Shahin Sayadi

Shahin Sayadi was born and raised in Abadan, Iran. His parents, Mehrangeez and Ali were both involved in film, television and theatre productions in his hometown. In 1986, Shahin moved to Canada where he lived in Toronto and then Halifax, Nova Scotia. Shahin studied technical scenography at Dalhousie University. He has an extensive professional background developing, producing and presenting performing arts. Since 2015, Shahin has been expanding his work to include acting in film and theatre and developing film projects. In 2016, Shahin became a permanent resident of the United States and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Maggie Stewart and their two children. In 2002, Shahin founded Onelight Theatre, an independent theatre company that develops and produces new works. Shahin is the artistic and executive director of Onelight. He writes, designs, directs and acts in various Onelight projects that have been performed in Canada and internationally. In 2018, Onelight Theatre is expanding operations to Toronto and Los Angeles and is partnering with theatre companies and artists in Canada, the US and Iran to develop new works. In 2008, Shahin founded the Prismatic Arts Festival, a leading national multi-arts festival in Canada that presents the work of professional Indigenous artists and artists of color. Through Prismatic, Shahin has brought theatre, dance, music, spoken word, film and fine arts to over 34,000 audience members. In 2018, Prismatic kicked off an expansion that will see the festival evolve into an international performing arts market, provide artistic and administrative training, and lead research and advocacy on arts equity issues in Canada. Since 2015, Shahin has been acting in theatre and film and has been expanding his work into film and television. He moved with his family to Los Angeles in 2016 where he has been taking acting roles and is developing his own film projects.