By Laurie O’Neill – [email protected]
It’s a “uniquely personal but universally relatable story,” says Brian Boruta, director of performing arts at The Umbrella Arts Center.
The New England premiere of “Where We Belong,” a one-woman show about the power of storytelling and the need to honor our roots, will be presented at The Umbrella from March 2-23.
An autobiographical piece written and previously performed by Madeline Sayet, the play will be staged during the semiquincentennial of the American Revolution, which is fitting as the piece “raises timely questions of whose stories should be told, by whom, how, and in what language,” Boruta says.
The one-woman show weaves Indigenous history — Sayet is a member of the Mohegan tribe in Connecticut — with Shakespeare, colonialism, cultural legacy, and the power of language and legend. Sayet imagines a world where Indigenous people, who’ve been systematically displaced, can belong.
Raised on traditional Mohegan stories and Shakespeare — the bard’s enduring language comforts Sayet, she has said, and offers her hope that her language and ancestry can be preserved — Sayet received a White House Champion of Change Award from President Barack Obama and is the executive director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program.
’A continuing relevance’
This will be the first time the play has been performed by an artist other than Sayet. Buddie, a Tongva and Mescalero Apache, is an actor, singer, songwriter, and activist. Tara Moses, a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, helms the Umbrella’s production. She has directed numerous productions and is an award-winning playwright.
“Where We Belong” recounts the time Sayet spent in England pursuing a doctorate ten years ago, which led to a remarkable journey of self-discovery. According to The Umbrella, the play describes her “moving between nations that have failed to reckon with their ongoing roles in colonialism and grappling with what it means to remain or leave her own home at Mohegan. “
Sayet developed the play in partnership with the Wooly Mammoth Theatre Company, in association with the Folger Shakespeare Library. She is “engaged with” the Umbrella team on this production, Boruta says, adding, “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.”
A concurrent gallery exhibition of work by Native American photographer Scott Strong Hawk Foster will complement the production and highlight the art and experience of the region’s Indigenous peoples. Foster’s roots include Hassanamisco, Nipmuc, Mohegan, and Cherokee lineage.
“Where We Belong” runs from February 28 to March 23 at 40 Stow Street, in The Umbrella’s Black Box Theater. Talkbacks will follow some performances; “Dinner & A Show” packages will be offered on Thursday nights. For tickets, visit theumbrellaarts.org.
