We recently connected with Myah Maedell Singh and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Myah Maedell thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I have always known that I was going to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally. There was nothing that gave me more joy. As sure as my heart would beat inside my body, the dream of being an artist was my lifeline and my calling. I was very young and I would watch tv shows, like “romper room” and “soap operas” and reenact all the parts in the mirror with costumes and all. But when I got to high school, I remember telling my teachers during graduation week, “remember me, because one day you will see my name in lights.” They laughed at me….and from that moment on I made a vow to myself to pursue my dreams and prove them wrong and I did.
Myah Maedell, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am Myah Maedell Singh, I am an Actor, Director, Educator and Textile Artist and founder of Theatre De La Rue a Theatre performance and textile company based in St.Louis Missouri. Where we create live dramatic theatre and create handmade Giant meditation and prayer pillows and quilts from tapestries from around the world. What sets us apart from others is we bring people back to a place of peace in their lives through our textiles and theatre productions and help them continue on in the hustle and bustle of life. In 2011 I received my Master of Liberal Arts degree, from the College of Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. I also received my Bachelor of Science degree in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis as well in 2007, and was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society. My mother, Carol Shaw-Page, is an alumnus of Washington University and was among the participants in the original sit-in demonstrations that established the African American Studies Department. My father, Charles “Bo-Bo” Shaw (who was an artist-in-residence at the time of the protests at Wash U), was a jazz musician and founding member of the Black Artist Group of St. Louis [BAG 1968-72]. He toured Europe, recorded several albums, played with Miles Davis, and was artist-in-residence for several years at Ellen Stewart’s LaMama Experimental Theater Company in New York City.
I have had the opportunity to perform with Shakespeare’s Globe in London England, St. Louis Shakespeare Company, St. Louis Black Repertory Company, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, COCA and numerous other professional Theatre Companies. I am proud of having studied under Jan Lapotaire and Richard Dreyfuss. I worked with George Clooney in the feature film “Up in the Air” (2010) where my scenes made the final cut of the movie. Thanks to my mentor, Dr. Nikki Giovanni, I was invited to Virginia Tech University as a guest lecturer in March 2011. I have always been a creative person that enjoyed a mixture of friends from different cultures around the world. When I got to college I had the opportunity to travel and to see these cultures and live among them. There is something magnificent about being able to engage with someone from another country and learn about how they live, the language they speak and the food they eat. You can’t help but grow and develop into a better person and in my case a business owner. I will never forget I was talking to God about my dreams of have my own business. My husband and I came up with opening our own shop. I immediately thought, how will I buy inventory and what will I buy? And God whispered to me, look on your walls”. I had everything I needed to start the business hanging on the walls from my travels! So I ran and started pulling tapestries off the walls and began to create. The rest is history!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is fact that I get the chance to make an impactful change on an audience members life as they sit and enjoy a play I have written. To see them cry or laugh it the best feeling in the world. The fact that I get to create a Giant customized Prayer and Meditation pillow for a tranquil spot in a clients home or office that will center them and bring peace back into their lives is the most rewarding. To know that my company made a difference and kept someone from going over the edge is the greatest reward.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
We were thriving well at the Historic Soulard Market in St. Louis for years and this is the place where I got the nickname “The Big Pillow Lady “. People were coming from far and wide to see the colorful Giant customized pillows I created. Then the pandemic hit and we could no longer have our fabrics exposed to the elements and grabbing and hugging pillows was now a thing of the past. My husband and I were devastated. What will we do now, we thought. God told us to go online, we started doing curbside Pickups at our home, and finally we launched our theatre company. Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes God has to “Shift” things around you to get you to the place he really wants you to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.TheatreDeLaRue.net
- Instagram: @theatredelarue
- Facebook: Theatre De La Rue
- Linkedin: Myah Maedell Singh
- Youtube: Myah Maedell Singh
- Other: Www.Myahmaedellsingh.com
Image Credits
Theatre photos by K Lamont Photography