Ideas change everything

Four American characters

1,369,224 plays|

Anna Deavere Smith |

TED2005

• February 2005

Writer and actor Anna Deavere Smith gives life to author Studs Terkel, convict Paulette Jenkins, a Korean shopkeeper and a bull rider, excerpts from her solo show "On the Road: A Search for American Character."

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Writer and actor Anna Deavere Smith gives life to author Studs Terkel, convict Paulette Jenkins, a Korean shopkeeper and a bull rider, excerpts from her solo show "On the Road: A Search for American Character."

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.

About the speaker

Anna Deavere Smith

Actor, playwright, social critic

See speaker profile

Anna Deavere Smith's ground-breaking solo shows blur the lines between theater and journalism, using text from real-life encounters to create gripping portraits.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.