Stoop Stories

Dael Orlandersmith takes Chicago audiences on an electrifying journey through the spirit and soul of Harlem in her explosive solo piece Stoop Stories at Goodman Theatre. Hailed a "triumph" in its world premiere at Washington, D.C.'s Studio Theatre this past spring, Stoop Stories comes to Chicago directed by Obie Award-winner Jo Bonney. Orlandersmith transforms with mesmerizing ease into a range of characters—from an elderly Polish Holocaust survivor who has a chance meeting with Billie Holiday; to a poetic young junkie; to a teenage Puerto Rican punk; to a washed-up rock 'n' roll star; to a 70-year-old New Yorker from Harlem heading to the West Village to see Nina Simone.

"Experiencing the buzz Dael's powerful, haunting performance generated in Washington, D.C. while I was in town directing King Lear, I knew that Chicago needed to see Stoop Stories," said Artistic Director Robert Falls. "There is no other living American artist quite like Dael, whose astonishing body of muscular, vivid, lyrical work gives voice to characters whose stories are rarely heard. I am delighted to welcome Dael and her incredible director, my friend Jo Bonney, to the Goodman with this fantastic new play."

In Stoop Stories, Orlandersmith combines theater, poetry, music and performance art in a powerful, sizzling, fierce symphony of the diverse voices that make up her neighborhood—people drawn from her life and from her imagination. "There are a few places where people really pour out their souls: in beauty shops, barber shops, and sitting outside on stoops," said Orlandersmith. "I grew up in Harlem and the South Bronx, and hung out on the Lower East Side and the East Village. In those places you'd hear a lot of different voices and see different communities, backgrounds and races. All of these people unite on the stoop. That's where you find out who they are, as individuals. I wanted to look at that world in this play." The New Yorker has described her work as "passionate and full of insight" and The Washington Post noted, "One cup of Orlandersmith is worth a gallon of what most other monologists serve up."

Stoop Stories will run September 12 - October 11 in the Goodman's Owen Bruner Theatre. Tickets are $10 - $40 and are currently on sale at GoodmanTheatre.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the box office (170 North Dearborn) or by phone at 312-443-3800.