Dael Orlandersmith facts for kids

Dael Orlandersmith (born Donna Brown, 1960–) is an American actress, poet, and playwright. She is famous for her play Beauty's Daughter, which won an Obie Award. Her play Yellowman was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 2002.

Early Life and Inspiration

Dael Orlandersmith was born Donna Dael Theresa Orlander Smith Brown in 1959. She grew up in East Harlem, New York City. She went to Hunter College but later left to study acting. She took classes at the HB Studio and Actors Studio.

Orlandersmith often writes about childhood and family. She explores how early experiences can shape a person's life. Her plays often show how people might take on traits they disliked in their parents.

Career Highlights

Dael Orlandersmith has written and performed many plays. She is known for her powerful one-person shows. In these shows, she plays all the characters herself.

Beauty's Daughter

Her play Beauty's Daughter first opened in New York in 1995. It was a one-woman show directed by Peter Askin. Orlandersmith performed all the roles in the play.

The story follows a character named Diane from her teenage years to her early thirties. Orlandersmith was praised for playing many different characters. She could switch from female to male and from young to old. She won the 1994-1995 Obie Award for this play. A part of Beauty's Daughter was even featured on the radio show This American Life.

Monster

Monster opened in New York in 1996. It was another solo show starring Orlandersmith. Peter Askin also directed this play.

The play later ran in Seattle in 2001. Reviewers noted that Orlandersmith was a very strong performer. The play explored how challenges can affect young people.

The Gimmick

The Gimmick was first performed in 1998. It later opened Off-Broadway in New York in 1999. This was also a one-woman show.

The play is about two friends from East Harlem. They dream of becoming artists. They hope to find a "gimmick" to help them achieve their dreams. This play helped Orlandersmith receive a special award.

Yellowman

Yellowman premiered in 2002. It was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Orlandersmith also won the 2003 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for this play.

The play features two main characters, Alma and Eugene. Alma has dark skin, and Eugene has light skin. They live in Coastal South Carolina in the Gullah region. Yellowman tells their love story. It also explores how differences in skin tone can affect people within the black community.

Horsedreams

Horsedreams opened in New York in 2011. Gordon Edelstein directed the play. Orlandersmith also acted in it as the character Mira.

The play continues a common theme in Orlandersmith's work. It looks at how family challenges can affect children. Critics praised the play's beautiful and poetic language.

Forever

Forever was first performed in Los Angeles in 2014. It later came to New York in 2015. This is a one-woman play.

The play is partly based on Orlandersmith's own life. It explores the idea of the family you are born into. It also looks at the family you choose for yourself. Part of the play takes place in a cemetery in Paris. Orlandersmith was nominated for an award for her performance.

Until the Flood

Until the Flood was first performed in St. Louis in 2016. Orlandersmith was asked to write a play about recent events in Ferguson, Missouri.

She created a sensitive play about the people in the St. Louis community. The play shows how they felt about an event that brought a lot of attention to their city.

Plays

• Beauty's Daughter (1995)
• Monster (1996)
• The Gimmick (1998-1999)
• My Red Hand, My Black Hand (2001)
• Yellowman (2002)
• Raw Boys (2005)
• The Blue Album (2007)
• Stoop Stories (2009)
• Bones (2010)
• Horsedreams (2011)
• Black N Blue Boys/Broken Men (2012)
• Forever (2014)
• Until the Flood (2016)
• Antonio's Song (2019)
• New Age (2022)
• Spiritus/Virgil's Dance (2023)

Awards and Nominations

Awards

• 1995 Obie Award for Beauty's Daughter
• 2003 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
• 2005 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award
• 2008 Whiting Award

Nominations

• 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Finalist for Yellowman
• 2003 Drama Desk Award nomination - Outstanding Play, Yellowman