Playwright, actor and educator Anna Deavere Smith uses her singular brand of theatre to explore issues of community, character and diversity in America. The MacArthur Foundation honored Smith with the “Genius” Fellowship for creating “a new form of theatre — blending theatrical art, social commentary, journalism and intimate reverie.” shows, Smith turns her interviews into scripts and transforms herself into an astonishing number of characters. In 2012, she was awarded the National Humanities Medal, presented by President Obama. In 2015, Smith was named the Jefferson Lecturer, the nation’s highest honor in the humanities. She received the prestigious Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship and most recently, the 2017 Ridenhour Courage Prize and the George Polk Career Award for authentic journalism.