Dael Orlandersmith's UNTIL THE FLOOD Makes Its Broadcast Premiere With Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre will stream the broadcast premiere of Dael Orlandersmith's Until the Flood, directed by Neel Keller.

Based on extensive interviews following the 2014 shooting of Black teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson, this tour-de-force one-woman production powerfully explores the roiling currents of American history, race and politics that exploded in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri and sent shock waves across the nation.

The free stream is presented in partnership with All Arts-the free broadcast and digital platform dedicated to the arts-and New York's Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (where the production was filmed in 2018) and six U.S. regional theaters, including A Contemporary Theatre (Seattle); Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles); Denver Center for the Performing Arts; Milwaukee Repertory Theater; Portland Center Stage (Oregon); and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis-the theater that originally commissioned Orlandersmith to write the play in 2015.

Until the Flood premieres nationwide on Sunday, November 15 at 7pm (Chicago) at GoodmanTheatre.org/UntilTheFlood; on the ALL ARTS app on allarts.org; and in the New York metro area on the ALL ARTS TV channel (channel lineups) at 10pm EST (9pm Chicago). After November 15, Until the Flood will be available for on-demand viewing on ALL ARTS for three years-through fall of 2023. The Goodman is grateful for the support of Corporate Sponsor Partner BMO Harris Bank.

"Until the Flood resonates with ALL of us now more than ever," said Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith, a Goodman Associate Artist and Alice Resident Artist whose previous Goodman productions include the Chicago premiere of Until the Flood (2018), Lady in Denmark (2018), Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men (2012) and Stoop Stories (2009). "I hope this piece brings communication/thought."

On August 9, 2014, Darren Wilson, a white police officer, shot and killed Michael Brown, an African American teenager, in Ferguson. The shooting ignited weeks of social unrest, propelled the activist movement Black Lives Matter, and prompted a controversial investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Traveling to the region a few months after the shooting, Orlandersmith conducted interviews with dozens of people who were grievously shaken by the shooting and its turbulent aftermath. From these intimate conversations, she has created eight unforgettable characters who embody a community struggling to come to terms with the personal damage caused by these complex events.

Experienced in performance, these voices offer haunting reminders of America's continuing struggle with racism and justice. Written and performed by Dael Orlandersmith, Until the Flood was directed for the stage and television by Neel Keller, with set design by Takeshi Kata, lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger, costume design by Kaye Voyce, sound design by Justin Ellington, and projection design by Nicholas Hussong.

The Goodman offers two FREE live online events to complement the stream experience:

Artist Encounter

November 17 at 5pm

Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate, Performer and Playwright Dael Orlandersmith and 2020 MacArthur Fellow, Choreographer and Playwright Larissa Fasthorse meet for a thrilling discussion about the artistic process, career successes and struggles, and what ultimately inspires them to create

work.Live @ 5: Art/Activism

November 20 at 5pm

How does an explosive moment in history inspire art? Artists and community activists join the Goodman's virtual dialogue series to tackle that question and more in a provocative live stream event inspired by Until the Flood.

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