Iya Sangoyemi
Tené A. Carter is an Actress, Educator, Producer, Writer/Dramaturge, Consultant and Iyanifa. She is a graduate of Florida A&M University with a degree in Theatre, and earned a Masters in Education from National University, specializing in Teaching and Learning in a Global Society. After her undergraduate studies, she ventured to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. where she worked with the Performance Plus and the Performing Arts Centers and Schools programs, and was instrumental in the first annual Mark Twain Humor Awards, of which Richard Pryor was honored. While in Washington, D.C., she graced the stages in productions of, What About Eve?, Measure for Measure, and was a member of Shakespeare Sistah. She was also seen in the short film, 5 Lines, and was featured in the HBO hit, The Corner.
Her Acting journey continued with Shakespeare and Company where she was seen in the productions of The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Coriolanus and A View Beyond. Tené was also a guest artist/director for the Fall Festival of Shakespeare and the Arts for All programs.
From Shakespeare and Company, she ventured to Los Angeles, CA where she received the NAACP Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in August Wilson’s, Gem of the Ocean, directed by Ben Bradley for The Fountain Theatre. She was also seen in Towne Street Theatre’s In Response, TowneStreet Theater’s response to police brutality through the decadesplaying a number of characters, including Zora Neale Hurston. Other plays include: two 10- Minute Play Festivals, Cool Negroes, The NAACP Theater nominated Langston and Nicolas, Start of Conversations, Summers of Suffolk , Spooks and Danica and Jean. As well as West Coast Ensemble’s To Kill a Mocking Bird, The NAACP Theatre Award nominated For the Love of Freedom, Christophe, via The Robey Theater, and she was apart of the award winning cast of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, winner of 2 LA Ovation Awards and 2 NAACP Theatre Awards. Other notable productions include Venus and Mars: Datenight, with Strong Mountain Productions and A Providential Occurrence.
Tené was also the lead in the Regional Premiere of “Trouble in Mind,” as Wiletta Mayer at Main Street Theatre.
Tené can be seen in films and television including The Last Kennedy (Palette Films), The Initiation (Moonlight Films), and the Hollywood Black Film Festival/Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival film Homeless Destiny, A Better Place and The Ultimate Wingman. Her latest film, “UNCONTROL,’ currently streaming on kweliTV, focuses on Black Women and the extremities of OCD: https://www.kweli.tv/watch/kweli/uncontrol.
Tené Co-Produced the documentary, BOUND: Africans vs African Americans with Peres Owino and Isaiah Washington, which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival, and has been in festivals around the world, including Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago, Berlin, and has been shown in Universities including Harvard University and the University of Virginia. BOUND is currently on Amazon Prime, https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/ B00XLLH33C/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
For over 10 years, she has Produced the live event, the “African Goodwill Awards and Induction Ceremony,” which honors members of the community whom support the continent of Africa and the diaspora at large, creating bridges of understanding, compassion and healing.
As a writer, Tené most recently completed “The Ensemble Theatre’s Playwright Creative Space,” and is currently working on a number of projects, including the adaptation of the book, “Who is Sambo,” by Stephen Mackey. She is one of the contributing writers of the book, Ifa for Kids, along with Chief Ewe and Iya Fasewa.
Tené has also directed a number of plays including: “What Fools These Mortals Be, AMIRITE?” by Donna Latham for the Scriptwriters 10x10 Play Festival; “A Black Woman’s Response to Shahrazad Ali,” “They Say,” by Johnathan Johnston and “Voting While Negro” for Houston’s Fade to Black 10 Minute Staged Reading Series. She is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award given by the Florida A&M University Alumni Association – Southern California Chapter. adding Educator to her list of accomplishments; and has taught Theater with the Los Angeles Unified School District’s- Arts Education Branch, teaching K-6th Theater/Arts Integration and Secondary Theater for the Fort Bend Independent School District. Teaching credits also include Shakespeare and Company, MainStreet Theater, and The Ensemble Theater.
In regards to other educational programming, Tené was one of the Education Division Leaders for the “Fade to Black Youth Arts Festival.” We embarked on being a part of one of Houston’s largest festivals with our inaugural year in 2025, and created diverse programming for different art forms, including: Theater, Film, Poetry and Dance, to bring a full experience to our Youth ages 17 and younger. We are also held a monologue competition for students, with the winners of our competition receiving monies in scholarships.
Tené/ Iya Sangoyemi received her Warriors in 2007, and became a Priest of Sango in 2013. She became a Priest of Ifa, Yemoja, Egbe and Egun in 2016.
Tené is honored and humbled by the many blessings she has received, and looks forward to continuing the sharing of ideas, time and space.
