
Madeline Sayet is a theatre-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.
How can theatre be used to transcend the world we are in and build a better future?
An award winning director, playwright, and performer, Sayet's accolades as a theatre-maker include being named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, a TED Fellow, a MIT Media Lab Directors Fellow, MacDowell 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 a Clinical Associate Professor in the English Department at Arizona State University (with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies), a Resident Artist at Center Theatre Group in LA and a member of Long Wharf Theatre’s Artistic Ensemble. She served 6 years as Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP).
“Sayet is a captivating storyteller and an important voice”
— Chicago Tribune
Director
Sayet is an innovative director of the stage and film, and her 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.
“…a wrenching meditation on appropriation, cultural genocide and how to best honor one’s ancestry.”
— Washington Post on Where We Belong
Writer
Sayet’s work has been seen on stages across the nation and internationally, including The Public Theater and Shakespeare’s Globe.
Performer
Sayet is an acclaimed performer, nominated for the 2022 Jeff Award for Best Solo Performance.
Upcoming performances and events
September 13 2025
Screening of Up and Down The River
Directed By Madeline Sayet
Written by Madeline Sayet and Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel
Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival
New York, NY
Get Tickets
September 12 2025
Rotten Policy: Shakespeares Political Ecologies
By Madeline Sayet
Plenary Speaker
Globe4Globe Symposium
Shakespeare and Environmental Justice
Virtual
Oct 3 2025
The Carlisle Project (Workshop)
By Ronee Penoi and Annalisa Dias
Directed by Madeline Sayet
Octopus Theatricals
New York, NY