatysinger
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AriannaTysinger
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariannatysinger
- Twitter: https://x.com/ariannatysinger
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ariannatysinger1?si=jPJuzHhGnbV58LQF
- Other: IMDb:
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm5954679/
Image Credits
Hilary Cervantes
Wendy Dunn
Jamie Hansen
Zack Fox
Corey Smith