Photos: First Look at Madeline Sayet in WHERE WE BELONG

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (Davis McCallum, Artistic Director) presents the touring production of Where We Belong by Madeline Sayet, directed by Mei Ann Teo and produced with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, in association with Folger Shakespeare Library. Where We Belong began performances on Saturday, August 13 and will run through Monday, August 22.

In this intimate and exhilarating solo piece, Mohegan theater-maker Madeline Sayet travels to England to study Shakespeare, and in doing so, she traverses geographic borders, personal history, and cultural legacies, in search of a place to belong. Named as one of the "great artistic achievements during the pandemic" (Broadway World), Where We Belong follows Madeline's personal journey of self-discovery, and traces the intertwined relationship between Shakespeare and colonialism, a relationship with deep roots along the banks of the Muhheakantuck, the tidal estuary colonially known as the Hudson River.

Where We Belong is directed by Mei Ann Teo. The tour is produced with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, in association with Folger Shakespeare Library. The Where We Belong national tour features production design by Hao Bai, costume design by Asa Benally, original composition and sound design by Erik Schilke, dramaturgy by Vera Starbard, dialect coaching by Liz Hayes, and casting by Judy Bowman. The tour is stage managed by Grace Chariya and has technical direction by Megan J. Coffel, with scenic drawing and rigging support by Miguel Valderrama, lighting consulting by Andrew Cissna, and makeup consulting by Dawn Newsome. The standby for Madeline Sayet will be Emily Preis.

Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival's 2022 summer season also includes William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch (Wish You Were Here) and Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn (10 Out Of 12) with music by Michael Friedman (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) and directed by Davis McCallum (Cymbeline).

This is HVSF's first season first on the grounds of its new home in Garrison, NY, using its pre-existing temporary theater tent while plans are still underway for construction of a permanent open-air theater venue on the site. Once the new venue is completed, audiences will have a jaw-dropping northward view of the Hudson River, with Storm King Mountain on the left, Breakneck Ridge on the right, the gateway to the upper Hudson Valley.

Tickets begin at $10 and are now on sale at hvshakespeare.org.