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| 02-27-2004 | Previous edition: 02-26-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Activist actress enlightens, entertains with ‘Respect’ lecture
Senior Writer As college students, we should be engaged in conversation, unafraid to voice our viewpoints amidst controversy. "Leadership is courage. Coolness isn’t going to take us anywhere," said Anna Deavere Smith in her lecture Thursday night. Smith presented an entertaining, insightful view on the state of the American political psyche in Loeb Playhouse. The lecture was the keynote address of Project Respect Week. Smith is most known for her appearances in several TV shows and movies including "The West Wing," "The Practice," "Philadelphia" and "Dave." Smith has built a career interviewing different individuals all over America, both famous and common, and writing about their experiences in award-winning plays. Smith’s presentation was a sampling of the many interviews she has done throughout her career. Her presentation was not simply a lecture where she stood and talked. Rather, Smith performed each character she presented, bringing them to life in way that engaged the audience by drawing laughter and silent awe. Smith covered real-life individuals, discussing issues of race and identity at various periods in history, from James Baldwin and Cornell West to a juror at the Rodney King trial. For each of the individuals she played, she took on the intricate details of their character, demonstrating their voice inflections, facial expressions and accents. One of the most impressive individuals she presented was a Korean shopkeeper who lost her business in the midst of the Rodney King riots. The character was neither angry nor judgmental, but simply curious about the meaning of "justice" in an American society where blacks were compensated for racial injustice through the devastation of innocent merchants’ businesses. Audience members were allowed to ask questions at the end of her lecture. One student stood up and asked about America’s role overseas in enforcing democratic principles and ideals. In response, Smith suggested that there is plenty of room at Purdue for individuals such as the student to take on a leadership role on the issue. Many people clapped at the response. Richard Rand, professor in the department of visual and performing arts, said that Smith’s lecture offered important viewpoints. "It is important to hear how an artist with a powerful vision has found her way of contributing to change in society. She reminds all of us we’re in the right place to find what is integral to our mission and to risk acting with integrity in the service of that mission." Printer-friendly version |
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