Hi, I’m Madison L’Insalata, an actor and singer born and raised in New York. Growing up here provided me with the great fortune of attending LaGuardia HS, where I studied drama and met friends and colleagues whose work and passion for the arts inspires me to this day. 

I chose to stay in New York for college, continuing my acting education at NYU Tisch, where I studied at the Atlantic Theatre Company and then Stonestreet Studios, while double majoring in journalism. While I had originally pictured myself getting far away from the city for college, staying here allowed me to keep my priorities in check. College wasn’t a party for me, but, rather, an opportunity to really learn how to be an independent adult making a career of acting before graduating (while having fun along the way, of course). 

Recently, I performed in a devised piece about the Greek gods where I played an Italian Mafioso Zeus- some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a show- and began pre-production for a self written short film that I will also be acting in about my grandfather called "Saluti a Tutti Quanti." One of my closest friends from high school who graduated from Cooper Union and I also recently founded an artist collective where we will be putting our respective talents of fine art, acting, and writing together. Our first project, which will be out in April if 2020, is a children’s book about a puppy named Calamari!!

When I'm not acting, you can usually find me talking to people about being Italian (in the words of Gaga, 'I'm just an Italian girl from New York'), playing soccer at Pier 40, writing, singing in my classic rock cover band (with two men aged older than my parents), working on my children’s book, or advocating for the arts. As a current candidate in the Miss America Organization, I visit schools, hold fundraisers, set up arts scholarships, and work closely with arts organizations and rotary clubs on Staten Island to raise awareness for the importance of the arts as a means of teaching confidence and leadership skills for children and teens. 

I never considered myself in any way someone who would compete in pageants. When a mentor of mine suggested I do it, I sort of said what the heck- I could earn scholarship money- and gave it a try. That year, as Miss Richmond County, I fell in love with it. Right before winning, I had gone through an incredibly difficult period in my life where I felt like my sense of self had dissipated. Putting my focus into my community and the arts helped get me out of this rut I was in. Now, I’m constantly organizing a new fundraiser, whether that be a ‘thrift party’ event for the art scholarship I set up at my elementary school or a soccer tournament in support of Children’s Miracle Network. 

Becoming an advocate for the arts has been a sort of reminder to me that I don’t and shouldn’t have to wait around for anyone to get things done. It has helped to reignite the passionate DIY personality I’ve always had due in part to the city I grew up in and my incredible parents. 

I am a creator from my heart to my ends and am excited for what my future holds.