Joseph Keckler's Golden Hour featuring Dael Orlandersmith and David Cale, with Matthew Dean Marsh

Two of America’s most acclaimed writer-performers, David Cale and Dael Orlandersmith present highlights of their solo works, in collaboration with composer and pianist Matthew Dean Marsh, forming an evening of gripping storytelling and music as part of Joseph Keckler’s Golden Hour.

David Cale is an award-winning performance artist, playwright, songwriter, and actor based in New York City. He is the writer and performer of 10 solo works, most recently his solo musical memoir, We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time at The Public Theater and The Goodman Theatre, Chicago, for which he wrote the book, lyrics and co-composed the music with Matthew Dean Marsh (Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance, and for which David and Matthew received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Show and Chicago’s Jeff Award for New Musical).

Dael Orlandersmith is an acclaimed playwright known for works such as Stoop Stories, Yellowman and Until the Flood. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Drama Desk Award nominee, and won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for The Gimmick. Her honors include a New York Foundation for the Arts grant, the Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, Doris Duke grant and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Joseph Keckler, a musician, writer, songwriter, and multifaceted creator, launched The Golden Hour at ArtYard in 2024 to bring together some of today’s boldest and most visionary artists in an inviting variety show format. Featured guests included celebrated filmmaker and writer Charlie Kaufman, award-winning poet Eva HD, trailblazing underground heroine Lydia Lunch, bestselling writer Lindy West, and jazz musician Ahamefule Oluo.