Tiffany Cole: Actor and FUSION Community Member

NEWS | TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 | BY FUSION STAFF WRITER, RUDOLFO CARRILLO

Tiffany Cole is an actor outta California who now often makes her home in Albuquerque. Cole is a University of California alum and a lauded member of the USC Dramatic Arts faculty, where she contributed for many years before heading to the high desert to increase the scope of her work.

Cole will be one of the featured performers in FUSION’s Autumn Season, where she plays “The Woman” in the season opener, THE RIVER, by Jez Butterworth. This intense and poignant, yet funny and compelling look at the lives of two or three people opens on Thursday, September 10. The curtain rises on Cole and company at 7:00 PM that evening.

Besides balancing a hefty performance schedule that keeps her on the road between here and LA, Cole is also deeply involved in her craft, noting in her online biography that, “I love the duality of people; how we can be passionately outgoing, and yet feel so isolated and stuck in the same breath. It's one of the biggest driving forces in everything I do; from acting to teaching; from martial arts to dancing in my living room.”

I asked Cole to join me online for a discussion about her work, her tenure with FUSION, and how the theatre of today works, both here in the humble environs of Albuquerque as well as under the bright lights of the big city in Los Angeles.

Rudolfo Carrillo: I see you are a resident of both Los Angeles and Albuquerque and pursue your craft in both locations. How has that worked out for you?

Tiffany Cole: Often, it’s a little easier to find your people in Albuquerque. For me, and I know it’s not for everybody, but for me, this feels like a small town coming from Los Angeles. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, so I actually didn’t know any difference before living here. I think that was the biggest thing, that it felt like a small town. Everybody knows everybody within the community, and that makes it easier to find your people here. I tripped upon FUSION, for example, in 2023. I was like, okay, I’m now full-time; I’m going to make a go of it and find my people in Albuquerque. Before, I was much more splitting my time between Albuquerque and Los Angeles because I was still a teaching professor at USC. I would go there for three or four months to teach my class, come home here for a month, and then go back for three or four months. That ended at the end of 2022, and 2023 is where I had time to dedicate to finding my people.

How did that search progress? Did you find what you were looking for?

When you stumble across something like FUSION, where you, as an actor, feel seen and taken care of, and not only that, it’s like family, and that there are so many opportunities for creative outlets, that’s fulfilling. They really make space for all types of art and nonprofits, and they really try to build community, outside of just putting on theatre. That long list is why, when I stumbled upon FUSION and was accepted into the community, I made a commitment to Albuquerque.

Could you tell me a little more about your work with FUSION?

This play, THE RIVER,  is the second full production for me at FUSION. I did MS. HOLMES AND MS. WATSON – APT. #2B, a couple years ago, in September 2023, and then I’ve been involved in THE SEVEN, I think twice, and then readings of THE SECOND SEVEN, as well. In MS. HOLMES AND MS. WATSON – APT. #2B, I got to play three different, very different characters, and really leaned into the comedy, which is fun and not always presented to me, even though I love comedy and am very good at it, and really enjoyed improv back when I could do that in Los Angeles. It was a really fun opportunity.

How have audiences reacted to your work here in Albuquerque at FUSION?

I feel like they’re very supportive and engaged, especially coming from Los Angeles. I think that’s the hardest part about doing theatre in LA, that is different here in Albuquerque, at least with FUSION: audience members. Even for a reading of ten-minute plays, or new works, the seats are filled and the audience is engaged and enthusiastic about coming out and experiencing theatre.

Do you foresee a time in the future where you’d leave the bright lights and big city, once and for all, so to speak, for a more fertile and inclusive scene in Albuquerque?

I don’t know. It’s sort of six of one, half-dozen of the other. It’s a little hard because there’s so much turmoil right now in the industry. It’s hard to see any sort of certain future, either in Los Angeles or even here. Because here, we’re going through a rough time with the film and TV industry. So it’s really hard to look into the future. Trying to diversify is one of the things I’m working on. But I don’t foresee that I will give up on Albuquerque anytime soon; my husband got a full-time job here.

Are you looking forward to your upcoming performance in THE RIVER?

Well, I’m definitely looking forward to working with a new director whom I haven’t worked with. And I’m excited that most of my scenes are with one scene partner. Working with new people and new styles is exciting to me. I think working on something so poetic is really exciting to me because the puzzle of figuring out what the heck is going on and it not being a straightforward experience for the audience is intriguing.

How is intrigue important for everyone involved in a theatrical experience, players and audience included?

Two things pop into mind. One is that theatre is much more of an actor’s medium, and that’s exciting for actors. We’re not in control of a lot that happens in film and television. We’re not the focus of the cut, the approach, what makes it to the end; it’s very much out of our hands. But in theatre, there’s an exchange of energy, especially in comedy. You can feel when the audience is with you. You can feel their engagement. You can feel their shock, their surprise, their joy. Even if they’re a more quiet audience, you can feel that energy. And that’s an exciting experience for most actors. And then the other thing that pops to mind is the excitement of having a supportive environment to work within, which FUSION has definitely and positively created through its programs and artistic directors.

FUSION Theatre Company presents THE RIVER
Thursday, September 10, 2026 7:00 PM
Through
Sunday, September 20, 2026 3:00 PM
FUSION | The Cell
700 1st Street Northwest
Albuquerque, NM, 87102

FUSION PERFORMANCES
Thursday, September 10, at 7 PM
Friday, September 11, at 7 PM
Saturday, September 12, at 2 PM & 7 PM
Sunday, September 13, at 3 PM
Thursday, September 17, at 7 PM
Friday, September 18, at 7 PM
Saturday, September 19, at 2 PM & 7 PM

TAOS CENTER FOR THE ARTS PERFORMANCE
Sunday, September 20, at 3 PM

Tickets Here.