A Force of Spirit, Here in Provincetown

Dael Orlandersmith’s SPIRITUS arrives at Provincetown Theater

Dael Orlandersmith

Provincetown has the rare privilege of welcoming one of the most electrifying voices in American theater: Dael Orlandersmith, performing her acclaimed solo work Spiritus at Provincetown Theater from June 19–21 at 7PM.

If you know her work—from the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Yellowman to Until the Flood and Forever—you already understand why this is a moment to savor. Orlandersmith doesn’t just write plays. She crafts visceral, poetic journeys that cut to the core of what it means to live, to grieve, to evolve, to survive. Spiritus may be her most intimate and transformational work yet.

Set in a funeral home, Spiritus follows Virgil, a former Bronx DJ now guiding others through loss, while confronting her own. With graceful shifts between characters—a hospice nurse, a director, Virgil herself—Orlandersmith builds a world of deep reckoning and radiant hope. The staging is minimal. The emotions are anything but. At once mystical and grounded, the piece draws inspiration from Dante’s Divine Comedy—but it’s very much a journey of our time.

Why should you see it?

Because this is more than a performance. It’s a reckoning with death, yes—but also a celebration of purpose, compassion, and resilience. And who better to guide us through such a journey than Dael Orlandersmith?

For Provincetown—and the broader LGBTQ+ community—her presence matters.

Orlandersmith's work speaks to all who have lived outside the margins and found a way through. Her characters—often layered, intersectional, and flawed—challenge binaries and surface identities. While Spiritus may not be a “queer” story in a traditional sense, its themes of chosen family, reinvention, and spiritual survival strike a deep chord with LGBTQ+ audiences. She names what others look away from, and in doing so, she makes space—for healing, for witness, for truth.

In a town long celebrated as a haven for queer creativity and progressive storytelling, hosting Orlandersmith is not just appropriate. It’s essential.

She is, quite frankly, in demand.

Spiritus debuted at the Contemporary American Theater Festival and has since had critically acclaimed runs in New York and Lowell. Audiences call it “profound,” “absorbing,” “deeply human.” And Dael? She draws standing ovations wherever she goes. We are beyond fortunate that one of her few performances this season is happening right here—on our stage, in our town.

So yes, it’s an honor. But it’s also a call.

To show up. To witness. To say we were there when Dael Orlandersmith came to Provincetown.

Join us. June 19–21 at 7p

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Be part of an unforgettable night with one of the most vital voices in American theater.