Madeline Sayet (she/her) is a Mohegan theater maker who believes the stories we pass down inform our collective possible futures. She serves as an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) and is the Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP). 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. As a writer her plays include Where We Belong, Up and Down the River, Antigone Or And Still She Must Rise Up, Daughters of Leda, The Neverland, 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), 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). Where We Belong is published by Bloomsbury. madelinesayet.com

Emily Preis (she/her) is a proud citizen of the Osage Nation as well as a New York City-based maker, performer, and organizer who loves any opportunity to explore the incredible power of storytelling and community sharing. Since receiving her B.F.A. from NYU Tisch’s Experimental Theatre Wing, she has collaborated with her advisor, Mauricio Salgado, to turn her thesis, Performance as an Act for Tribal Sovereignty, into a Theatre Studies course now offered at NYU. For her work as an actress, she was named one of the finalists for Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program’s inaugural Misty Upham Award for Young Native Actors. Select credits include Lovely Dark & Deep (Broadway Podcast Network), Fairly Traceable (American Bar Association), Tree Tales (Prospect Theater), Your Good Friend Jay Silverheels (YIPAP), Bingo Hall (AICH), When Farah Cries (Borderlight International Theater Festival). Emily hopes to continue to explore ways to build community and challenge harmful narratives through performance.

Mei Ann Teo (they/she) is a queer immigrant from Singapore making theater and film at the intersection of artistic/civic/contemplative practice. As a director/devisor/dramaturg, they create across genres, including music theater, intermedial participatory work, reimagining classics, and documentary theater. 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, The 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, Woolly Mammoth, BCS, and PTC; the North American premiere of Amy Berryman’s Walden at TheatreWorks Hartford; and the English U.S. premiere of Stefano Massini’s 7 Minutes at Waterwell. Teo received the League of Professional Theatre Women’s Josephine Abady Award, is the inaugural recipient of the Lily Fan Director Lilly Award, and is the Associate Artistic Director and Director of New Work at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  

Hao Bai (she/her) is a multidisciplinary designer in lighting, sound, video projection, and world-building (environment) for live and virtual performances. Hao’s work has been seen internationally at Asia Culture Center (South Korea), WuZhen Festival (China), in the states at Woolly Mammoth Theater (DC), TheatreWorks Hartford (CT), BCS (MD), Harvard (MA), CAC (Cincinnati), Stanford, Jone Hall (Houston), and in New York at The Public Theater, NYU Skirball, NYU Tisch, Bushwick Starr, La MaMa, JACK, The Flea, HERE, Performance Space New York, New Stage Theatre, 59E59, A.R.T/New York Theatres, 14 Street Y, BAAD!, Stella Adler, The Performing Garage, The Gallery Players, The Tank, etc. Recent: Virtual: Final Boarding Call (Ma-Yi Theater+WP Theater); Nocturne in 1200s (Ping Chong). Lighting: Waterboy and the Mighty World (Bushwick Starr & The Public Theatre). Projection: Electronic City (NYIT Awards). Sound: Walden (TheatreWorks–CT Critics Circle Award). Lighting & Sound: 7 Minutes (HERE). Lighting/Sound/Projection: Arden (The Flea). Production Design: and the grass grows (Harvard University). Upcoming: Lazarus (Ping Chong). haobaidesign.com

Asa Benally (he/him), Citizen of the Navajo and Cherokee Nations. The Rez Sisters, 1939 (Stratford Festival); 7 Minutes (Waterwell); Where We Belong (Woolly Mammoth Theater, Baltimore Center Stage); Mrs. Warren’s Profession (The Gingold Group); Blues for an Alabama Sky (Keen Company, Drama Desk Nomination); Somewhere Over the Border (Syracuse Stage); Too Heavy For Your Pocket (George Street Playhouse); Skeleton Crew (Westport Country Playhouse); Father Comes Home… (Juilliard); Measure for Measure (The Public Theater Mobile Unit); Cymbeline (Yale Repertory Theatre); The Brobot Johnson Experience (The Bushwick Starr); Tricks the Devil Taught Me (Minetta Lane Theatre); Coriolanus, The Seagull (Yale School of Drama); Whale Song (Perseverance Theatre); Roberto Zucco (Yale Cabaret); The Winter's Tale (HERE Arts Center). Training: M.F.A Yale School of Drama. B.F.A. Parsons School of Design. asabenally.com, @Asa_Benally_Design

Megan J Coffel (they/them) is proud to be the lighting and technical director for Where We Belong and enjoys traveling with the team to share the story with people across the country. They are a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with an M.F.A. in lighting design and technology. There, they enjoyed being a head electrician (The Marriage of Figaro, Cabaret, Crazy for You), designing lights (Fun Home, Hit the Wall, Adventures of Little Sharpears), and exploring many classes in the scenic technology department. They have worked previously at Utah Festival Opera and Theatre Company, the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, and Strayer-Wood Theatre. Outside of theater, they enjoy freehand drawing, playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends, and watching “Star Trek” (“Deep Space Nine” is their favorite series thus far). 

Erik Schilke (he/him) is an ambient electronic artist and music producer. His work draws from the narrative patterns in the natural world around us to both engage with the soundscape of our existence and escape from it at the same time. His debut album Synthesis was recently released on the German label Hymen Records. He has previously scored film projects for acclaimed directors including Fernando Lazzari and Madeline Sayet. Schilke is honored to be working on Where We Belong. @erikschilkemusic

Grace Chariya (she/her) is originally from Urbana, Illinois. She has previously worked at Baltimore Center Stage as the Interim Executive Coordinator for part of the 2021-2022 season, served as the Production Assistant on their co-production of Fires in the Mirror with Long Wharf Theatre, and was a Production Assistant and Production Management Apprentice for their 2020-2021 season. Grace has also worked at New York Stage and Film during their summer season as the Production Manager (2022), the Assistant Production Manager (2021), and as a Stage Management Intern (2019). She holds a B.F.A. in Stage Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Favorite highlights: A Play for the Living in the Time of Extinction, The Garden, The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks, and Curls (Baltimore Center Stage); Sanctuary City, Annie Salem: An American Tale, Goddess, The Notebook (New York Stage and Film); Jessica Lang Dance’s us/we (Krannert Center for the Performing Arts); eurydice, gorge, idling gorge, just idling, just, An American Daughter, Studio Dance II, Don Giovanni, In The Next Room, or the vibrator play (University of Illinois).

Elisabeth Schapmann (she/her) is originally from Skokie, Illinois. Previously, she has worked for Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, and Montana Shakespeare in the Park. This past year, Elisabeth has served as a Production Assistant and Assistant Stage Manager at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She received her B.F.A. in Stage Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Favorite credits include As You Like It, Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski, All’s Well That Ends Well (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); She Loves Me, West Side Story (Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater); Noises Off (Connecticut Repertory Theater); Hit The Wall, Cabaret, An American Daughter, Hansel and Gretel, Romeo and Juliet (University of Illinois). 

T’set Kwei yóo x̱at duwasáakw. Vera Starbard áyá ax̱ saayí. Dleit ḵáa x̱’éináx̱ Vera Marlene Bedard yóo x̱at duwasáakw. Leineidi naax̱ x̱at sitee. T’akdeintaan yádi. Wooshkeetaan dachx̱án. Dena’ina dachx̱án.Takjik’ ḵwáan áwé uháan. Shaan Seetxʼ x̱at ḵuwdiztee. Dgheyaytnux’ ḵux̱aa.óo. Vera Starbard (she/her), T’set Kwei, is a Tlingit and Dena’ina writer and editor. Her mother is of the Leiineidi clan and her father is T’akdeintaan. Vera was Playwright-in-Residence at Perseverance Theatre through the Andrew W. Mellon National Playwright Residency Program from 2016-2022, and a writer for the PBS Kids animated children’s program “Molly of Denali,” which won a Peabody Award in 2020. She is currently editor of First Alaskans Magazine and staff writer on the ABC show “Alaska Daily.” Vera lives with her husband Joe Bedard (Inupiaq/Yup’ik/Cree) on Dena'ina land around Dgheyaytnu – colonially called Anchorage, Alaska. verastarbard.com

Judy Bowman, CSA (she/her). At Woolly Mammoth Theatre: Casting Collaboration on Shipwreck, Fairview, Familiar, An Octoroon, Guards at the Taj, The Convert, Lights Rise on Grace. Recent NY: Nothing Gold Can Stay, Molly Sweeney (Keen), Greg Keller’s Dutch Masters (André Holland), The Net Will Appear with Richard Masur. Regional: Lloyd Suh’s Bina’s Six Apples (Eric Ting/CTC/Alliance Theatre), Nina Simone: Four Women, Justice (Arizona Theatre Co), Dorset Theatre Festival (11 seasons), several productions with Cleveland Play House, Humana Festival, and upcoming Lauren Keating’s A Christmas Carol (McCarter). Film/TV: Separation, Hurricane Bianca, The End of the Rope, Trick, Lost Cat Corona, Gold Star, and Big Dogs. Artios Award nominee for Best Web Series Casting, PT Barnum Award recipient. judybowmancasting.com

Jen Olivares (she/her) is a member of the Acjachemen Nation, a Southern California tribe whose unceded land is also known as Orange County, CA. Jen is a director, actor, dancer/choreographer, and commissioned playwright with Celebration Theater in Los Angeles. Favorite Movement/Choreography Credits: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Winter’s Tale, SHIFT Dance Company (NYC). Favorite acting credits: Off-Broadway: The Pirate La Dee Da (Atlantic Theatre Company). Regional: Between Two Knees, Manahatta (Yale Repertory Theatre); Oklahoma!, The Way The Mountain Moved, Off The Rails (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). National Tours: Rock of Ages. TV: “Bull” (CBS), “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon Prime Video). jenolivares.com

Broadway & Beyond Theatricals is a theatrical producer and booking agency led by founders Victoria Lang, Ryan Bogner, and Tracey McFarland. Broadway: The Kite Runner, Paradise Square. Upcoming: The Cottage. Tours as agent: The Kite Runner, Paradise Square, The Cher Show, Legally Blonde, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, Madagascar, An American in Paris, and more. bbtheatricals.com 

Victoria Lang (she/her) has enjoyed an award-winning producing career in theater, television, film, concerts, and podcasting. On the cutting edge of the best of Off-Broadway theater, she has produced such hits as FOUND: A New Musical, SILENCE! The Musical (Best Musical: Off Broadway Alliance Award, Top 5 Musicals: Time Magazine), SHOUT! The Mod Musical, Johnny Guitar (Best Off-Broadway Musical: Outer Critics Circle Award), Matt & Ben (Top 5 Plays: Time Magazine), and David Friedman’s Listen to My Heart (Drama Desk Award). Recent Broadway productions include Paradise Square (10 Tony Nominations), Funny Girl, Tootsie (Tony nomination), The Cher Show, The Lightning Thief, Sylvia, 1984, and Escape to Margaritaville. West End productions include Funny Girl (Olivier Award), Bat Boy, and SHOUT! Upcoming Broadway: The Kite Runner, A Face in the Crowd, The Nanny, Loch Ness, The Cottage. Television: “Live With Regis & Kathie Lee” (3 Emmy nominations), Music Specials for PBS and A&E. Film: Macbeth in Manhattan (Showtime), Dark Tides, and more. Podcast: FOUND on the Wondery Network. Victoria is a Founder and Co-President of Content of Broadway & Beyond Theatricals, a Founder and Co-President of Plus Media & Plus Entertainment, and President of Lang Entertainment Group. Victoria attended Emerson College and graduated with a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts Summa Cum Laude from Long Island University. She is a member of the Broadway and Off-Broadway Leagues, the Off Broadway Alliance, BAFTA, and the Black Theatre Coalition. 

Ryan Bogner (he/him) is a producer and entertainment entrepreneur and is currently the Co-President of Content for Broadway & Beyond Theatricals (BBT), a full-service production company and theatrical booking agency which he founded with partners Victoria Lang and Tracey McFarland. Bogner has produced shows and events on and off Broadway, and with such organizations as The Public Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Ohio Theater, The Zipper Factory, Dixon Place, The New York Musical Festival, and The New York International Fringe Festival as well as countless developmental workshops, readings and concerts in both the live and digital spaces. Notable past productions include: The Woodsman, Here Lies Love, The Orion Experience, Yeast Nation, Doctor Zhivago, Top Hat, Big Fish, The Cher Show, and CHEERS: Live On Stage, among others. Upcoming: The Kite Runner, Cambodian Rock Band. Prior to the founding of BBT, Ryan served as an executive at such production companies as RKO Stage and Stageworks Media, worked in licensing at Theatrical Rights Worldwide, and was a founder of booking agency Off Broadway Touring. Ryan holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theater and Directing from The Boston Conservatory, and an M.F.A. in Theater Management and Producing from Columbia University.

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 path-breaking 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. folger.edu

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company creates badass theater 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 daring to take risks, innovate, and push beyond perceived boundaries. Located in Washington, D.C., and co-led by Artistic Director Maria Manuela Goyanes and Managing Director Emika Abe, Woolly serves an essential research and development role within the American theater. Plays premiered here have gone on to productions at hundreds of theaters worldwide and have had lasting impacts on the field. These include the world premiere productions of Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed in 2009 that went on to be the first Broadway play with a cast and creative team of all Black women; Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer Prize Winner Clybourne Park in 2010; and Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns: a post-electric play in 2012. Woolly Mammoth acknowledges that the theater stands upon occupied, unceded territory: the ancestral homeland of the Nacotchtank whose descendants belong to the Piscataway peoples. Furthermore, the foundation and most of the original buildings in Washington, D.C., were funded by the sale of enslaved people of African descent and built by their hands.