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Anna Deavere Smith
Actress / Playwright
Anna Deavere Smith is an actor, a teacher, a playwright, and the creator of an acclaimed series of one-woman plays based on her interviews with diverse voices from communities in crisis. She has won two Obie Awards, two Tony nominations for her play Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, and a MacArthur Fellowship.
She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her play Fires in the Mirror. She has had roles in the films Philadelphia, An American President, The Human Stain, and Rent, and she has worked in television on The Practice, Presidio Med, and The West Wing. The founder and director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, she teaches at New York University and lives in New York City.
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1 min
Whom would you like to interview, and what would you ask?
A couple of athletes and Nelson Mandela.
3 min
How does Shakespeare inspire your work?
Studying Shakespeare has given Anna Deavere Smith a deeper understanding of language and character.
2 min
What is the state of American theater?
Anna Deavere Smith discusses the state of American theater and the lack of diversity both on stage and in the audience.
3 min
Do you have a creative process?
Listening is the key to Anna Deavere Smith’s creative process.
6 min
How are language and identity connected?
Anna Deavere Smith talks about the quirks of an individual’s language and voice.