"Where We Belong" - by Madeline Sayet - Umbrella Arts Center (Concord, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: GiGi Buddie as "Achokayis" in a scene from Madeline Sayet's "WHERE WE BELONG" now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. now playing through March 23, 2025. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“Lines drawn in the sand by petulant children with guns."
- ("Achokayis") / Madeline Sayet
Umbrella Arts Center
Presents Madeline Sayet's
"WHERE WE BELONG"
Written by Madeline Sayet
Directed by Tara Moses
Produced by Brian Boruta
Stage Manager Nerys Powell*
Starring GiGi Buddie* as "Achokayis" (Understudy - Chingwe Padraig Sullivan)
Additional Creative Team:
Lighting Designer - Ben Rush; Sound Designer - Chris Brousseau; Costume Designer - Cass Meehan-Marinich; Scenic Designer - Baron E. Pugh**; Properties/Set Dressing Designer - Sarabeth Spector; Stage Crew - Zoe Pepin; Sound Op - Dani Smith; Wardrobe Supervisor - Tree Brock; Scenic Charge - Page Evett; Executive Director, The Umbrella Arts Center - Eileen Williston; EDI Consultant - Kira Troilo; EDI Assistant - Ariel Welch; Company Manager - Cathie Regan.
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
** Represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE
Performances:
February 28, 2025 through March 23, 2025
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
Black Box Theater THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA. 01742
TICKETS:
For tickets or more information, contact # 978-371-0820 or visitwww.theumbrellaarts.org
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
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(Warning: The following review my contain spoilers)
Umbrella Arts Center takes us along on a powerful and highly personal odyssey of an Indigenous person in "WHERE WE BELONG" now playing in Concord.
This marvelous single-actor show brings with it not only surprising revelations but also intense emotion.
If one were to read the script for "WHERE WE BELONG" the play begins by defining the setting as follows:
"The Earth – Old, hurt, carved with line by foolish people The Sky – Free, expansive, beyond all else The River – Focused, alive, ever changing."
It then describes the timeframe of the play set as:
“Four Hundred Years: 2016-2021 and 1620s-2021, and yet no time at all.”
Now, while the above may sound a little ominous (or perhaps even a little pretentious), given the story that is conveyed by playwright Madeline Sayet it is actually completely sincere and accurate.
(Photo: GiGi Buddie as "Achokayis" in a scene from Madeline Sayet's "WHERE WE BELONG" now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. now playing through March 23, 2025. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
In Sayet’s own words, she describes "WHERE WE BELONG" along these lines:
“This play is like the river. The sky. The earth. It holds the stories that came before but also those of the moment, which is ever changing.”
Understanding the above helps us prepare - for what we are about to witness in "WHERE WE BELONG" is an exploration of not only history and culture but also identity, in this case, the identity of an individual, Achokayis, as portrayed by versatile actress GiGi Buddie.
An avid student of William Shakespeare, Achokayis has the opportunity to travel to London to obtain her credentials to become a Shakespearean scholar.
However, throughout her odyssey - an odyssey upon which Achokayis takes us along for the ride (or flight) - Achokayis soon discovers her own identity is never truly separated from the identity of her culture.
Achokayis further discovers her culture is inexorably linked to history…a history many would seek to either suppress or forget.
(Photo: GiGi Buddie as "Achokayis" in a scene from Madeline Sayet's "WHERE WE BELONG" now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. now playing through March 23, 2025. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
To better understand the events of "WHERE WE BELONG" one also needs to look at the playwright, Madeline Sayet.
Sayet is a recipient of the White House Champion of Change Award for Native America for her work as a director, writer, performer and educator.
Born in 1989, Sayet grew up in Norwich and Uncasville, Connecticut and was brought up on stories and traditions of the Mohegan tribe as passed down to her by her mother and grandmother, former Medicine Women.
As co-founder of the Mad & Merry Theatre Company, Sayet adapted classical pieces to incorporate her own culture.
She obtained a Masters Degree in Shakespeare from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford Upon Avon, UK.
Sayet remade Shakespeare’s "Tempest" incorporating Mohegan language and culture.
In 2019, Sayet performed "WHERE WE BELONG" at Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London, making her the first Native American playwright to have her work performed in that space.
In 2021, a film adaptation of "WHERE WE BELONG" was produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, in association with the Folger Shakespeare Library.
This was followed by a national tour of "WHERE WE BELONG" where Sayet would eventually be nominated for the Jeff Award for Best Solo Performance in Chicago for her run of "WHERE WE BELONG" at the Goodman Theatre.
(Photo: GiGi Buddie as "Achokayis" in a scene from Madeline Sayet's "WHERE WE BELONG" now playing at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. now playing through March 23, 2025. Photo Credit: Jim Sabitus)
Now, in 2025 for this one-actor performance at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. as astutely directed by Tara Moses, the entire stage space floor is covered in sand, with rocks and other formations strategically placed.
The sand not only gives us a sense of a place or multiple places but also gives us a sense of time or multiple time periods (a la "the sands of time").
It does need to be noted that some of the subject matter is not going to appeal to every theatregoer as some content may come across as little more than bullet points for a forthcoming test in school.
However, for those who can see beyond that, there is a far more going on here.
In "WHERE WE BELONG" there is an elevated, highly personal, highly emotional story taking place for Achokayis - and the strength of the script comes from Sayet’s own words and from GiGi Buddie’s performance.
Throughout Achokayis’s journey, Buddie instantly switches from character to character to character, eliciting a completely mesmerizing performance.
In addition, there is an elevated use of technical effects for which timing is absolutely critical and is timed out to perfection.
The 'sands of time" for this show runs a little more than 90 minutes (no intermission)…and yet, it feels like “no time at all” passes as Buddie’s portrayal of Achokayis is so compelling and the visceral experience so fulfilling that the time goes by in the blink of an eye.
Achokayis’ journey that is "WHERE WE BELONG" continues at Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA. until March 23rd, 2025 and is one journey well worth taking.
Coming up next at Umbrella Arts Center beginning April 25th, 2025 is the delightful musical “THE SPITFIRE GRILL” by James Valco, Fred Alley and based on the film by Lee David Zlotoff.
For tickets or more information, contact # 978-371-0820 or visit www.theumbrellaarts.org
BUY TICKETS
Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
Following its acclaimed tour, developed in partnership with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in association with The Folger Shakespeare Library, with performances at Seattle Rep, Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, New York’s Public Theater and more, THE UMBRELLA is proud to present the New England Premiere of Madeline Sayet's "WHERE WE BELONG" in a new production.
A groundbreaking play that explores themes of identity and importance of honoring our roots, "WHERE WE BELONG" amplifies one indigenous woman’s story and challenges audiences to confront their own preconceptions and biases.
ABOUT THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER
THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER enriches lives and builds a vibrant and inclusive community through the arts. THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER promotes creativity, learning, personal growth, and cultural exchange through accessible arts education programs, performing and visual arts presentations, and community collaborations.
40 Stow Street
Concord, MA. 01742
# 978-371-0820
