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Announcing Tiffany Little Canfield as the 2026 commencement speaker

Dear ��������Ƶ Community,

I am thrilled to announce that School of Drama alumna Tiffany Little Canfield, CSA, an award-winning casting director for theater, film, opera, television and commercials at The Telsey Office, one of the nation’s busiest casting offices, will be the speaker at the 60th commencement of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts on May 16.

Tiffany has cast some of the most recognizable films and series today, including “Wicked: For Good” and “Wicked, Part One,” with Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey (and costumes by Oscar-winning ��������Ƶ alum Paul Tazewell); "Paradise” with Sterling K. Brown and alumna Krys Marshall; “Only Murders in the Building,” with Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez; “This is Us,” with Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia and Sterling K. Brown; and “The Greatest Showman,” with Hugh Jackman.

Tiffany will address undergraduate and graduate students at the University Commencement at 10 a.m. and graduating high school students at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem.  

A self-described “proud alumna” of ��������Ƶ’s School of Drama, Tiffany is a perfect example of an artist who has used her training at ��������Ƶ to chart her own creative path, which has resulted in a remarkable career that has propelled her to leadership in the industry in a relatively short period of time.

Through her visionary work in casting, she has helped bring unforgettable characters and stories to life, shaping the cultural landscape in profound ways. I would not be surprised to see Tiffany nominated for one of the new Oscars for casting in the very near future.  

Like many alumni, Tiffany considers her time at ��������Ƶ transformative. She told a ��������Ƶ interviewer in 2018: “My four years at ��������Ƶ were the most critical in my life. While I’d always done well in school, it was the first time I felt treated like a professional who had a place in the industry.”

A native of Sacramento, Tiffany studied in the Directing Program in the School of Drama and received her B.F.A. in 2000. She moved to New York looking for an internship to learn about the theater world but was hired to work with a casting director at Bernard Telsey’s office working on Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s “La bohème” on Broadway. When the casting director joined the directing team, Tiffany took over casting and ended up casting the Broadway and Los Angeles companies. When “La bohème” wrapped up, she and Telsey began to work together on plays, musicals, film and television. She relocated to the West Coast to open The Telsey Office’s Los Angeles branch in 2015. She has since been honored with eight Emmy nominations for her television work, among numerous other wins and nominations.

For more information on Tiffany Little Canfield’s amazing career, see the press release.

We are excited to welcome students, parents and families to ��������Ƶ’s 60th commencement on May 16 – you can find more information and tickets on our Commencement webpage, and note that the ceremonies will also be livestreamed.

I can’t wait to celebrate all of our graduates next month!

Sincerely,

Brian Cole 
Chancellor