There are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth. Following the deaths of a Black American boy and a young Orthodox Jewish scholar in the summer of 1991, underlying racial tensions in the nestled community of Crown Heights, Brooklyn erupted into civil outbreak. Fires in the Mirror was Anna Deavere Smith’s groundbreaking response. Birthed from a series of interviews with over fifty members of the Jewish and Black communities, the Drama Desk award-winning work translated their voices verbatim, and in the process revolutionized the genre of documentary theatre. As much provocation as it is exploration, this landmark play launches Anna Deavere Smith’s Residency 1 at Signature.
Signature is excited to work with Anna Deavere Smith to reimagine this play for new performers and collaborators.
Michael Benjamin Washington, who has an extensive list of credits including the original Broadway company of Mamma Mia! and the 2005 revival of La Cage Aux Folles, was part of the cast of Fires in the Mirror, showcasing his versatile talent well before his upcoming role in The Boys in the Band on Netflix. more...
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