The stories we choose to pass down shape our collective possible futures.
An award winning artistic leader, Madeline Sayet’s accolades as a director, playwright, and scholar include being named a MacDowell Fellow, Forbes 30 Under 30, TED Fellow, and recipient of the White House Champion of Change Award from President Obama.
Madeline Sayet has been recognized both for her artistic practice, and as a thought leader committed to pushing the boundaries of how we think about performance making practices today. Her artistic work has been seen at The Public Theater, Shakespeare’s Globe, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Goodman Theatre, Seattle Rep, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and many more. As both a Shakespearean director and scholar, she serves as Clinical Associate Professor in the English Department at Arizona State University (with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies). She has served six years as Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP), running an annual new Native play festival, and creating programming to uplift the next generation of Native Theatre artists.
“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
March 28th 2026
Up and Down The River
Directed by Madeline Sayet
Written by Madeline Sayet and Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel
Plenary Talk and Screening
First America Conference
Yale University
April 24th 2026
Keynote
Shakespeare and Environmental Justice Symposium
Columbia University
New York, NY
April 29th 2026
Writer/ Panelist
PEN World Voices Festival
New York, NY