Anna Deavere Smith

I found this TED talk video of Anna Deavere Smith performing 4 characters and speaking a little about the work she does. I find her and the way she works to be absolutely fascinating. Her process of developing a character is so unique, she gets into character through their voice and physicality. I think it's a mark of how good she is that she is never just doing an imitation of the character but she actually is the character. I think that the way someone speaks and the way that they carry themselves can tell us so much about who they are and I believe that is the reason that her technique has been so effective for her. Another thing I love about her is that she interviews all kinds of people, one of the characters that she performs in this video is a convict that she interviewed in prison. Check out the video below, it's a little long but worth watching.

http://www.ted.com/talks/anna_deavere_smith_s_american_character.html