Conceived and Performed by Tiffany Cooper
Original Art Work by Jessica Cohen
Music by Joylin (Snowden’s Jig Reimagined)
“I knew that if I could come to New York and make dresses for society people, my dreams would be fulfilled.”
- Ann Lowe
Black Thread is a solo multimedia theatrical piece that interweaves song, poem, dance, music and visual display. The work is a tribute to Anne Lowe, one of America’s great unknown black fashion designers. Lowe was the great-granddaughter of a skilled seamstress slave and a white plantation owner. She was the first African American to become a noted yet under-respected fashion designer. She designed Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress, with no credit to her name. Black Thread celebrates her contributions and her legacy with hope and resilience.
Black Thread is available for presentation at arts spaces, classrooms, museums and cabaret venues. Please see below for presentation variations. To learn more, including rates for each offering, contact Tiffany today.
The performance is followed by a Q&A talkback discussing the inspiration for the project and Anne Lowe’s life. This offering is perfect for art houses, museums or cabaret venues.
This 1 1/2 hr workshop offers an opportunity for students to create personal meaning from the production with performance-based exercises and in-depth reflective discussions. Students are encouraged to make connections that are personal and societal. Students will learn how to transform a passionate idea into a breathing and living artistic project. This offering is perfect for schools and art organizations.
Directed by Daniel Rester. The feature film, Emma Was Here explores death with dignity. It’s the story of a terminally ill young woman who goes on a trip to the Oregon Coast with her sister and two best friends, shortly before making the decision of whether or not she will end her life via physician assisted death, legal through Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.” I played the character Elizabeth, a radio journalist, who explores why Emma wants the right to end her life. It’s a beautiful story with a lot of heart and depth.
"Did you know we have a Broadway actress living in our midst? Tiffany Cooper moved to Edina a year ago. She returns to the stage this holiday season in I Am Betty: The Betty Crocker Musical, an all-female cast production that celebrates 100 years of Betty Crocker’s history through true stories and original music. “We play multiple characters, including some of the men,” Cooper says. “I personally portray characters like Zelma, the mother of Barbara Jo (the creator of Hamburger Helper and the second African American woman to work at General Mills) and Ken Davis, Barbara Jo’s husband and the creator of Ken Davis Barbecue Sauce, which is still available at Cub grocery stores today.”
Following its critically acclaimed debut at the History Theatre last year, I Am Betty is back by popular demand from November 23 through December 29—perfect for anyone looking to celebrate the holiday season with a dose of Minnesota history."
“Ken Davis BBQ Sauce, played with a solid, relaxed warmth by Tiffany Cooper”
“Tiffany Cooper is an effective force as the show's villain, Mrs. Greene–Alyssa's disapproving mother and PTA president determined to block Emma's crusade and the influence she suspects Emma is having on her daughter.”
Broadway World Interview: Tiffany Cooper of THE PROM at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
"The other actor to watch is Anchorage is Tiffany Cooper in both of her roles, a born thespian with what seems to be a wide emotional palette at her fingertips in Clyborne Park."
"Cooper gives an acting class of her own, threatening to steal the show with her audition from August Wilson."
"I was particularly impressed by Tiffany Cooper as a store clerk who auditioned with a monologue from August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. In a matter of minutes we watched a touching but tame and tepid, hallmark reading for the part transformed into a seething city for selfhood. They were the same words but came from a totally different woman in totally different circumstances. It was one of a chain of magic transformations in the play that made us rethink things we thought we knew."
"Tiffany Cooper’s character, Delores, is a middle-aged grocery manager who can’t make it to most auditions because she’s either at work or caring for an aging, dependent mother. Her dream role is Bernice, from Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. As Crystal attacks her consciousness with questions, a transformation in her acting is witnessed; the results are spectacular, to say the least."
The Bregenz Festspiel in Bregenz, Austria. The Bregenz Festspiel hosts the world's largest floating stage. Extending over two summer seasons, this was the biggest production of Porgy and Bess ever mounted. It was an extraordinary experience. I was a young dancer and singer working with some of the greatest talent in the performing arts.
This production was presented at the Carousel Dinner Theater in Akron, Ohio and ran for two months. We performed before packed houses every night and received incredible reviews. I played the character Liat and developed a deep appreciation of Tonkinese culture.
This fabulous production was set in South Africa during Apartheid and featured Emily Skinner and Tony Award winner, Billy Porter.
This Guys and Dolls Broadway national revival celebrated the show’s 50th anniversary. Presented as a 50-city tour across the USA, the production featured Maurice Hines, with award-winning director, Charles Randolph Wright, and award-winning choreographer, Ken Roberson. I had the privilege of understudying and performing the lead role, Adelaide. Participating in the 50th anniversary cast recording in New York City was a highlight.
The Buddy Holly Story is one of the biggest hits in Walnut Street Theater’s history. Located in Philadelphia, Walnut Street Theatre is one of the great American theaters. I played the role of the Apollo Singer. I had an amazing time with a very talented cast. Every night we performed before electrified audiences. It was like being at a rock concert.
Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope is an all-singing and dancing show focusing on the African American experience. The musical influences include gospel, jazz, funk, soul, calypso, and soft rock music. This production was mounted at Crossroads Theater Company in New Brunswick, NJ. During the production, Crossroads received a Tony Award in recognition of its 22-year history of artistic accomplishment and excellence. I performed as ‘myself’ in the production.
Clybourne Park won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play. A spin-off of Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, Clybourne Park portrays fictional events set before and after the Hansberry play, and is loosely based on historical events that took place in Chicago. Act l takes place in 1959 and Act ll takes place in current times. Each actor portrays two different characters from Act l and Act ll. I played Francine and Lena. This production was mounted by Cyrano’s Theater Company in Anchorage, Alaska and featured a strong cast. I experienced great joy portraying two different characters from two different decades in one play.
Bombay Dreams was composed by Grammy-winning A. R. Rahman and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The show received several Tony Award nominations and was internationally acclaimed. Bombay Dreams tells the story of Akaash, a young slum dweller, who dreams of becoming a huge movie star, and of his fateful encounter with beautiful Priya, the daughter of one of Bollywood’s greatest film directors. I enjoyed performing as Ms. Calcutta in the Broadway production and on the national tour. Bombay Dreams stands among my very best showbiz experiences.
Grease Das Musical was a German language production of "Grease" which ran extended tours in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. I was a featured singer and dancer and thoroughly enjoyed living in Germany and Switzerland.
Audition was written by acclaimed Alaskan playwright, Dick Reichman. This production was the world premiere. Audition is powerful drama about six wannabe actors in a small town who take a workshop class by an aging, ailing, once-famous actress and director claiming powerful New York connections. As the show progresses, it becomes obvious that the director is overstating her connectivity with the industry. Audition was chosen for featured main stage production at the Last Frontier Theater Conference in Valdez, Alaska.
Mama Mia is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Our talented cast of Mamma Mia at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre ran for four months, where I played the character Tanya. We had a successful run with sold out audiences every night.
In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) is a play by Sarah Ruhl,. It concerns the early history of the vibrator, when doctors allegedly used it as a clinical device to bring women to orgasm as treatment for "hysteria." Other themes include Victorian ignorance of female sexual desire, motherhood and breastfeeding. I enjoyed playing the character Elizabeth at the Perseverance Theatre to sold out audiences.
I got to cook a Mexican dish with famed TV chef and restaurateur, Emeril Lagasse, on his Hallmark Channel cooking show, Emeril’s Table. We had so much fun shooting the episode. He’s a gracious host.
All My Children was an amazing experience where I got to act opposite of the Emmy-winning Susan Lucci and Kelly Rippa, as the Pine Valley local Nurse. I was on the show a total of four times, woven into the medical trauma storyline.
Directed by Daniel Rester. The feature film, Emma Was Here explores death with dignity. It’s the story of a terminally ill young woman who goes on a trip to the Oregon Coast with her sister and two best friends, shortly before making the decision of whether or not she will end her life via physician assisted death, legal through Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.” I played the character Elizabeth, a radio journalist, who explores why Emma wants the right to end her life. It’s a beautiful story with a lot of heart and depth.
