Telling stories since 01’
Meet Madison
STORYTELLER
STORYTELLER
Madison (Mads) is a dreamer at heart & thrives in curious spaces. This is why storytelling is the center of her life! Through an array of mediums, Mads thrives when ensuring stories are curated and presented honestly, ethically, and accessible to all.
All About Me!
(the Professional Stuff)
She spent the last 5 years in Bellingham, directing alongside an array of professors & guest directors from across the nation. She composed Untethered, a new musical, alongside 3 other colleagues. In 2022, it premiered as a reading at the Region 7 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival & was a semi-finalist for the O'Neill National Musical Theatre Conference. It remains in development.
Mads is a photographer & theatre professional who graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in Theatre Production, concentrating in directing & playwriting.
When she wasn’t in the theater, she spent most of her evenings capturing touring musicians & Bellingham’s DIY scene from 2021-2023.
In the Fall of 2026, Madison will be attending Carnegie Mellon University to study Arts Administration within Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy.
She loves basketball, karaoke, writing music, essays in Substack, and spending time in nature, preferably by the water.
Click To Read
MOI, MOISELF, & I
Truthfully,
I’ve always felt a fire deep inside me, but I tell stories because my life was nothing short of a whirlwind. My father passed away when I was 13, and my mom at 23. I watched them both deteriorate slowly.
They were addicts & also beautiful, radiant, creative, generous, and compassionate people who instilled a curiosity in me from a very young age. Through grief & storytelling, I have found a profound understanding of forgiveness, community, and self.
I began writing music very young, singing, and performing. I was placed in gymnastics, dance, and every sport you can think of. (& to this day Im a big basketball & volleyball fan.) But theatre has always been a constant for me.
There was something comforting about escaping reality and searching for something outside of myself. As I entered college, sure, I wanted to be an actor/singer, but I was much more interested in zooming out. It was another oppurtunity to reach for something I didn’t quite understand. In my first directing class, which had one assignment, I turned in 6 versions of a script analysis. All of which needed revising to pass the class. I was eager to get it right, and at the end of the quarter, I was asked to assistant direct my first musical. Then I composed one, Untethered, which was premiered as a reading at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. I ended my undergraduate career as Constance in Ride The Cyclone, which felt much more full circle than 18-year-old Madison could have ever imagined.
As I turn this new page, I step into Pittsburgh as a multi-hyphenate creative—pursuing an MA in Arts Management at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, where I’ll deepen my work in strategic storytelling and continue nurturing theatre and interdisciplinary art that impacts the world! Woohoo!
Madison Joy LeFever
5/6/2026
WHAT’s SHE DOING???
