Indigenous Theater-Maker’s Journey Grapples with Geographic Borders and
Cultural Legacies in a Universal Search for Belonging
February 28- March 23, 2025
Umbrella Arts, Black Box Theater
By Madeline Sayet, Directed by Tara Moses
The Umbrella Stage Company is thrilled to mount the New England Premiere of Mohegan theatre-maker Madeline Sayet’s ground-breaking one-woman show, Where We Belong.
Performed for the first time by an artist other than Sayet herself, it is helmed by fellow
Indigenous director and playwright Tara Moses and stars GiGi Buddie. This brand new staging in
Concord, MA during the Semiquincentennial of the beginning of the American Revolution raises
timely questions of whose histories are told, how, by whom, and in what language.
With great humor, insight, and imaginative storytelling, the autobiographical play weaves
together Indigenous history, Shakespeare, cultural legacy, the power of language, and legend. It
recounts Sayet’s 2015 journey to England to pursue a PhD in Shakespeare in the shadow of the
Brexit vote. Moving between nations that have failed to reckon with their ongoing roles in
colonialism, she grapples with what it means to remain or leave her own home as a Mohegan,
but discovers comfort in mirroring the footsteps of her ancestors who traveled to England in the
1700s.
“Madeline’s story is uniquely personal, but universally relatable. Following the completion of
the original tour with Madeline at the center,” says Brian Boruta, Umbrella Stage Producing
Artistic Director, “we wanted to explore how the play could evolve, be adapted for other
performers, and reveal a continuing relevance for future productions and new audiences. Sayet
originally developed the play in partnership with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in
association with The Folger Shakespeare Library, and is engaged with the Umbrella team on this
next evolution.
The show runs Feb. 28-Mar. 23 (press opening Sunday Mar. 2, 3:00PM), including a special
Student Group Matinee Wed. Mar. 12 at 4PM, and select performances will feature engagement
opportunities.
● Dinner & A Show packages are available for all Thursday night performances
● Talk Backs scheduled following performances on March 12, 16 and 20
● Childcare with art activities for youth ages 5-12 is available through The Umbrella’s Kid
Care program for parents interested in attending the March 16 matinee
Planned community engagement activities will also highlight art and experiences of Concord’s
native Nipmuc and Massachusett tribes, including a concurrent gallery exhibition of work by
Nipmuc photographer Scott Strong Hawk Foster.
The Umbrella is ADA accessible, a proud partner in the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s EBT
Card-to-Culture program, and provides free parking and free admission to its visual arts
galleries. See https://TheUmbrellaArts.org/WWB for more information.
Special Note to Press: We ask our friends in the press to please respect the request to avoid
reproducing Mohegan language words in their coverage, including those in the script, as this is a
language under active reconstruction and reclamation.
ABOUT MADELINE SAYET
Madeline Sayet is a member of the Mohegan Tribe in Connecticut, where she was raised on a
combination of traditional Mohegan stories and Shakespeare. Both of which have influenced
her work as a playwright and director.
She has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, a NCAIED Native
American 40 Under 40, a TED Fellow, MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow, and a recipient of the
White House Champion of Change Award from President Obama. She is the Executive Director
of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP). Her directorial work has been
described by critics as effervescent, enchanting, magical, insightful, and fearless. As a performer
she was nominated for a Jeff Award for best Solo Performance for her run of Where We Belong
at The Goodman Theatre.
ABOUT TARA MOSES
Tara Moses is a director, multi award-winning playwright, co-Founder of Groundwater Arts, and
a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
As a director, her work has been seen in Santa Fe, NM; Kansas City, MO; Boston, MA; San
Francisco, CA; Kyle, SD; Vermillion, SD; Providence, RI; Seattle, WA; New York, NY; Tulsa, OK;
Washington, D.C.; Bethesda, MD; Oklahoma City, OK; Palmetto, GA; Edmond, OK; and Hartford,
CT. Also a prolific playwright, her plays have been produced and/or developed with Company
One Theatre (Boston, MA); Alter Theatre Ensemble (San Rafael, CA); Kitchen Dog Theater
(Dallas, TX); Geva Theatre Center (Rochester, RI); Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland, OR);
American Indian Community House (New York, NY); Safe Harbors Indigenous Collective (New
York, NY); among many others nationwide.
She is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society; and Dramatists
Guild member. She holds an MFA in Directing from Brown/Trinity Rep and a BA in Theatre from
the University of Tulsa.
ABOUT GIGI BUDDIE
As an artivist, GiGi Buddie’s (she/her) (Tongva and Mescalero Apache) professional and personal
pursuits converge at the intersection of art and climate justice. In 2021, she helped to bring
frontline climate stories to Glasgow at the United Nations Climate Summit. Her debut single
“Ursa Major,” a love letter to the Iroquois story of the Celestial Bear, is available on all platforms.
As an actor, singer, songwriter, and activist, she creates and contributes to stories of creation,
resilience, and beauty from frontline communities. GiGi received a B.A. from Pomona College in
Theatre Performance and Environmental Analysis. Previous credits include: Auntie 2 (Antíkoni,
World Premiere), Anna (if Nobody Does Remarkable Things), Feste (Twelfth Night), Ruby
(Daphne’s Dive), and Marty (Circle Mirror Transformation)
