Beauty's Daughter, Monster, The Gimmick

The sheer exuberance of language that pours forth in Dael Orlandersmith''s plays has dazzled critics and audiences alike. In these three pieces, the award-winning writer and performer celebrates the power of words to rescue the young black women she portrays from their constricted worlds.

In the Obie Award-winning play "Beauty''s Daughter," Diane yearns to free herself from her soul-deadening surro...