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About Tinuke
Hi, everyone! My name is Tinuke Oyefule and I'm an educator and performing artist. I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and brought up by Jamaican and Nigerian parents.
While working as a classroom teacher in Philadelphia, I learned about the importance of connecting with my students through storytelling to foster empathy and to build connections. I like to utilize the performing arts as a bridge in a variety of learning spaces and to help individuals develop a sense of creativity on and off the stage.
I've appeared on television and have been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 2011. A few of my past credits include the boot camp episodes for the X Factor USA, The Young and the Restless, and All My Children.
Past independent projects include co-hosting The Angled Podcast with my friend Alli Nurthen, who is a wedding photographer and Syracuse University alumna.
I have also been the lead singer and primary songwriter for an acoustic soul band called F.R.E.S.H. based in Paris, France since 2016. The band still meets regularly for reunion concerts and we are currently completing our first E.P.
Performing Arts Professional Bio
Tinuke has appeared in films exploring the nature of humanity, featuring topics such as equal rights and science fiction, and has been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 2011. She sang in multiple concert series in Los Angeles with the For The Record performance group including For the Record: Baz Luhrmann (2011), FTR: John Hughes (2011), and FTR: Tarantino (2012). She appeared in Queenie Pie at the Long Beach Opera and performed with Transcendence Theatre Company in their Broadway Under the Stars (2012-2015) concert series (Broadway World Award: Theater of the Year).
While at Syracuse University, Tinuke was a dean’s list student and was recognized as a Remembrance Scholar for academic achievements and community involvement. She won the first ever Syracuse University Idol competition and received the Outstanding Vocalist award for a cappella performances in the ICCA mid-Atlantic region. She appeared in performances such as Anything Goes (Reno), Oedipus Rex (Queen Jocasta), and Can on A Hot Tin Roof (Maggie). She also appeared in Godspell (Peggy) at Syracuse Stage, where she earned her EMC card. Tinuke completed the Tepper Semester in New York City and Sorkin Week in Los Angeles during her final year.
As a songwriter and professional teaching artist, Tinuke has led workshops with students ranging from second grade through twelfth grade in the areas of audition technique, scene study, and singing. She worked as a dance instructor of ballet, hip hop, and tap at Creation Station Studio City.
Philadelphia theatre credits include The Black Panther Project (2018) produced in collaboration with Theatre in the X and Iron Age Theatre, Inis Nua Theatre’s Untitled (2019) in which Tinuke worked as the Nigerian dialect coach, and PHIT’s sketch comedy show: Riot In Rittenhouse (2020). Tinuke also worked as the musical director and song writing coach for Philly Education Stories (2019), produced by Simpatico Theatre and the Teacher Action Group.
