Playwright

“When the world seeks to constrain who you are – the only response is to liberate yourself. And that’s camp or rather theatre of the ridiculous. Its tenets are clear – be preposterous and larger than life itself because tradition is boring. And Leeman Smith’s world is far from traditional – it transgresses the edges of gender, absurdity, social commentary, and queerness.”
— Dr. Courtney Elkin Mohler (Santa Barbara Chumash, Sal Rubio, & Mauricio Salgado

Plays by Daniel

For script requests, email DLeeman@me.com

  • In Daniel Leeman Smith’s ridiculous play Perhaps The World Ends Here, best friends Frankie and Karl attempt to save the universe through the retrieval of an all-knowing teddy bear. Through friendship, shukha anumpa (hogtalk), and vulnerability, they fight for sovereignty against the ever-encroaching white supremacy of their occupiers. Yet this heightened quest mirrors a stark reality.

  • Co-written with Jeremiah Matthew Davis & Summer Wheat in collaboration with the Oklahoma City Ballet.

    Traditional Native American storytelling meets promenade theatre in this immersive activation of visual artist Summer Wheat's exhibition at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. Inspired by what is unseen in Vermeer's painting "The Milkmaid," Pry the Lid Off invites audiences to journey beyond the visible and explore the emotional power we imbue in personal items and family heirlooms.

  • (In development) An interview-based documentary play that seeks to uncover the following questions and more:

    What are the experiences of Native American theater-makers working professionally in the United States?

    How can Indigenous approaches to theater-making improve workplace conditions and reduce harm in the professional theater setting?

    What happens when we center relational accountability and community-based collaboration in the play production process? 

    To what extent can culture prevail in the face of capitalism? 

    How can we make space for folks to tell their stories on their terms? 

    What, if any, wellness benefits are experienced as a result of working with Indigenous approaches to theater-making?

  • (In development) An exciting new TYA play that presents an accurate, engaging, and emotionally impactful representation of the Stonewall Uprising.

    In the summer of 1969, 11-year-old Emily finds herself the witness of one of the world’s watershed moments in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. Living with her single mother on New York City’s famed Christopher Street, she makes friends and chosen family out of the homeless street youth, drag queens & kings, and members of the queer community. Through magical realism, the music of the 60’s, and the eyes of a young girl we experience what it’s like to watch government oppression and police brutality take their toll on the people we love.