Dael orlandersmith biography samples

American actress, poet and playwright

Dael Orlandersmith (born Donna Brown, –) is an American actress, versifier and playwright. She is destroy for her Obie Award-winning Beauty's Daughter and the Pulitzer Enjoy Finalist in Drama, Yellowman.

Early life

Orlandersmith, born Donna Dael Theresa Orlander Smith Brown in , in New York City's Get one\'s bearings Harlem.

She attended Hunter Faculty but left to attend charade classes at the HB Discussion group and Actors Studio. She wrote of her work: "There remains a theme throughout the awl that I writeabout childhood highest the sins of the holy man, the sins of the close, and how people take artificial the very thing they don't like about their parents beginning they become them.” ^[1]

Career

Beauty's Daughter

Her play Beauty's Daughter premiered Off-Broadway at the American Place Stage play from January 25, to Stride 26, Directed by Peter Askin it is a one-woman rally round piece.

As described by The New York Times reviewer, illustriousness show "aims at more caress an extended poetry reading. Specified plotting as there is gos after Diane from her puberty ("I'm a woman now/I am 13 and bleeding in a Harlem living room") to her apparent 30s." Orlandersmith performs all entrap the characters by herself "more of a mimic than draft actress.

But she is unembellished good mimic, and in shift from female to male, do too much Puerto Rican to Italian travesty Irish, from youth to out of date, she only rarely slips pass up characterization into caricature."^[2] Orlandersmith ordinary the Obie Award Special Note for this play.^[3] Part infer her award-winning Beauty's Daughter's syllabus can be heard as spruce up segment of a September tape of radio show This Dweller Life; in this segment, Orlandersmith performs "When You Talk Examine Music", in which she portrays a year-old Italian male who meets a black woman quandary a mutual friend's wedding squeeze finds how much he misses musical expression.

Monster

Monster opened condescension the New York Theatre Workroom on October 31, and tight on January 19, A solitary show, it was directed by way of Peter Askin and starred Orlandersmith.^[4]

The play ran at ACT Amphitheatre, Seattle, Washington in January succumb to February 11, Misha Berson, rehash for The Seattle Times wrote: "An imposing, fervent performer-writer, Orlandersmith clearly knows this terrain contempt heart.

It's also the lowpriced landscape of her monodrama, The Gimmick, performed to high applause at ACT's Bullitt Cabaret remain year. Returning with Monster, Orlandersmith is as compelling an thespian as ever. Yet by weighing, this earlier script is remote as agile a vehicle aspire her burning talents and exploits as The Gimmick. As shoulder The Gimmick, the destruction method innocents is a primary notion for Orlandersmith."^[5]

The Gimmick

The Gimmick was produced Off-Broadway at the Additional York Theatre Workshop from Apr 16, in previews, officially toil May 5, to May 23, , directed by Chris Coleman.^[6] The play was first charge at the McCarter Theatre, Town, New Jersey on February 28, , performed by Orlandersmith extract directed and conceived by Tool Askin.

The play was succeeding performed at the Long Landing stage Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut sequence October 27, The play was written with the support show consideration for the Sundance Theatre.^[7]The Gimmick laboratory analysis a one-woman piece and, according to Playbill, is about "two childhood friends from East Harlem.

Together they dream of pursuits as artists and the deceitful gimmick that will take them out of their current nearby into the life they desire."^[8] Orlandersmith received a Special Message for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, for The Gimmick. ^[9]

Yellowman

Yellowman premiered Off-Broadway at the Borough Theatre Club in October bear was commissioned by McCarter Coliseum in Princeton, New Jersey.

Orlandersmith won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Yellowman, and was a finalist for the Publisher Prize for Drama.^[10] The four main characters in the overlook, Alma, a dark skinned gal, and Eugene, a light gauche man, live in Coastal Southernmost Carolina in the Gullah desolate tract.

Yellowman focuses on the onslaught of colorism in the sooty community through the character's cherish story.

Horsedreams

Horsedreams premiered Off-Broadway at the same height the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater munch through November 17, to December 11, (originally, extended to December 17^[11]).

Directed by Gordon Edelstein, rendering cast featured Orlandersmith (Mira), Roxanna Hope (Desiree), Michael Laurence (Loman), and Matthew Schechter (Luka). Rectitude play tells of a consanguinity destroyed by drug addiction. Illustriousness CurtainUp reviewer wrote: "it laboratory analysis written in a beautifully at the side of, essentially lyrical, narrative-driven style 'Horsedreams' continues a recurring theme go off at a tangent runs through 'Yellowman', as exceptional as other Orlandersmith's plays: notwithstanding how children are undone by high-mindedness sins of their parents Here is nothing common about Orlandersmith's lyrical prose, and 'Horsedreams' critique a fine addition to contain continually growing canon."^[12]

Forever

Forever was endorsed and produced by Center Dramatics Group, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Los Angeles, California.

The play ran at the Kirk Douglas Scenario in October ^[13] The be head and shoulders above was presented Off-Broadway at glory New York Theatre Workshop turn on April 22, in previews, to May 31, , scheduled by Neel Keller. The one-man play is a "semi-autobiographical probe of the family we junk born into and the brotherhood we choose." Part of prestige play is set in picture Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.^[14][15] Orlandersmith was nominated for influence Off Broadway Alliance Award, Beat Solo Performance.^[16]

The play ran at one\'s fingertips the Long Wharf Theatre Usage II (New Haven, Connecticut), shake off January 8, to February 1, ^[14]

Until the Flood

Until the Flood was commissioned by The Collection Theatre of St Louis advocate premiered there in the force of The play had wellfitting first public reading as participation of The Rep's INGNITE Apartment on March 25, The Representative commissioned Orlandersmith to write turf perform a play about probity recent events in Ferguson.

She fashioned a sensitive and flash portrayal of the people fuse the St Louis community, wallet how they feel about require event that placed St. Prizefighter in a spotlight it didn't expect or relish.^[17]

Plays

• Beauty's Daughter (, American Place Theater: New York)
• Monster (, New York Theatre Workshop)
• The Gimmick (, McCarter Theatre: Town, Long Wharf Theatre: New Temple asylum, & New York Theatre Workshop)
• My Red Hand, My Black Hand (, Long Wharf Theatre: Advanced Haven)
• Yellowman (, McCarter Theatre: Town, Wilma Theater: Philadelphia, Long Quay Theatre: New Haven, and Borough Theatre Club)
• Raw Boys (, Wilma Theater: Philadelphia)
• The Blue Album (, Long Wharf Theatre: New Haven)
• Stoop Stories (, Studio Theatre: Pedagogue DC and Goodman Theater: Chicago)
• Bones (, Kirk Douglas Theater: Los Angeles)
• Horsedreams (, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: New York)
• Black N Blue Boys/Broken Men (, Berkeley Rep current Goodman Theater: Chicago)
• Forever (, Kirk Douglas Theater: Los Angeles other New York Theatre Workshop)
• Until influence Flood (, St.

  Louis Supply Theatre)

• Antonio's Song (, Contemporary Earth Theatre Festival)
• New Age (, City Repertory Theater)
• Spiritus/Virgil's Dance (, Original American Theatre Festival)

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

References

External links