Have you ever talked late into the night with someone you barely know but who is so charming and straightforward that you feel like you are longtime friends? 

That happened to me last Friday when I saw “The Free State” by Wichita artist Madi White. The deeply personal one-woman show, written and performed by White, had its Kansas City debut at the Unicorn Theater at KC Fringe Festival. 

Even though showtime was 6 p.m., the tiny, curtain-lined Jerome Stage created the illusion of sitting near the protagonist, Free, in the living room of her apartment into the early hours of the morning. I experienced the work as an intimate one-on-one conversation — one that invited me to listen, understand, and relate.

A hard look at the power we allow shame to hold in our lives, “The Free State” emphasizes ways in which we all underestimate (or flat-out refute) our value and lovability, with a narrative constructed of memories shared by White in the role of Free. The production is directed by Wichita theater mainstay Steve Hitchcock with sound design by Ryan Marrow and lighting design by Arthur Reese.

In an interview conducted after the show, White said most of the script is autobiographical, although she was quick to point out that the character she describes as Free’s mother is fictitious.

“My mom is a very lovely person. She owns an art supply store and is, and always was, supportive of all my artistic endeavors. So, ‘Mama’ is not a reflection of my mother, but of a lot of the adults who were in my life,” she said. “I have broken ties with family members, where it's easier to be myself on my own.” White also draws from the experiences of other women she knows. 

A writer challenged by dyslexia since childhood, White had started countless stories and scripts she left unfinished. “The Free State” is the first complete work she has put in front of an audience. The graceful monologue, at turns sweetly optimistic, humorously self-depreciating, and breathlessly remorseful, is so direct, so authentic, that it’s impossible to not make a genuine emotional investment in Free and her hope of a future unencumbered by guilt and regret.

An artist residency at Château Orquevaux in France gave White the opportunity to develop and workshop "The Free State," which she has been test-driving for the past two years at storytelling gatherings and events including “Hungry? Have a Snack,” a program offered by Harvester Arts that gives artists a chance to try out their material before a live audience. She has performed “The Free State” at two Fringe Festivals, recently in Atlanta and now in Kansas City. 

White’s buoyant performance, anchored by a bright midwestern accent, is punctuated by creative elements informed by her eclectic experiences as a writer, clown, artist, and musician with backgrounds in acting and puppetry. In one pivotal scene, she uses puppetry to turn a jacket into Free’s grandmother. In another, she accompanies herself on acoustic guitar singing a song she wrote. White’s clowning, puppetry, and musicianship don’t lighten the mood so much as they add depth to the story — and to the healing this piece represents.

White said developing the show was “a huge part of my healing process. I just feel so grateful to any audience member who's there with me. I think, ‘Thank you for the free therapy.’”

White graduated magna cum laude from Wichita State and holds a degree in performing arts and music. After graduation, she attended clown schools, including Celebration Barn Theatre, and Dell'Arte International, where she trained under the guidance of Shannan Calcutt and Bill Irwin. 

This fall she will perform with with Fox and the Beggar, a traveling clown and puppet operetta. She has been accepted into Gullkistan, a residency in Iceland scheduled for 2026. The artist will return to Wichita in October to reprise “The Free State” at WSU on a date to be announced. 

In addition to its strong script and sincere performance, “The Free State” glows because White is not shy about sharing her most intimate secrets with us. She is an open, vulnerable human being, embracing her power as she acknowledges her flaws. This is both heavy, heartbreaking stuff and nobody’s damned business, but White makes it our business by including us in a secret the consequences of which Free is struggling to accept.

I hope the revelation brings them both some relief.

The Details

"The Free State" at the KC Fringe Festival

The KC Fringe Festival will host two remaining performance of “The Free State”: 9 p.m., Thursday, July 24 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, July 26, both at the Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St. in Kansas City, Missouri.

Find more info and buy tickets here.

Teri Mott is a writer and actor in Wichita, Kansas, where she covers the arts as a critic and feature writer. She is a co-founder of the SHOUT.

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