Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tsilala Brock. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Tsilala, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I have had ample amounts of side jobs and gig work in New York. I moved here ten years ago exactly and have been a telethon worker, sales representative, bookshop associate, choir teacher, Barry’s Bootcamp Manager, the works. The hardest jobs were the ones I really had no interest in. Working as a host in a loud restaurant took up a lot of my energy working at night and yelling over the loud restaurant. Although the free Italian food was a treat. Barry’s Bootcamp was a good mix. I could take free workout classes and met interesting people but found waking up at 3:30am in the morning to unlock the doors for the 5am class meant my voice was shot by the time I needed to sing in auditions after auditions.
I do consider work in this industry that challenges me and keeps me curious about storytelling to be making a full-time living from creative work. Working at Ars Nova part-time in various departments taught me the ins and outs of running an off-broadway theater company. From artistic outreach to development I have a better idea of what it takes and I can take the skill set I gained into other part-time jobs in theater in the future. The best advice I’ve had for making money in the industry is to find a well paying temp job (that’s MORE than 19/hr), build your own business (teach lessons, coach, make websites, become a photographer). I co-sign this. It allows you to set your own hours for the most part and keeps you thinking creatively. Also, these days all creatives are multi-hyphenates. We have to know how to run a business as much as how to be vulnerable on stage. So be creative! Currently, I work on Broadway in Suffs and it’s been incredible to have stable income. Now there are more possibilities to discover. Many actors join Cameo to connect with their fans for a fee. Jumping into workshops, singing programs or teaching artists becomes a bit easier with the credits backing you. I am writing as well and applying for grants and residencies that will support my living costs while I work on scripts. Opportunities are endless and thinking outside the box is where you’ll find your niche.

Tsilala, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Like most artists, I was a dancing-around-the-house kind of kid. I wanted to be the new Tina Turner, and then Beyonce showed up. At twelve years old I thought: ‘well, I guess if I can’t be Tina and I can’t be Beyonce I’ll have to be Tsilala’. And there began the journey to figuring out exactly who Tsilala is.

I was raised in Bermuda, born in Boston, and dreamed of Broadway. My mom thought that I would get into less trouble if I were busy. So at one point in my pre-teens I was taking six dance classes, piano, violin, and voice lessons in my out of school hours.

I didn’t ever get into trouble. But I did get into every acting camp, dance intensive I could find. Thankful forever to my mother for prioritizing my training. I went to Alonzo King Lines Ballet two years in a row for their summer intensive. A visiting director for our schools production of ‘Leader of the Pack’, Duncan McIntosh, invited me to an acting summer intensive in Prince Edwards Island once I turned sixteen. Duncan told me I needed to be taking acting seriously. When I moved to a Canadian boarding school for the final years of high school, I joined Original Kids Theater Company at the end of the school day. We put on full productions with the youth being both the on-stage talent and assisting creative teams. The artistic director at OKTC, Art Fidler, helped me think about bachelor programs to apply for and persuaded me to audition for Carnegie Mellon. CMU is no easy feat and by the time I completed those four years I was dedicated to becoming a working actor.

I always felt that if I could get inside the entertainment machine, I could join the ranks of storytellers that we’re making art worth self-reflection. Bringing to peoples homes and theaters a sliver of humanity that requires people to look into their own lives and actions even if only for two hours and thirty minutes.

I’ve been fortunate since moving to New York to have been in a few shows that do just that. Parable of the Sower, helmed by Toshi Reagon, is the opera version of the award winning Octavia Butler novel. It so closely resembles the life we’re living now, navigating climate change and seeking community that it’s one of the shows I go back to when I need to make sense of our world again and again. And currently, I’m in Suffs. I play a Dudley Malone, a real-life politician who resigned from office working as the right-hand-man to President Woodrow Wilson and joined the fight of gaining women suffrage. I will be processing the impact of this show for years but it’s a rare opportunity to do a show, also paralleling our current political atmosphere, while encouraging audiences to reflect on our history while we march forward into our future.

Each experience has taught me how expansive my craft can be and what advocating for myself in this industry truly means. I’m full of faith that the experiences coming up next in my life will continue to deepen my artistry. In the meantime, I am having a very good time getting to know who Tsilala is becoming and loving every corner of who she is today.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes! I always knew about The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund. What I wish I understood earlier in my career is how MUCH of a resource it is. Pro tip: Go to their building and ask all the stupid questions. They have all the answers and will help you think of better ones. They’re great for financial needs, like helping to cover rent, and they’re also great for getting clarity on the healthcare and tax laws of the day. Go see them. Seriously.

Also – go see shows. That’s a resource in itself. Seeing what art is currently being made is so important. I use TDF. I think you pay $48 bucks and get access to really cheap tickets to most shows that are offering discounts. I don’t think I’ve ever paid over $60 bucks.

Another great resource is joining your neighborhoods’ “Buy-Nothing” Facebook Group. It’s probably the only reason I still have that log in. So much of our lives is about buying and selling. This is a community effort where we just give freely with no exchange of money. From dried food products, to Air Conditioners or you have a huge ‘Goodwill Bag’ that’s been sitting in the back of your closet, consider offering it up on your local Buy Nothing group. And check the group yourself for odds and ends. I lived in a house that got a whole table set from Buy Nothing that was pretty much brand new. A great way to be part of the neighborhood and take care of one another.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Mm, this is two-fold.
My favorite part about being an actress has been working in live theater. Live theater comes with the gift of repetition. We get to re-experience moments and be surprised by them over and over again. In Suffs, I love learning about Dudley Malone. Especially in a show like this that parallels real life. Playing a man, a white man, a career politician during this 2024 election has been eye-opening. There are so many different ways to approach the character. Is he eager to please his mentor and blinded by the rest? Is he initially uninterested in what the women are asking for and just wants to get closer to the end of his work day? Is he a ‘yes man’ who learns how to say no? When does the spark light inside him that eventually changes his course? Not to mention I’m a black woman, so that adds another level of nuance. How to assert my status and intellect while also finding the moments where his earnesty, where my humanity, shines through? The endless possibilities excite me. There’s always a new response to Grace McLean (who I friggen love listening and playing opposite). In live theater, the way each show requires you to stay present and listen, that part of the work is really fun.

The other part of artistry that I think is really cool has been adding something new to the world. Think about it. I made something out of nothing. And now that something is impacting other people. It’s an act of service and it’s a beautiful way to use my gift.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tsilala.com
• Instagram: Tsilalabrock

Image Credits

Headshot – Shawn Salley
Blues for an Alabama Sky, Barrington Stage – Daniel Rader
Suffs, The Music Box – Joan Marcus
Suffs Press Day, Cooper Union – Jenny Anderson