The Chancellor's Note: June 2026
Dear UNCSA Community,
We were fortunate to have UNCSA School of Drama alumna Tiffany Little Canfield ’00 as our keynote speaker for UNCSA’s 60th commencement.
As an award-winning casting director with The Telsey Company, founded by legendary casting veteran Bernard Telsey, Little Canfield established Telsey’s West Coast office and has worked closely with him for many years. They are largely responsible for the success of two blockbuster films, which many have called “a cultural phenomenon”: “Wicked, Part One,” and “Wicked: For Good.” As one reviewer said: “The film’s success hinges on the chemistry and performances of its central duo, and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo melt into these characters wholeheartedly. Grande floats while Erivo soars… .”
Other works on Little Canfield’s casting résumé include “Paradise” with Sterling K. Brown, “Only Murders in the Building” with Steve Martin and Martin Short, “The Idea of You” with Anne Hathaway, “This Is Us” with Mandy Moore, “In the Heights” with Anthony Ramos, “Fosse/Verdon” with Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams, “The Greatest Showman” with Hugh Jackman, “The Intern” with Robert DeNiro, and so many more.
As vice president of communications for the Casting Society of America Board of Directors, Little Canfield does a lot of communicating about what she does and how she does it. She’s done interviews, podcasts and master classes for organizations from Netflix to the Screen Actors Guild to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to the Television Academy to Hulu. Not only does she offer guidance to aspiring talent through workshops and classes — including at her alma mater — she champions disability representation. She received the Casting Society of America’s Media Access Award for promoting awareness, accessibility and accurate depictions of people with disabilities.
In her remarks to the Class of 2026, Little Canfield urged the graduates to pursue “a life of authenticity” and to remain committed to meaningful artistic lives. “When you make that choice, to engage in the art form … you aren’t just being entertained,” she said. “You are building your community, you are learning the trends of what’s going on in your industry, you are developing your taste and point of view.”
Canfield also cautioned graduates against allowing online criticism and comparison to pull them away from their purpose.
“Everyone graduating today knows how hard it is to make something, and how special it is to make something good that resonates with people,” she said. “And how important it is for artists to keep trying, to keep authentically reflecting the human experience in our storytelling.”
For more from Tiffany Little Canfield, read the press release, view a photo story, and see photojournalist Walt Unks’ gallery in the Winston-Salem Journal.
In closing remarks to the Class of 2026, I told the new graduates that something that I’d like to repeat here:
Your work matters because the arts remind people what it means to be human. A performance can help someone feel less alone. A film or even just an image can change how people see the world. A piece of music can carry someone through grief. A story can inspire someone to dream bigger about their own life.
Success by artists is not measured only by fame or recognition. It is measured by your willingness to keep creating, to keep growing, and to keep bringing your authentic voice into the world.
This is our last edition of The Scene for the summer until August, when we welcome the Class of 2030 to UNCSA.
Thank you all for a great year and I hope our returning students, faculty and staff take a moment to reflect on and celebrate everything you’ve accomplished. Whether your summer months are filled with taking in new work, creating your own, traveling to new or familiar places, or simply spending time with family and friends — enjoy your break!
Sincerely,
Brian Cole
Chancellor