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Madeline Sayet facts for kids

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Madeline Sayet (born July 1, 1989) is an American director and writer. She grew up in Norwich and Uncasville, Connecticut. She is known for her creative work in theater, often blending classic stories with her Native American heritage.

Early life and education

Madeline Sayet learned many stories and traditions from the Mohegan tribe. Her great-aunt, Gladys Tantaquidgeon, was a former Medicine Woman. Her mother, Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, is the current Medicine Woman. Sayet is also related to Fidelia Fielding. Fidelia Fielding was the last person to speak the Mohegan language fluently. These family ties greatly influence Sayet's work.

From a young age, storytelling was very important to her. In high school, Sayet took part in the National Puppetry Conference. This event was held at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center. After high school, she studied theater at New York University. She was part of the Tisch School of the Arts.

Sayet earned a degree in Theater. She then continued her studies at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. There, she earned a master's degree in Arts Politics. During this time, she helped start the Mad & Merry Theatre Company. She also adapted classic plays to include her own culture. Later, she earned another master's degree in Shakespeare. This was from The Shakespeare Institute in Stratford Upon Avon, UK.

Career

Madeline Sayet is currently the Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program. In 2018, she was recognized by Forbes magazine. She was named one of the "30 Under 30" in Hollywood & Entertainment. This was for her work as a stage director. She is known for giving classic plays new life.

Early in her career, Sayet remade a famous play by William Shakespeare. It was called "The Tempest." She added Mohegan language and culture to this play. This production was her master's project at New York University. It was performed at the Brooklyn Lyceum. While at NYU, Sayet also started The Mad and Merry Theatre Company. This company reimagined classic stories.

Sayet also wrote a play called "Daughters of Leda." This play tells the stories of well-known characters from myths. It includes characters like Leda, Adam and Eve, and Helen. The play tells these stories from a female point of view. It was shown at several festivals. Sayet also received the White House Champion of Change Award. This award recognized her work as a director, writer, performer, and teacher.

In 2015, Sayet directed her first opera. It was a new production of "The Magic Flute" for the Glimmerglass Opera. In the same year, she started the Native Shakespeare Ensemble. This group performed Shakespeare's plays like "Macbeth." Sayet also directed "Sliver of a Full Moon." This play by Mary Kathryn Nagle is about the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). It helps audiences see Native women affected by violence as real people.

In the Mohegan language, her job is called "Kutayun Uyasunaquock." This means "Our Heart She Leads Us There." She is also a TED Fellow and an MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow. In 2021, she was a Co-Artistic Director for Red Eagle Soaring: Native Youth Theatre.

From 2013 to 2016, she was the Resident Artistic Director at Amerinda. She also led the Mad & Merry Theatre Company from 2011 to 2014. She has been a Van Lier Directing Fellow at Second Stage Theatre. She was also a Creative Community Fellow at National Arts Strategies'.

In 2019, she performed her solo show "Where We Belong." This show was performed at Shakespeare's Globe in London. This made her the first Native American playwright to have her work performed there. "Where We Belong" was later made into a film in 2021. It also went on a national tour. For the show's run in Chicago, Sayet was nominated for the Jeff Award. This award was for Best Solo Performance.

Awards

  • Forbes 30 Under 30: Hollywood & Entertainment
  • TED Fellow
  • MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow
  • National Directors Fellowship
  • Leo Bronstein Homage Award— New York University
  • White House Champion of Change Award for Native America

Works

Directing

Writing

  • Antigone or And Still She Must Rise Up
  • Where We Belong
  • Up and Down the River
  • Daughters of Leda
  • Who Flies Apart
  • The Pants
  • "When The Whipporwill Calls" in Dawnland Voices: Writing from Indigenous New England
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