SDA alumnus on journey to becoming rising theatre TikTok star

Award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim once said, “Art in itself is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.” So, when the coronavirus took the world stage in early 2020, the country may have gone into lockdown, but the mind of recent USC graduate Tyler Joseph Ellis definitely did not.

Having been on a “creative momentum” looking for a new outlet to channel all his theatrical energy, Ellis stumbled upon TikTok, where he was able to move on to the next stage of his journey: the virtual stage.

“My sister and I were laughing at how silly it was that I was downloading it because I was so resistant to it … but I was so bored and wanted to know what’s up,” Ellis said. 

Little did Ellis know, he would be close to 100,000 followers in only a year into his TikTok career since he started posting videos that have consistently gained popularity.

“I found my niche,” Ellis said. “If you want to be funny, start with things that you think are funny. Find your niche [because] that’s the secret to success. I can treat my theatre-loving audience how I would treat myself.” 

On his TikTok account @tylerjosephellis, Ellis introduces us to “Theatre B*tch,” a comedic portrayal of members of the theatre community who don’t get along with other members due to their big egos. Ellis’ videos often include a vast array of theatre references that he initially believed “no one was going to get.”

“It’s really affirming [because] everyone knows a ‘theatre b*tch’. It’s not just me being silly,” Ellis said. “It definitely comes from me being an unabashed theatre nerd and I wear it proudly.”

So where did Ellis’ extensive theatre knowledge come from?

When it comes to theatre, one of Ellis’s earliest influences was Julie Andrews, who he’d seen star in the movie musical classic, “The Sound of Music.” Although utterly inspired by her performance, he still felt distanced from the actual theatre scene.

Ellis made his theatrical debut in the fifth grade in his school’s musical production of “Robin Hood.” Being given the lead role for the first time was an experience he would never forget, and he definitely made the most of it. 

By high school, Ellis established himself as a “theatre kid,” something he’s now garnered fame from on TikTok. Acting has become second nature to Ellis, who puts performing at the forefront of his life. This has not limited him to the realm of theatre, but has led to one of his first television appearances on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” where he performed his award-winning call of the Pacific Loon for his high school’s annual bird calling contest. 

“I craved that nervous butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling,” Ellis said. “Like adrenaline coursing through your veins.” 

Ellis knew he didn’t want to study under a bachelor of fine arts program because on top of acting, directing, producing and marketing were also growing interests for him. Eventually, Ellis officially began his four-year journey as a Trojan in the bachelor of arts theatre program at the School of Dramatic Arts. 

He completely immersed himself in the theatre scene after arriving at USC.

Throughout his college career, Ellis became heavily involved with Musical Theatre Repertory, a student-run theatre company on campus, which left unforgettable memories of Ellis that current students, like Chloe Willey, still look back on with smiles on their faces. One of these shows was “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

“The show has its challenges in that a lot of the characters have to stay stagnant a lot of the time, just because it’s very much a park and bark type of thing,” said Willey, a senior majoring in theatre with an emphasis in stage management who worked as a director on the show. “And he really made it a lot more dynamic than just a park and bark.” 

It was also within MTR that Ellis met one of his biggest influences throughout his college theatre journey: professor Parmer Fuller at the Thornton School of Music, who at the time was MTR’s faculty advisor.

“He believed in me from the get-go … and he took me under his wing as a freshman,” Ellis said. 

“Tyler has been just a complete pleasure in my life,” Fuller said. “My wife and I have a small music theatre company, and we would put on benefits and he volunteered a number of times to come in, to sing on our programs and he absolutely killed it.”

Like all of his mentors in the past, Fuller saw Ellis’ passion and preparation that set him apart from the rest, apparent when SDA put on Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” as a main stage production and he took on the titular role.

Having met his current manager at Authentic Talent & Literary Management through his performance in “Sunday,” Ellis said, “Stephen Sondheim, and working on his work, has given me more opportunities than almost anything…[and] changed my life.”

“Sunday,” unfortunately, was Ellis’ last live stage production at USC due to the coronavirus outbreak in the middle of his senior year. Despite this, Ellis knew he was at least “so much more sure of himself” than when he started.

Following many adrenaline-filled performances throughout high school and college, Ellis is still searching for that same feeling during the pandemic when traditional stage productions have come to a halt.

“I give TikTok so much credit,” Ellis said. “It’s given me so much. And I think it’ll continue to do so… I’ve been recognized on the street with my mask on. I’m like, what’s gonna happen when the pandemic’s over … Is this going to be a thing?” 

Not only has he been recognized on the street, but Ellis has also been recognized for his TikTok content by current Broadway professionals such as Jordan Fisher and Andrew Barth Feldman.

“I do know that a few casting directors follow me and they know my stuff,” Ellis said. “It feels like a lot of this potential energy is getting built up. And it just takes the pandemic being over for all that potential energy to turn into actual momentum.”

So what’s next for our main character?

“I think for me in the near future, I want to begin creating stuff with my friends, making it high quality and just writing and practicing,” Ellis said.

Austin Karkowsky, a senior majoring in music industry, has been one of these friends.

“He submitted a song for the ‘Ratatouille’ musical,’” Karkowsky said. “Tyler sent me some lyrics and I added some music to it, orchestrated it … I want to do a whole lot more of that.”

While TikTok has rekindled Ellis’ age-old desire to make people laugh, he’s ready to perform on another type of stage — standup comedy. Having already honed his comedic voice on the mobile app, Tyler now wants to test the waters with a real live audience.

“When standup houses are back, I definitely want to do more open mics,” Ellis said. “It’s an active thing that I’m trying every day [on TikTok], figuring out what makes me funny, and I’d love to … see if I can do that with a live audience without editing or any of that kind of stuff.”

With all this said and done, it’s safe to say that Ellis is definitely far from taking his final bow. Fresh out of college, after the pandemic, he’s just waiting to take the next opportunity that flies his way. Once he does, the world will undoubtedly begin to see Ellis for the star that he is and, as his hero described in 1954, the star he was born to be.