Second Stage Theatre will host a post performance discussion with Anna Deavere Smith and three of her interview subjects from Let Me Down Easy following the Friday, November 20 performance. Moderated by NPR and Radiolab's Robert Krulwich, Smith will be joined by Ruth Katz (Chief Public Health Counsel, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives), Elizabeth Streb (Choreographer, Streb Dance Company), and Sally Jenkins (Sports Columnist, The Washington Post), all of whom are portrayed by Smith in this acclaimed solo show. The discussion is free to all in attendance at the Friday, November 20 performance and will feature a brief Q&A with the panelists and Ms. Smith.
Conceived, written, and performed by Anna Deavere Smith and directed by Leonard Foglia, LET ME DOWN EASY opened on Wednesday, October 7 and is scheduled to run through December 6. For subscription or ticket information, please call the Second Stage Theatre Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit www.letmedowneasy.com. Theatre is located at 305 West 43rd street.
Channeling a dramatic range of interview subjects, from artists and athletes to doctors and those they treat, LET ME DOWN EASY is a virtuosic and moving exploration of the power of the body, the price of health, and the resilience of the spirit. With Ms. Smith's trademark journalistic precision, LET ME DOWN EASY features first person accounts from a wide variety of sources, including Lance Armstrong and former Texas Governor Ann Richards.
Charles Isherwood of The New York Times calls LET ME DOWN EASY, "A continually engaging and engrossing collection of testimonials about life experienced at its extremes." Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press calls the play, "Fascinating! This remarkable new show is a joyous celebration of human perseverance." And Jamie Gangel of The Today Show says, "Run - do not walk - to see this play! Watching Anna Deavere Smith on stage is magical. One minute you are laughing, the next you are crying. It is truly brilliant and stunning."
Anna Deavere Smith's work in the theater explores American character and our multifaceted national identity. She has won numerous awards, among them two Obies, two Tony nominations and a MacArthur fellowship. She was runner up for the Pulitzer Prize for her play Fires In the Mirror. She is said to have created a new form of theater. Her work combines the journalistic technique of interviewing her subjects with the art of interpreting their words through performance. She has appeared on the television shows The West Wing, Presidio Med, The Practice, and the new Showtime television series, Nurse Jackie. Films include Rachel Getting Married, The American President, Philadelphia, The Human Stain, Life Support, and Dave. Her plays include Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Fires in the Mirror; and House Arrest. Her books include Talk To Me and Letters to A Young Artist. A professor at New York University, she is also the founding director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, a center for artistic excellence addressing social change. She is the recipient of several honorary degrees.
Leonard Foglia most recently directed Laurence Fishburne in Thurgood. Other Broadway credits include Master Class with Zoe Caldwell (also national tour and West End), On Golden Pond with Leslie Uggams and James Earl Jones, and Wait Until Dark with Quentin Tarantino and Marisa Tomei. Off-Broadway: Encores! One Touch of Venus (City Center), The Stendahl Syndrome by Terrence McNally (Primary Stages), By the Sea (Manhattan Theatre Club, Bay Street Theatre Festival), Lonely Planet (Circle Repertory Company), If Memory Serves (Promenade, Pasadena Playhouse). Regional: Paper Doll (Pittsburgh Public Theater, Long Wharf Theatre); The Last True Believer (Seattle Rep.); Seascape, The Woman in Black and A Coffin in Egypt by Horton Foote (Bay Street Theatre Festival); Dinner With Friends and God's Man in Texas (Old Globe Theatre); Art, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, The Heidi Chronicles, Reckless, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Trinity Repertory Company). Opera: Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie, Terrence McNally (New York City Opera, Opera Pacific, Cincinnati Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera); The End of the Affair by Heggie, Heather McDonald (Houston Grand Opera). He is co-author of the mystery novels 1 Ragged Ridge Road and Face Down in the Park, both published by Pocket Books.
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