The Stories We Choose to Pass Down Shape Our Collective Possible Futures
Madeline Sayet is a theater maker whose work is shaped by the idea of Story Medicine - the belief that every story we put into this world has the power to do real world harm or healing. What story do you wish you had heard growing up? How can theatre be used to transcend the world we are in and build a better future?
Known first for her work as a stage director, and more recently as a playwright, and performer- Sayet's accolades as a theater maker include being named a FORBES 30 UNDER 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, a TED FELLOW, a MIT MEDIA LAB DIRECTORS FELLOW, NCAIED NATIVE AMERICAN 40 UNDER 40, a recipient of THE WHITE HOUSE CHAMPION OF CHANGE AWARD from President Obama, the NATIONAL DIRECTORS FELLOWSHIP, and a National Arts Strategies' CREATIVE COMMUNITY FELLOW.
Madeline is an Assistant Professor in the English Dept at Arizona State University, and Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP).
Her directing work has been praised by the Wall Street Journal as "enchanting," and the New York Times admired the "transparent and almost weightless" fluidity of the worlds she builds.
Her performance of her play Where We Belong at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago, received 4 out of 4 stars from the Chicago Tribune and was nominated for a Jeff Award.
Her work promoting Native voices onstage has been featured in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, GOOD Magazine, and MENTAL FLOSS.






In addition to her work as an artist, she is widely sought after as a public speaker and educator, having spoken at the TED conference, Yale, the MIT Media Lab, NYU, SHPO, The International Festival of Arts and Ideas, etc. Please use the contact form for inquiries.
Tour Dates




While Sayet returns to other work as a director and playwright - the Where We Belong tour will be continuing on with a new actor! Sayet has previously performed Where We Belong at The Public Theater in NY, Shakespeare's Globe in London, The Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Seattle Rep, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Baltimore Centerstage and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co.
Where We Belong is now published by Bloomsbury!
Next Performances
of the Where We Belong tour produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co
(featuring a new actor)
Portland Center Stage: Feb 25-March 26th 2023
Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Aug 26-Oct 14 2023
Reviews are in:
"Powerful one woman performance. Where We Belong achieves what live theater does best: a deeply human connection between performer and audience. Four out of four stars."
- The Chicago Tribune
"Sayet cycles through anecdotes with pathos and a playful charm" - Washington Post
"Her Mohegan name means Blackbird and she soars in Where We Belong" - DC Metro News
"Where We Belong is glorious playwriting . . .don't miss this one" - MD Theatre Guide
"The lines drawn are impeccable and well crafted, with intricate portrayals filled with smart assertions by Sayet as she dutifully weaves together ideas that both acknowledge history alongside modern equivalence and conceptualizations." - Times Square Chronicles
"It can now stand as one of the great artistic achievements of the pandemic" - Roger Catlin Broadway World

Recent Articles and Interviews


Why Shakespeare: Episode 6 Shakespeare and Colonialism
https://osfashland.uscreen.io/programs/whyshakespeare?cid=1095414
Indigenous Theatre Imagines Forward
https://www.newhavenarts.org/arts-paper/articles/indigenous-theater-imagines-forward
America's Obsession with Killing Indians Hasn't Died
by Madeline Sayet
High Country News
https://www.hcn.org/articles/tribal-affairs-americas-obsession-with-killing-indians-hasnt-died
Madeline Sayet: The Opposite of Erasure
by Susan Gonzalez
Yale News
Going Global: Madeline Sayet Premieres Her One Woman Show in London
The Day
Madeline is featured in the Dec 2018 Issue of National Geographic Magazine
Reclaiming Our Stories by Tristan Ahtone. December 2018 Issue of National Geographic
Madeline's work is a case study in "Creating a Freelance Career"
Creating a Freelance Career by Jill L. Ferguson (Chapter 2 - Case Study)
One to Watch: Madeline Sayet is Making Waves as a Theater Director
The Day

Episode 145: Holy Sh*t Its Madeline Sayet!
No Holds Bard: Shakespeare Podcast
http://noholdsbard.libsyn.com/nhb-145-holy-sht-its-madeline-sayet









