Dael Orlandersmith's Poignant One-Woman Drama
In an age of mass shootings, shoot-to-kill and subsequent social and political unrest, Obie winner and Pultizer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith's poignant one-woman show Until The Flood explores the events in Ferguson in 2014. Drawing upon interviews with eye-witnesses Orlandersmith brings an entire community to life, embodying everyone from its frustrated teenagers to wise, calm yet enraged elders in the wake of the unlawful shooting of black youth Micheal Brown.
Sparking a new era of protest, the Brown incident brought race tensions to the surface in America. Many details of the event in question have become mired in doubt and sensationalism, so Orlandersmith doesn't attempt to comb through facts and figures, but rather focuses on the human response to the tragedy. A moral inquest of sorts, the actor, poet and playwright portrays only eight people, yet a myriad emotions, viewpoints and questions.