People who are sick, or who have been sick, or have come close to death have a lot to say - and they want you to hear it.

I think as a kid I always liked to listen to people. I loved hearing stories.

I see myself as not a typical theater person, but a person who uses the theater as a place to meet people and explore ideas.

When I got out of acting school, I was lucky to have gotten any job at all. A lot of people hiring African American actresses - it was right after 'Roots,' and for society, not me, it was great. Nice richly dark-skinned people was the fashion, and I was not.

People who are sick, or who have been sick, or have come close to death have a lot to say - and they want you to hear it.

For me, first of all, I love people, I love ideas.

People in power have to be careful about what comes out of their mouth. They have to find exactly the right word that can't be attacked.