Revisit four captivating Goodman productions by Dael Orlandersmith, a provocative writer and performer with a singular ability to write, inhabit and empathize with characters of all demographics and worldviews.
A provocative writer and performer, Dael Orlandersmith possesses a chameleon-like ability to write, inhabit and empathize with characters of all demographics and worldviews. Many of her works, including Until the Flood, are one-woman shows in which she weaves a tapestry of ideas by performing a series of monologues by different characters, all centered around a central theme. Since 2009, she has collaborated with the Goodman four times. In Stoop Stories (2009), she painted a compelling picture of her native Harlem; in Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men (2012), a world premiere and Goodman Theatre commission, she explored heartbreaking stories of male sexual abuse; in Until the Flood (2018) she examined the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Also in 2018, the Goodman produced Orlandersmith’s play Lady in Denmark, a one-woman, one-character show starring Linda Gehringer about life, love and the music of Billie Holiday. She is a member of the Goodman’s Artistic Collective and the Alice Center Resident Artist. Outside the Goodman, she has appeared at theaters across the nation and her play Yellowman was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002.