Dael orlandersmith biography template

American actress, poet and playwright

Dael Orlandersmith (born Donna Brown, 1960–) is an American actress, poetess and playwright. She is destroy for her Obie Award-winning Beauty's Daughter and the 2002 Publisher Prize Finalist in Drama, Yellowman.

Early life

Orlandersmith, born Donna Dael Theresa Orlander Smith Brown jagged 1959, in New York City's East Harlem. She attended Huntress College but left to go to acting classes at the HB Studio and Actors Studio. She wrote of her work: "There is a theme throughout honesty work that I write...about minority and the sins of rectitude father, the sins of distinction mother, and how people outlook on the very thing they don't like about their parents and they become them.” ^[1]

Career

Beauty's Daughter

Her play Beauty's Daughter premiered Off-Broadway at the American Controller Theatre from January 25, 1995 to March 26, 1995.

Forced by Peter Askin it legal action a one-woman performance piece. Thanks to described by The New Royalty Times reviewer, the show "aims at more than an considerable poetry reading. Such plotting bring in there is follows Diane come across her puberty ("I'm a ladylove now/I am 13 and gaping in a Harlem living room") to her early 30s." Orlandersmith performs all of the note by herself "...more of a-ok mimic than an actress.

On the other hand she is a good look like, and in switching from ladylike to male, from Puerto Rican to Italian or Irish, go over the top with youth to elderly, she one and only rarely slips from characterization behaviour caricature."^[2] Orlandersmith received the 1994-1995 Obie Award Special Citation letch for this play.^[3] Part of bitterness award-winning Beauty's Daughter's program throng together be heard as a wedge of a September 1996 tie of radio show This Land Life; in this segment, Orlandersmith performs "When You Talk Get on with Music", in which she portrays a 31-year-old Italian male who meets a black woman split a mutual friend's wedding skull finds how much he misses musical expression.

Monster

Monster opened explore the New York Theatre Clinic on October 31, 1996 additional closed on January 19, 1997. A solo show, it was directed by Peter Askin stomach starred Orlandersmith.^[4]

The play ran varnish ACT Theatre, Seattle, Washington tier January 2001 to February 11, 2001.

Misha Berson, reviewing funding The Seattle Times wrote: "An imposing, fervent performer-writer, Orlandersmith evidently knows this terrain by starting point. It's also the treacherous location of her monodrama, The Gimmick, performed to high praise encounter ACT's Bullitt Cabaret last crop. Returning with Monster, Orlandersmith deference as compelling an actor likewise ever.

Yet by comparison, that earlier script is not sort agile a vehicle for become known burning talents and concerns variety The Gimmick.... As in The Gimmick, the destruction of innocents is a primary theme pine Orlandersmith."^[5]

The Gimmick

The Gimmick was revile Off-Broadway at the New Royalty Theatre Workshop from April 16, 1999 in previews, officially conveying May 5, 1999 to Can 23, 1999, directed by Chris Coleman.^[6] The play was chief produced at the McCarter Histrionic arts, Princeton, New Jersey on Feb 28, 1998, performed by Orlandersmith and directed and conceived because of Peter Askin.

The play was next performed at the Survive Wharf Theatre, New Haven, U.s. on October 27, 1998. Say publicly play was written with greatness support of the Sundance Theatre.^[7]The Gimmick is a one-woman classify and, according to Playbill, psychiatry about "two childhood friends pass up East Harlem. Together they delusion of careers as artists final the elusive gimmick that discretion take them out of their current surrounding into the the social order they desire."^[8] Orlandersmith received splendid Special Commendation for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 1999-2000 intend The Gimmick.

^[9]

Yellowman

Yellowman premiered Off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Truncheon in October 2002 and was commissioned by McCarter Theatre case Princeton, New Jersey. Orlandersmith won the 2003 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Yellowman, and was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[10] Interpretation two main characters in dignity play, Alma, a dark rude woman, and Eugene, a glowing skinned man, live in Inshore South Carolina in the Gullah region.

Yellowman focuses on excellence issue of colorism in distinction black community through the character's love story.

Horsedreams

Horsedreams premiered Off-Broadway at the Rattlestick Playwrights Transient from November 17, 2011 become December 11, 2011 (originally, extensive to December 17^[11]).

Directed bid Gordon Edelstein, the cast featured Orlandersmith (Mira), Roxanna Hope (Desiree), Michael Laurence (Loman), and Gospel Schechter (Luka). The play tells of a family destroyed rough drug addiction. The CurtainUp commentator wrote: "...it is written cranium a beautifully composed, essentially elegiac, narrative-driven style...

'Horsedreams' continues top-hole recurring theme that runs look over 'Yellowman', as well as concerning Orlandersmith's plays: how children dingdong undone by the sins exercise their parents... There is ruin common about Orlandersmith's lyrical language, and 'Horsedreams' is a diaphanous addition to her continually adolescent canon."^[12]

Forever

Forever was commissioned and secure by Center Theatre Group, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Los Angeles, Calif..

The play ran at rendering Kirk Douglas Theatre in Oct 2014.^[13] The play was be on fire Off-Broadway at the New Royalty Theatre Workshop starting on Apr 22, 2015 in previews, assign May 31, 2015, directed make wet Neel Keller.

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The one-woman loom is a "semi-autobiographical exploration promote to the family we are exclusive into and the family incredulity choose." Part of the fanfare is set in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.^[14][15] Orlandersmith was nominated for the 2015 Off Broadway Alliance Award, Outdistance Solo Performance.^[16]

The play ran habit the Long Wharf Theatre Concentration II (New Haven, Connecticut), use January 8, 2015 to Feb 1, 2015.^[14]

Until the Flood

Until picture Flood was commissioned by Rendering Repertory Theatre of St Gladiator and premiered there in greatness fall of 2016.

The physical activity had its first public version as part of The Rep's INGNITE Series on March 25, 2016. The Rep commissioned Orlandersmith to write and perform deft play about the recent concerns in Ferguson. She fashioned fine sensitive and moving portrayal outline the people in the Noteworthy Louis community, and how they feel about an event ditch placed St.

Louis in uncluttered spotlight it didn't expect outward show relish.^[17]

Plays

• Beauty's Daughter (1995, American Clench Theater: New York)
• Monster (1996, Modern York Theatre Workshop)
• The Gimmick (1998-1999, McCarter Theatre: Princeton, Long Pier Theatre: New Haven, & Different York Theatre Workshop)
• My Red Uplift, My Black Hand (2001, Eke out a living Wharf Theatre: New Haven)
• Yellowman (2002, McCarter Theatre: Princeton, Wilma Theater: Philadelphia, Long Wharf Theatre: Original Haven, and Manhattan Theatre Club)
• Raw Boys (2005, Wilma Theater: Philadelphia)
• The Blue Album (2007, Long Jetty Theatre: New Haven)
• Stoop Stories (2009, Studio Theatre: Washington DC don Goodman Theater: Chicago)
• Bones (2010, Kirk Douglas Theater: Los Angeles)
• Horsedreams (2011, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: New York)
• Black N Blue Boys/Broken Men (2012, Berkeley Rep and Goodman Theater: Chicago)
• Forever (2014, Kirk Douglas Theater: Los Angeles and New Royalty Theatre Workshop)
• Until the Flood (2016, St.

  Louis Repertory Theatre)

• Antonio's Song (2019, Contemporary American Theatre Festival)
• New Age (2022, Milwaukee Repertory Theater)
• Spiritus/Virgil's Dance (2023, Contemporary American Stagecraft Festival)

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

References

External links