Anna Deavere Smith performed on February 18, 2020 at the Colwell Playhouse in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts. With her, she brought an interesting form of story-telling and impersonations in a bit she called “Forms of Protests”–also know as, “Getting Through the Day”.
Written by Zackarya Faci
Smith’s performance consisted of a myriad of interviews from people across America. She would take the interviews she conducted and interpret them in a way she could present to the audience. Each story came with an impersonation of the interviewee–which helped sell the emotions the individuals were feeling at the time. Smith would use different voices, interjections, and stutter; all these aspects made it feel as though we, the audience, were conducting the interview and Smith was replying to us.
The stage Tuesday night was very simple and the only thing Smith really used was a microphone. This is a large contrast from other shows we have seen this semester which required extravagant sets. This simplicity means that Smith only needed her voice to convey the characters and set the tone for the evening. Whether she was portraying a funny character or a serious one, the audience could easily understand the context due to her eccentric impersonations.
This performance is similar to the news or a documentary in that it conveys some information or experience. However, the audience is better able to understand the emotions and credibility of an interview from the way Smith portrays it through her impersonations. It feels more personal to the viewers. But at the same time, it is important to note that these impersonations could be exaggerated and should be taken with a grain of salt; the details of each interaction may not be exactly one-to-one.
Smith portrayed a plethora of unique personas on stage and did so with such passion and enthusiasm. Covering topics that ranged from hilarious to controversial, Smith kept the audience engaged with her clever interpretations.