By Kristin Gray
AFRO Sections Editor
Candace Scott Simms, Anna Deavere Smith, Gayle Guilford, Sharon May and Dr. Elizabeth Edmonds (Courtesy Photo/Jennifer Smith)
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(October 29, 2009) - Internationally renowned for her work, Baltimore-born playwright, director and Pulitzer Prize-nominated Anna Deavere Smith has become a powerful force in the world of theater, carving a unique niche through her dynamic one-woman plays.
A graduate of the city’s historic Western High School, Deavere has wowed audiences with the debut of her newest play, the Off-Broadway production “Let Me Down Easy,” which explores a sundry of topics from the strength and fragility of the human body, the crumbling American health care system to the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, according to the New York Times.
In the style of a journalist, Smith’s plays are based on interviews she conducts with the world’s most diverse people. From international leaders and genocide victims to star athletes, she gives a voice to people of all creeds and colors.
Her previous works, “Fires in the Mirror” and “Twilight: Los Angeles” chronicle the Crown Heights, N.Y., riots and the devastating aftermath of the Los Angeles riots of the early ‘90s. Among the most prestigious awards Smith received for these productions was the coveted MacArthur “genius grant” and a slew of raving reviews.
In addition to her theater work, Smith has appeared on “The West Wing,” “The Practice” and Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie.”