Her Story
About Tina
My journey in theater began when I was young, inspired by watching my mama perform as a belly dancer in a production called Oleo. She came out in this glittering, golden costume with her veils and headband, playing cymbals and singing, and she just owned that stage. I went, 'Yeah, I want to tell stories like that.' Two plays have always inspired me: Dickens' A Christmas Carol, because I made history in Worcester, Massachusetts by being the first woman of color and only woman of color ever to portray Ebenezer Scrooge with my production company. People love to tell you no, that nobody's going to want to hear your version of that story, but we sold out every night. The other was A Raisin in the Sun. I had just returned from studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the most prestigious drama school on the planet, when I got a call asking me to portray Mama. It was the play I'd been wanting to do since high school, and we opened on Valentine's Day, smack dab in the middle of African American Heritage Month. One of my most notable achievements was being guest artist at Suffolk University in Boston, performing in 'Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and Other Identities' written by my very good friend Anna Deavere Smith. This play gives you a soul-searing look at what it means to be a person from marginalized communities, being a woman, being a woman of color. Our director took us on a field trip to Crown Heights to meet the actual people we were playing. We had signed confidentiality agreements because they couldn't know which one of us were portraying them. To make a political statement, we literally did the show barefoot to show the audience what it's like to stand in someone else's shoes. It was one of the most incredible, soul-searing, touching performances I've ever done, and I got to do the play three times. For over 30 years, I have been the host, writer, and producer of my radio show 'The African American Experience' through the Audio Journal, the radio reading service of central Massachusetts. I highlight and present people of color, hopefully women, who have made tremendous accomplishments to this world that got very little, if any, recognition. My signature phrase is explore, connect, create, and inspire, and through my legacy work, that is exactly what I do.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tina
01What do you attribute your success to?
My mama would say she knew I was always going to be successful in this because I'm a very resilient woman. My credo is 'on my way' - someone can call me at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and say there's an audition at 5, and I say, on my way. But one of my biggest aha moments was when I was doing the national tour of 'Are You Ready My Sister?' portraying Harriet Tubman. A little girl, couldn't have been more than third grade, raised her hand and said, 'When I get bigger, I want to do what you do, because you make life better.' Out of the mouths of babes, oh my god. And now that is really a catalyst for everything I do - to make life better for people, to connect people. My signature phrase on my radio show is explore, connect, create, and inspire. And through my legacy work, that is exactly what I do. The one thing I know is this: my life has to mean something. I need to be a major contributor to this world through my legacy work, through the kind of woman that I am, through connecting and exploring and creating and continuing to, as that little girl said, make life better.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Although it may sound trite, the number one thing to always do is believe in yourself. All the time. You have to always believe in yourself in case you don't think you're surrounded by people that do. Always make sure you never say anything to your friends that you wouldn't say to yourself. You wouldn't choose all the flaws in any friends you have, so don't pick on yourself. There'll be too many people in your career to do it for you. You have to stand behind every work you ever do. You have to sometimes defend it, and defend your perspective, always be ready to do so. And be authentic. Be authentic. Be authentic. That shows up in your professional life, and it also shows up in everything you ever do. I let those no's fuel me. By letting those no's fuel you, you get stronger and stronger and stronger for two reasons. One, because I always look at the people whose shoulders I'm standing on, like Lorraine Hansberry, like my mama, like my sister. And two, it gives you a really great perspective.
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