Anna Deavere Smith

Actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith made her name creating documentary style plays where she interviews real people and then portrays them on stage.

Her play about the L.A. Riots, "Twilight: Los Angeles," earned her two Tony Award nominations. She was a Pulitzer finalist for "Fires in the Mirror," her look at the Crown Heights riot in New York.

But her most recent one woman performance, "Let Me Down Easy," is different. It doesn't take a look at one event in history, instead it looks at people's experience with our health care system.

Tonight PBS will air the performance, so Madeleine got her in the studio to talk about it.