Nitya Vidyasagar
Encyclopedia
Nitya Vidyasagar is an Indian-American actress best known for her role as "Leela" on Sesame Street
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Vidyasagar was born on July 11, 1983 in Muscat, Oman
. She moved to India with her family when she was one year old and to the United States when she was 12. She received a BFA with Honors in Drama Tisch School of the Arts. NYU and a Minor in Music from the College of Arts and Sciences, New York University
.
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, but the show's writers plan to use parts of Vidyasagar's background in certain episodes. Leela is described as "a young Indian-American who embraces her heritage and culture."
Vidyasagar is primarily a stage actress. She trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
Her stage credits include:
Her Screen and Television work includes appearances in:
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
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Vidyasagar was born on July 11, 1983 in Muscat, Oman
Muscat, Oman
Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats...
. She moved to India with her family when she was one year old and to the United States when she was 12. She received a BFA with Honors in Drama Tisch School of the Arts. NYU and a Minor in Music from the College of Arts and Sciences, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
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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, but the show's writers plan to use parts of Vidyasagar's background in certain episodes. Leela is described as "a young Indian-American who embraces her heritage and culture."
Vidyasagar is primarily a stage actress. She trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
Her stage credits include:
- Jaquenetta Love's Labours Lost for the Shakespeare Theatre CompanyShakespeare Theatre CompanyThe Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. Their self professed mission "is to present classic theatre of scope and size in an imaginative, skillful and accessible American style that honors the playwrights’ language and intentions while viewing their...
. - Armanda (u/s) The Glorious Ones at the Lincoln Center Theatre.
- Anna: Serendib at the Ensemble Studio Theatre.
- Cecilia’s: Cecilia's Last Tea Party. Passage Theatre Company.
- Puck: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Flux Theatre Ensemble
- Janine: NINJA: The Musical. Desipina & Co
- Emma: Monetizing Emma Planet Connections Festival.
- Anna: Coney Island Avenue. New York Theatre Workshop
Her Screen and Television work includes appearances in:
- Split Ends feature film. Back Pocket Prod (Dir. Dorothy Lyman)
- The television program on CBS "The Good Wife".
- Wall Street 2:Money Never Sleeps. Guest star 20th Century Fox (Dir. Oliver Stone)
- Sita Sings The Blues: Nina Paley Prod (Dir. Nina Paley)
- Sesame Street PBS Series Regular Leela.