Philadelphia Theatre Company First Stop on World Premiere Tour of WHERE WE BELONG

Philadelphia Theatre Company will close out its 47th season with the world premiere of an insightful new work that begins a national tour in the City of Brotherly Love. PTC is excited to launch the National Tour of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company's production of Where We Belong, in association with Folger Shakespeare Library. Performed by Mohegan theatre-maker Madeline Sayet, Where We Belong showcases an Indigenous theatre-maker's journeys across geographic borders, personal history, and cultural legacies, in search of a place to belong. Mei Ann Teo directs this piece, which runs from April 15th to May 8th. Press Night is Tuesday, April 19th at 6:30pm. Media are also welcome to come on Opening Night, Wednesday, April 20th at 7:00pm. Tickets are on sale now starting at $35. PTC continues its 10Tix program, supported by PNC Arts Alive, providing a select number of seats at $10 for every performance. Free tickets are available to Indigenous Peoples in the region. Tickets are available at www.philatheatreco.org or by phone at 215-985-0420. All shows are performed at PTC's home at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146.

For the health and safety of patrons, cast, crew and staff, PTC will require that audience members present proof of vaccination (and wear a mask while in the venue), aligning with the safety protocols outlined by Theatre Philadelphia. PTC has paused the sale of concessions for this show to allow patrons to keep their masks on. For real-time updates and seating capacities, please visit www.philatheatreco.org/covid.

"One of the things we hope to do with and around this piece is offer audiences the opportunity to hear more stories about Philadelphia. We know all about 1776 and the cradle of the American Revolution, but what stories aren't being told?" said PTC Producing Artistic Director Paige Price. "There are stunning and fascinating stories that could bring about a richer understanding of Philadelphia's full history. Not just the story of the Treaty of Shackamaxon, but also what happened to the native community after that? Many Lenape people were forced to move to Oklahoma, for example, but what about the Native people who are here now? Really, we're just trying to spark a genuine curiosity about history, and share the truth and fullness of that history."

In 2015, Mohegan theatre-maker Madeline Sayet travels to England to pursue a PhD in Shakespeare. Madeline finds a country that refuses to acknowledge its ongoing role in colonialism, just as the Brexit vote threatens to further disengage the UK from the wider world. In this intimate and exhilarating solo piece, Madeline echoes a journey to England braved by Native ancestors in the 1700s following treatise betrayals - and forces us to consider what it means to belong in an increasingly globalized world.

Where We Belong premiered at Shakespeare's Globe in London in 2019 as part of Border Crossings' ORIGINS Festival, the UK's only large-scale multidisciplinary festival of Indigenous arts and culture. While at Woolly Mammoth last season, Madeline adapted the original piece for the digital realm with Director Mei Ann Teo. The piece was re-adapted for a live theatrical tour in October 2021 with Baltimore Center Stage. It will now tour across the country. Philadelphia Theatre Company will launch the tour followed by stops this summer at Goodman Theatre and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and in the fall at Seattle Rep and The Public Theater. The Where We Belong tour is expected to continue to additional cities through 2023, concluding in 2024 at Folger Shakespeare Library. .

It was important to Sayet and the creative minds behind the tour that each theater's commitment to the tour was led by a desire to engage in authentic, continuous, long-term relationships with both the Indigenous nations whose land each presenting theater occupies and the local Native community. These values are embodied in a Community Accountability Rider developed by playwright/performer Madeline Sayet with support from Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

"I didn't want my story to be able to be used as a tokenistic way for theaters to check boxes, without actually changing their behavior," explains playwright/performer Sayet. "So we created an accountability rider to go with the show in order to ensure all the presenting theaters would commit to what I feel is the bare minimum commitment toward engaging with the Native peoples whose lands they occupy, and the history of our erasure in the 'American' Theatre. Each presenting theater has agreed to never present redface again, develop an ongoing relationship with the Native peoples whose lands they occupy, offer free tickets to the show to all Native audiences, present work by local Native artists, and organize events supporting local language revitalization initiatives. It is my hope that these initiatives will lead to more Native stories being told, and, when done in tandem with the show, create awareness of some of the actual issues the piece is trying to address."

"With the Community Accountability Rider, we are agreeing to acknowledge the erasure and lack of representation of native stories not only our institution, but the industry at large has perpetuated," said Price. "The presentation of the show is a step toward bringing those stories to the stage, but also we are making concurrent efforts to develop authentic and ongoing relationships with the Indigenous community of artists in our area, and to celebrate and host them in our space."

Along with free tickets to Indigenous peoples, PTC Is partnering with We Are The Seeds. With the leadership of We are the Seeds, the theatre will host a bread breaking event after the May 1st Sunday matinee. This event will include Sayet, We Are the Seeds, as well as their associated artists (both writers and visual artists) and Native community members. It will not be open to the public. On April 26, there will be a post-show reading by Native and Indigenous writers following the performance of Where We Belong. It will be open to anyone with a ticket to Where We Belong. PTC will amplify We are the Seeds' public events, as well as other local Indigenous artists and Lenape organizations. PTC invites Philadelphia-area individuals and organizations to submit events. Please contact the PTC Marketing Department via the form at https://philadelphiatheatrecompany.org/contact-form to submit events.

The piece is directed by Teo, a director/devisor/dramaturg, who is the Associate Artistic Director and Director of New Work at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The Where We Belong 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 the technical director is Megan J. Coffel. The standby for Madeline Sayet will be Emily Preis. Broadway & Beyond Theatricals serves as Executive Producer and Booking Agency.

Where We Belong runs April 15-May 8. Tickets are on sale now starting at $35. PTC continues its 10Tix program, supported by PNC Arts Alive, providing a select number of seats at $10 for every performance. Free tickets will also be available to Indigenous Peoples. Tickets are available at www.philatheatreco.org or by phone at 215-985-0420. All shows are performed at PTC's home at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146.

Tickets, subscriptions and more information can be found online at www.philatheatreco.org or by phone at 215-985-0420. Connect on social with Philadelphia Theatre Company at @philatheatreco on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

For booking information, contact Broadway & Beyond Theatricals at victoria@BBTheatricals.com.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Madeline Sayet (she/her) is a Mohegan theatre maker who believes the stories we pass down inform our collective possible futures. She has been honored as a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, TED Fellow, MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow, National Directing Fellow, Drama League Director-In-Residence, NCAIED Native American 40 Under 40, and a recipient of The White House Champion of Change Award from President Obama. She serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at ASU with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, is the Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP), and is known throughout the field for her work promoting indigenous voices and decolonizing systems. Her plays include: The Neverland, Antigone or And Still She Must Rise Up, Daughters of Leda, Up and Down the River, and The Fish (in development). Recent directing work includes: Tlingit Christmas Carol (Perseverance Theatre), Midsummer Night's Dream (South Dakota Shakespeare), Henry IV (Connecticut Repertory Theatre), Whale Song (Perseverance Theatre), She Kills Monsters (Connecticut Repertory Theatre), As You Like It (Delaware Shakespeare), The Winter's Tale (Amerinda/HERE Arts), Poppea (Krannert Center, Illinois), The Magic Flute (Glimmerglass), Macbeth (NYC Parks), Miss Lead (59e59). www.madelinesayet.com

Mei Ann Teo (they/she) is a queer immigrant from Singapore making theatre & film at the intersection of artistic/civic/contemplative practice. As a director/devisor/dramaturg, they create across genres, including music theatre, intermedial participatory work, reimagining classics, and documentary theatre. Teo's work has been in international festivals including Belgium's Festival de Liege, Edinburgh International Fringe, Beijing International Festival, Singapore Theatre Festival. They helmed Dim Sum Warriors the Musical by Colin Goh and Yen Yen Woo, composed by Pulitzer Prize winner Du Yun for national China twenty-five city tour. They have directed and/or developed new work at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Theatreworks Hartford, Playwrights Realm, Goodman Theatre, Public Theater, Berkeley Rep (Ground Floor), Crowded Fire, History Theatre, Page 73, Musical Theatre Factory, and the National Black Theatre. Recent work includes Jillian Walker's world premiere SKiNFoLK: An American Show at the Bushwick Starr, Madeline Sayet's Where We Belong at Shakespeare's Globe and Woolly Mammoth, the North American premiere of Amy Berryman's Walden at Theatreworks Hartford, and the English US premiere of Stefano Massini's 7 Minutes at Waterwell. Teo received the League of Professional Theatre Women's Josephine Abady Award, and is the Associate Artistic Director and Director of New Work at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

ABOUT THE PRODUCING ORGANIZATIONS:

WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY

Woolly Mammoth creates badass theatre that highlights the stunning, challenging, and tremendous complexity of our world. For over 40 years, Woolly has maintained a high standard of artistic rigor while simultaneously daring to take risks, innovate, and push beyond perceived boundaries. One of the few remaining theatres in the country to maintain a company of artists, Woolly serves as an essential research and development role within the American theatre. Plays premiered here have gone on to productions at hundreds of theatres all over the world and have had lasting impacts on the field. Co-led by Artistic Director Maria Manuela Goyanes and Managing Director Emika Abe, Woolly is located in Washington, DC, equidistant from the Capitol Building and the White House. This unique location influences Woolly's investment in actively working towards an equitable, participatory, and creative democracy.

Woolly Mammoth stands upon occupied, unceded territory: the ancestral homeland of the Nacotchtank whose descendants belong to the Piscataway peoples. Furthermore, the foundation of this city, and most of the original buildings in Washington, DC, were funded by the sale of enslaved people of African descent and built by their hands.

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY

Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. The Folger welcomes millions of visitors online and in person. It provides unparalleled access to a huge array of resources, from original sources to modern interpretations. With the Folger, you can experience the power of performance, the wonder of exhibitions, and the excitement of pathbreaking research. The Folger offers the opportunity to see and even work with early modern sources, driving discovery and transforming education for students of all ages.

The award-winning Folger Theatre in our nation's capital bridges the arts and humanities through transformational performances and programming that speak inclusively to the human experience. Now under the leadership of Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels, Folger Theatre continues its legacy through exciting interpretations and adaptations of Shakespeare and expands the classical canon through cultivating today's artists and commissioning new work that is in dialogue with the concerns and issues of our time. Folger Theatre thrives both on its historical stage and in the community, engaging audiences wherever they happen to be.

During a multiyear building renovation, join the Folger online and on the road.a??Learn more at folger.edu.

BROADWAY & BEYOND THEATRICALS

Broadway & Beyond Theatricals is a theatrical producer and booking agency led by founders Victoria Lang, Ryan Bogner and Tracey McFarland. Upcoming productions: The Kite Runner (Broadway), Paradise Square (Broadway), Cambodian Rock Band. Broadway tours as agent: Paradise Square, The Cher Show, Memphis, Legally Blonde, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas & more. www.bbtheatricals.com

ABOUT Philadelphia Theatre Company

Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC) is a leading regional theater company that produces, develops, and presents entertaining and imaginative contemporary theater focused on the American experience.

Founded in 1974, Philadelphia Theatre Company has presented 201 World and Philadelphia premieres. More than 50 percent of PTC's world premieres have moved on to New York and other major cities, helping to earn Philadelphia a national reputation as a hub for new play development. In 2007, PTC was instrumental in expanding Philadelphia's thriving cultural corridor by opening the Suzanne Roberts Theatre on the Avenue of the Arts.

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