Biography

Tess Riley (she/her) is a New York based actor, writer, and theater maker. She graduated with a BFA in acting from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2022. Tess can be seen this fall as Noreen Purdy in In the Heat of the Night (Resident Ensemble Players).

Tess is dedicated to the creation of new work, with a central interest in stories that help us deconstruct and understand the misunderstood. She strives to bring voice to those who have been historically overlooked. She loves playing with moments of great tragedy and exploring the levity and absurdity that inevitably ends up flirting with them. She will always uplift the inclusion of gritty, messy, complicated women in her work.

Tess is working on a devised project she co-created with Acadia Barrengos "mother / land," chronicling the lives of soviet women during WWII. The piece independently produced its first iteration workshop at Theatre Row in August 2022. She and Barrengos are in the process of writing and researching their next draft of the piece.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tess Riley