Meet Tiffany Riley | Clown, Artist, Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tiffany Riley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiffany, how do you think about risk?
As an artist, we immediately fall into the risk pool. Most parents would definitely prefer their kids pursue something with some job security, or at the very least get a degree that will serve them if things don’t work out in the arts. Fortunately, I was born into a dance family. My parents were both wonderful dancers and choreographers, and owned a dance studio for over thirty years. I basically grew up in that studio, dancing four or five hours every day after school. Summers were rough in our house because not too many people continued classes during the summer, although we also ran a dance camp at our home in the country to help with summer finances. I loved my childhood and performed as a model and in musicals and tv commercials while growing up, so in today’s lingo you might call me a Nepo Baby!!! However, just because I had the benefit of growing up in the arts, the risk was still very real for me. I’ve never felt that I could turn down a potential gig because in the variety arts world you are only as good as your last gig and there are no guarantees of a next one. Through the years, my husband and I have embraced the risk and fully invested in a performance career together. We have been very lucky, but still struggled to make ends meet while also raising two amazing children. We have traveled the world with circuses, owned a puppet theater in a mall, directed shows in theme parks and theaters, performed in places as prestigious as Carnegie Hall and in hundreds of underserved communities in schools and libraries. It takes all of those things to mitigate the risk involved in trying to make a living as a clown. If I had it to do over, I would not change a thing – ok, maybe we would have bought our New York apartment when we had the chance at $100k. Seriously, risk has taken me so much farther than being safe ever could have.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been a professional clown for the past twenty-five years and have been privileged to perform with my partner, Dick Monday, around the globe in circuses, festivals and special events. Being able to be a working circus artist is a gift and a dream every time we step into the ring or onto the stage. As a parallel to this career, I auditioned in 1999 for the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit in New York. It was a group of clowns (professional clowns) who took their gifts of humor into pediatric hospitals around New York City. I learned so much about the art of clowning while working with this group, that when we moved to Dallas, Children’s Medical Center called and asked if I would launch a clown program at their hospital. With hospital support and good funding, we were able to grow this program substantially through the years. In 2017, the Big Apple Circus folded and we found ourselves managing a few more programs that were without leadership after that. This has led to a strong period of growth for our organization, The Laughter League. Struggles happen as we have to educate the medical world about the power of the work we are bringing to the hospital that goes beyond pure entertainment. Our clowns are trained specifically for work with this population, and we are there to engage and empower hospitalized children. My frustration with getting folks to take the work seriously led me to getting my Masters degree from SMU and subsequently writing a book title “Beyond the Red Nose: The Serious Business of Healthcare Clowning”. This is one of very few books on the subject and has become a must read for people considering pursuing this work. In 2023, we manage programs at Cook Children’s Hospital, Camp John Marc, Boston Children’s Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone. We are a regular part of the curriculum for all of the Behavioral health units we serve, bringing levity and emotional healing moments to kids and teens who are struggling with mental and behavioral challenges. This year we are launching a new program called the Joy Family that focuses on working with people living with dementia. This work is powerful and I am passionate about seeing it continue to grow.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would spend an entire day in the Dallas Arts District. Starting with breakfast at Yolk, and then get them a tour of Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where both of our kids went and where we have taught commedia d’ell arte. Then we would head over to Klyde Warren Park and soak up the sun, play in the fountains and have some food truck food. If it was a Saturday, maybe we could catch a matinee at the Winspear and an evening in either the Wyly, Moody Performance Hall or the Meyerson! We would check out the Katy Trail and grab a snack at the Ice House or maybe the Ascension Coffee. Another day would be spent at White Rock Lake and visiting the Bath House, eating at the Lake House and catching Shakespeare in the Park at Samuell-grand Amphitheater. Oh, can’t forget to get in a round of golf at Tenison Golf Course and maybe set up a slack wire in one of the many area parks. If kids are involved, no trip would be complete without seeing something at the Dallas Children’s Theater. Would definitely eat at Trinity Groves and head to the Toyota Music Factory in my hometown of Irving. You must see some sports – great football, baseball and more theater in Arlington! And, finish up in Ft. Worth at Joe T. Garcia’s and the stock yards. That puts us close to Cook Children’s Medical Center where we have a full time Laughter League program. It’s a great hospital with an amazing system of family centered care.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think I had the greatest parents anyone could ask for. They supported me and my brothers throughout their lives in all of our endeavors, no matter how crazy this seemed. They were also terrific mentors to the thousands of students they taught at their dance studio, Riley’s Dance Workshop and helped shepherd many of them to successful careers in the arts. But, everything I am involved in, I do in partnership with my husband. Together we make a great team both professionally and personally. He likes to claim that he is “the voice of reason” whenever me or one of our kids has a crazy idea we want to try, but the reality is that he is right there with us when we dive into new endeavors. He is a pure comedy genius and has an innate ability to come up with unique and funny ideas. That allows me to use my super powers of organization and energy to help bring the ideas to life. Teamwork makes the dreamwork – is real.

Website: www.laughterleague.org

Instagram: @laughterleague

Linkedin: @laughter-league

Twitter: @laughter_league

Facebook: @laughterleagues

Youtube: @laughterleaguecircus

Image Credits
1. Ballet dance, photo: Jennie Dunning 2. Dr. Slappy, headshot, photo: Maike Schulz 3. Tiffany Riley – bell, photo: Kirk Marsh 4. Tiffany Riley – bubbles, photo: Luke Edmonson 5. Dr. Slappy and Dr. Monday with patient, photo: staff photographer 6. Riley and Monday – water through the ear, photo: Luke Edmonson 7. Cisco Metropolis 2021, cast photo: Luke Edmonson 8. Laughter League team, photo: Maike Schulz