Where We Belong
By Madeline Sayet
Directed by Mei Ann Teo
In association with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Booking and details
Dates & TicketsDates Thu, Feb 15 – Sun, Mar 10, 2024
Venue Folger Theatre
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In 2015, Mohegan theater-maker Madeline Sayet travels to England to pursue a PhD in Shakespeare, where she finds a country that refuses to acknowledge its ongoing role in colonialism, just as the Brexit vote threatens to further disengage the UK from the wider world.
In this stirring solo piece, Madeline echoes a journey to England braved by her Native ancestors in the 1700s following treaty betrayals—and forces us to consider what it means to belong in an increasingly globalized world.
Following its world premiere in June 2021—presented by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and the Folger Shakespeare Library—Where We Belong has enjoyed a successful national tour, with performances at Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Goodman Theatre, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Public Theater, Portland Center Stage, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Cast
Madeline Sayet
Madeline Sayet, Playwright, Performer (she/her) is a Mohegan theatre maker who believes the stories we pass down inform our collective possible futures. She serves as an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS), and is the Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP).She has been honored as a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, TED Fellow, MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow, National Directing Fellow, Drama League Director-In-Residence, NCAIED Native American 40 Under 40, and a recipient of The White House Champion of Change Award from President Obama.
Related podcast
Madeline Sayet on Where We Belong
Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 170 In her play Where We Belong, Mohegan director playwright, and performer Madeline Sayet recalls her 2015 journey to the UK to pursue the PhD in Shakespeare that she never ended up getting. The play, now available in a…
Creative team
Mei Ann Teo
Mei Ann Teo (Director) is a queer immigrant from Singapore making theater and film at the intersection of artistic/civic/contemplative practice. As a director/devisor/dramaturg, they create across genres, including music theater, intermedial participatory work, reimagining classics, and documentary theater. Teo’s work has been in international festivals including Belgium’s Festival de Liege, Edinburgh International Fringe, Beijing International Festival, Singapore Theatre Festival.
Hao Bai
Hao Bai (Production Designer) Hao is a multidisciplinary designer in lighting, sound, video projection, and world-building (environment) for live and virtual performances.
Asa Benally
Asa Benally (Costume Designer) Citizen of the Navajo and Cherokee Nations. Stratford Festival: The Rez Sisters, 1939; Waterwell: 7 Minutes; The Gingold Group: Mrs. Warren’s Profession; Keen Company: Blues for an Alabama Sky (Drama Desk nomination); Syracuse Stage: Somewhere Over the Border; George Street Playhouse: Too Heavy For Your Pocket; Westport Country Playhouse: Skeleton Crew; Juilliard School: Father Comes Home From the Wars); Public Theater Mobile Unit: Measure for Measure; Yale Rep: Cymbeline; The Bushwick School of Drama: Coriolanus, The Seagull; Perseverance Theater: Whale Song; Yale Cabaret: Roberto Zucco; HERE: The Winter’s Tale. Asabenally.com @Asa_Benally_Design
Erik Schilke
Erik Schilke (Composer and Sound Designer) Erik is an ambient electronic artist and music producer. His work draws from the narrative patterns in the natural world around us to both engage with the soundscape of our existence and escape from it at the same time. His debut album Synthesis was released on the German label Hymen Records. He has previously scored film projects for acclaimed directors including Fernando Lazzari and Madeline Sayet. @erikschilkemusic
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
The Tony Award®-winning Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company creates badass theatre that highlights the stunning, challenging, and tremendous complexity of our world. For over 40 years, Woolly has maintained a high standard of artistic rigor while simultaneously daring to take risks, innovate, and push beyond perceived boundaries. One of the few remaining theatres in the country to maintain a company of artists, Woolly serves an essential research and development role within the American theatre. Plays premiered here have gone on to productions at hundreds of theatres all over the world and have had lasting impacts on the field. Currently co-led by Artistic Director Maria Manuela Goyanes and Managing Director Kimberly E. Douglas, Woolly is located in Washington, DC, equidistant from the Capitol and the White House. This unique location influences Woolly’s investment in actively working towards an equitable, participatory, and creative democracy.
Accessibility
Folger Theatre provides accessible seating, assisted listening devices, and ASL interpretation. Please contact us at VisitorServices@folger.edu or (202) 544–7077 with questions or requests. More information
Open-captioned performances
- Sunday, March 10, 2024, at 2pm and 7:30pm
Open-captioning makes live theater performances accessible by using a non-intrusive caption board at the front of the stage which scrolls the entire text of the production in real time. For information about the best seat locations from which to see the caption board, contact us at VisitorServices@folger.edu or (202) 544–7077.
Relaxed performances
- Sunday, February 25, 2024, at 7:30pm
- Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 2pm
Relaxed performances are designed to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for audiences with autism, sensory sensitivities, social, learning, and cognitive disabilities.
Masked performances
- Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 2pm and 8pm
At the request of many audience members, Folger Theatre has denoted several performances during the 2023|24 season as mask-required by all audience members, staff, and volunteers. If you need a mask, we are happy to provide one to you. Learn more
Special performances
Pay what you will
- Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 7:30pm
The concept is simple: you tell us what you will pay for your ticket! Sales begin 5pm day-of at the door and are available on a first come, first served basis.
We offer a variety of standard discounts for all performances. Learn more
Post show discussion
- Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 7:30pm
Join us after the show for a free moderated conversation with the cast.
Related events
Where We Belong
Stage Director Talk:
Where We Belong
