The Gimmick

The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh International Festival

Aug 4th – 13th 2000

Written & performed by Dael Orlandersmith directed by Angus Farquhar

The Gimmick is a multifaceted word - standing for; how one gets through life i.e.- “You gotta have a gimmick” as in a tool for survival, as well as shooting-up kit for drugs, a prostitute turning a trick or in a wider sense something or someone who is a fake. It is a hard word, born out of the intense and gritty experiences of a young girl growing up in Harlem, New York in the sixties and seventies. It is a world without illusions, with little love, maximum intensity - and maximum dreams, which includes being great as Picasso or James Baldwin.

Dael Orlandersmith’s writing for the theatre is a quite unique fusion of traditional narrative and poetry Intense repetition build up layers of meaning and emotion, controlled with a virtuoso delicacy and poise. Working closely with the cadences and rhythms of Dael’s voice sections of the text will be digitally transformed building up layers of dense rhythm and contrast with more minimal sections.

Press Quotes

“This is tremendous theatre, devastatingly emotional and yet perfectly controlled by Orlandersmith’s wonderful, flexible voice and presence.” The Scotsman

“Raw and harrowing, humorous, wise and truly uplifting. Do not miss.” The Herald