Nitya Vidyasagar
Nitya Vidyasagar | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 11, 1985 |
Nitya Vidyasagar (born July 11, 1985) is an Omani-born Indian-American actress best known for her role as "Leela" on Sesame Street from 2008 to 2016.
Early life and education
Vidyasagar was born in Muscat, Oman on July 11, 1985. She grew up in India and the United States. She received a BFA with Honors in Drama Tisch School of the Arts and a Minor in Music from the College of Arts and Sciences, New York University.[1]
Career
Vidyasagar is the first Indian-American cast member of Sesame Street. Leela runs a laundromat next to Mr. Hooper's Store. Sesame Street producers were not looking for an Indian-American actress before they cast Vidyasagar,[2] but the show's writers plan to use parts of Vidyasagar's background in certain episodes.[1] Leela is described as "a young Indian-American who embraces her heritage and culture".[3]
Vidyasagar is primarily a stage actress. She trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.[4]
Her stage credits include:
- Yalda in the world premiere of Modern Terrorism: Or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them at Second Stage Theater[5]
- Armanda (understudy): The Glorious Ones at the Lincoln Center Theater
- Anna: Serendib[6] at the Ensemble Studio Theatre
- Cecilia: Cecilia's Last Tea Party[7][8] at the Passage Theatre Company
- Puck: A Midsummer Night's Dream[9] at the Flux Theatre Ensemble
- Janine: NINJA: The Musical at Desipina & Co
- Emma: Monetizing Emma[10] at the Planet Connections Festival
- Anna: Coney Island Avenue at the New York Theatre Workshop
Her screen and television work includes appearances in:
- Split Ends feature film. Back Pocket Prod (Dir. Dorothy Lyman)
- The Good Wife[11]
- Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Guest star 20th Century Fox (Dir. Oliver Stone)
- Sita Sings The Blues: (Dir. Nina Paley)
- Sesame Street PBS Series Regular Leela.
- Suits as Stephanie Patel (one of the associates at Pearson Specter Litt)
- Smash “Lets Be Bad” as Jill Abrams
External links
References
- ^ a b India West profile
- ^ Southern Courier article
- ^ Sesame Street Season 39 press kit
- ^ Sesame Street bio
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/04-2007/serendib_10434.html
- ^ http://www.curtainup.com/ceciliaslastteapartynj.html
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/18theatnj.html?pagewanted=print
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/nyregion/a-midsummer-nights-dream-at-the-greek-theater-review.html
- ^ [2]
- ^ IMDb profile
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