-Benjamin Wagner -Finding the Heart of the Story: A study of Anna Deavere Smith and her blurring of the

gender and race roles in contemporary American drama as seen through her piece, Fires in the Mirror. -Minnesota State University, Mankato -1614 Kilmer Ave. S. St. Louis Park, MN, 55426 Abstract As we look back on our societies history we see a past ravished by the gender and racial stigmas we as a people have placed upon groups of individuals. This social phenomenon is in part what fueled the riots of Crown Heights of 1991. Through this, Anna Deavere Smith has developed her style of documentary theater and the idea of performativity. This work is an analysis of Ms. Smiths work, Fires in the Mirror and its cultural impact on how we as an audience view contemporary American theater. This piece will also discuss the approach in the performance practice of Ms. Smiths work as a one-person show and how through the study of the work we are better able as an audience to look past the preconceived gender and racial biases of our culture.