Forever by Dael Orlandersmith

I went to see this one-woman show Forever by Dael Orlandersmith (playing at New York Theatre Workshop). She calls it a semi-autobiographical play.  If I'm being honest, I usually don't care for one-woman/man shows because I find it hard for one person to sustain my attention for that amount of time.  But Ms. Dael Orlandersmith is an amazing storyteller.  She opened the circle and invoked a passage into her world.  Her past is painful and at times it's difficult to hear her speak her truth.  Her words are powerful and in the darkness of that theater I sobbed. For all the pains and difficulties she experienced but also for some of my own.  It was as if she reached out and touched those hurt places within my own soul.
There was a talk afterwards where Ms. Dael talked about her process and how this work Forever was developed out.  When asked what were some of the positives that she takes away from her past experiences, before she answered I knew exactly what she was going to say and the tears welled up again for me.  She said it was the Art.  The ability to express herself in a creative way.  This show is not for the faint of heart.  Ms. Dael digs way down and exposes truths about her past in a very explicit way.  But at the end of the piece, she inspired me.  I want to write plays again...especially ones that dig deep and move an audience the way Forever moved me.  It's quite the play to take in.

Peace,
L~


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