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Dael Orlandersmith

DAEL ORLANDERSMITH

  
Nationality:    African American
facebook     email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Judy Boals, Inc  

Dael Orlandersmith won an OBIE Award for BEAUTY's DAUGHTER, which she wrote and starred in at American Place Theatre. Film and television credits include Hal Hartley's AMATEUR, an episode OF SPIN CITY and the film GET WELL SOON with Courtney Cox. Dael has toured extensively with the Nuyorican Poets Cafe throughout the US, Europe and Australia. In November 1996, she premiered MONSTER at NYTW and appeared in ROMEO AND JULIET at Williamstown. Dael has attended Sundance Theatre Festival Lab four summers, developing new plays. the GIMMICK, commissioned by the McCarter Theatre, premiered on their Second Stage on Stage and went on to great acclaim at the Long Wharf Theatre and NYTW. YELLOWMAN was commissioned by and premiered at the McCarter in a co-production with the Wilma and Long Wharf Theatres; it was produced at ACT in Seattle and the Manhattan Theatre Club in Fall 2002. She's currently finishing her first novel and is starting work on a new play, commissioned by the WilmA. Vintage Books recently published a collection of her plays. Dael was a Susan Smith Blackburn Award Finalist in 1999 and is the recipient of a NYFA Grant and the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award. Last year, she was a Pulitzer Prize Award finalist for YELLOWMAN

Research:    Member of the Dramatists Guild of America (as at 2015)

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below is a list of Dael Orlandersmith's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Beauty's Daughter         Black 'n' Blue Boys/Broken Men         Forever         Gimmick, The         Horsedreams         Killing Floor         Liar, Liar         Light & Shadow         Monster         My Red Hand My Black Hand         Rave         Raw Boys         Stoop Stories         Yellowman

Beauty's Daughter

Synopsis:
One woman's journey with many obstacles stacked against her. the heroine or "anti-heroine" can choose to be a victim of the violent cards life has dealt her or she can use her poetry and music as a creative means to deal. the audience sees the character's inability and ultimate ability to deal with other people and triumph in the end.

Notes:
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1st Produced:

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Angela Allison ,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Drama One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Black 'n' Blue Boys/Broken Men

Synopsis:
The stories of a number of different men from Manchester to Coney Island

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Goodman Theatre, Chicago     29 Sep 2012

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Monologue play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Forever

Synopsis:
Inspired by her experiences in Paris at the famed Pere Lachaise Cemeterythe final resting place of such legendary artists as Richard Wright and Jim Morrisonaward-winning playwright/performer Dael Orlandersmith explores the strange way we form powerful bonds with people who, though unrelated to us by blood, come to feel like family. Observing strangers from around the world making pilgrimages to their favorite artist's grave, Orlandersmith investigates the complex legacy she received from her mothera legacy of bitterness, abuse, and frustration, but also of poetry, music, and art.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY (2015)   978-0822234098

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Semi-Autobiographical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Gimmick, The

Synopsis:
Harlem - 10 year old Alexis dreams of being a writer and her friend Jimmy dreams of being an artist. At 15 they go to see Picasso paintings at the Museum of Modern Art and Alexis agrees to pose naked. Jimmy gets a gallery show acquires a white girlfriend and gets into drugs. Alexis life spirals ever downward until she hits rock bottom.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
New York Theatre Workshop     1999

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
American Theatre Magazine, NY - September, 1999    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Horsedreams

Synopsis:
HORSEDREAMS explores the breakdown of the family unit as a result of addiction. After his wife, Desiree, dies of an accidental overdose, Loman faces the harsh reality of raising their son, Luka, alone.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Rattlestick theatre
224 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10014     17 Nov 2011

Organisations:
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    978-0822226017

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Killing Floor

Synopsis:
History catches up with the present when an estranged father and son have to comb through the detritus of their lives. . .literally.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Seventh Street Small Stage, New York City     15 Jan 2012

Organisations:
Rising Phoenix Rep

1st Published:
http://www.indietheaternow.com/Plays   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
one act 60 min

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Liar, Liar

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Mcc Theater, New York     1994

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Light & Shadow

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
On the night of the US Presidential Election, multi-award-winning playwrights from across the UK and US will have rehearsed readings of their work staged at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
rehearsed reading

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Monster

Synopsis:
A violent family history passes from one generation to the next. the narrator, a young woman, uses stories, poetry and characters to introduce and juxtapose situations. Through her powerful eyes we witness violence, friendship, alienation, family love and loyalty.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
New York Theatre Workshop New York     1996

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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My Red Hand My Black Hand

Synopsis:
This play tells the story of one girl's courageous search for belonging and acceptance in the two very distinct cultures that make up her heritage-African-American and Native-American. the play unfolds as the girl describes the past, present and future of her parents' cultures and their fusion into her own. She tells us about the "Red" Tlingit and Lakota parentage of her father, who leaves the reservation to play blues rock in Boston. And the "Black" rural Virginia Background of her mother, who goes to Boston seeking the big-city life. Her parents meet at a dance and fall in love, but not without the complications of prejudice from their families.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Long Wharf Theatre New Haven Connecticut    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  1man [Native American], 2 women [1 black, 1 mixed race]

Further Reference:
-

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Rave

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, New York     17 Oct 2010

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Raw Boys

Synopsis:
Billy escapes from an abusive Father in Ireland and goes to New York to fulfil his dreams of becoming an actor. Years later he sends for his brother, Shane.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Wilma Theatre, Philadelphia     25 Mar 2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Stoop Stories

Synopsis:
Dael Orlandersmith's Stoop Stories are a series of monologues that become hypnotic poetry about people she's watched in New York who pursue the American Dream. Because they are outsiders, losers and dopers, the unseen ones, they sit on their front porch steps to talk, to drink and dream. they never go anywhere, but they travel and take you with them - far beyond Harlem, the East or West Villages, Brooklyn or the Bronx.
- Rosalind Lacy , DC theatre Scene

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Studio Theatre, Washington Dc     2009

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, Inc (2011)   978-0822224914

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
series of monologues

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Yellowman

Synopsis:
"Dael Orlandersmith's two-hander is as magnificently acted as it is beautifully written and offers endless insights into the internal racism and oppressive determinism that haunt the African-American community. Two characters have been brought up in South Carolina in the supposedly progressive sixties. Alma is large, dark-skinned and part of a culture where women "tugged the soil right beside the men". Eugene is the lithe son of a lumberman Father and light-skinned mother and is teased for being a "high yella" boy. Growing up in a small town where gradations of colour assume monumental importance, Alma and Eugene fall in love, separate and are uneasily re-united. What gives Orlandersmith's play its power is the tension between self-fulfilment and the weight of the past. Alma is bright, smart, ambitious and at one point goes off to study in New York where she moves to the urgent rhythm of the city; yet she can never entirely escape her inherited self-hatred. Equally Eugene, branded a failure by his Father and advised by his grandFather "don't marry nothing dark," finds himself trapped by the antique prejudices of the unforgiving past. ", Guardian

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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