Project Description
Fires in the Mirror is a play created and performed by Anna Deavere Smith based on the outbreak of racial violence in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York in 1991. A seven-year-old African American child was killed by a car in the entourage of the local Hasidic religious leader and, in apparent retribution, a young rabbinical scholar was stabbed to death while surrounded by a group of black men. In an interwoven series of brief monologues, Ms. Smith presents 29 characters based on verbatim excerpts from interviews conducted with her subjects. The play seeks to facilitate intercultural exchange and public discussion about sexual and racial politics, ethnic identity, and multiculturalism. The piece premiered at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York City and was later adapted for film by American Playhouse for public television and in order to meet international demand for the piece.

Civic Engagement/Dialogue Activities
Crown Heights community members were interviewed extensively and their stories incorporated into the final piece. WGBH public television developed an educational outreach program for the film adaptation including: an informational poster designed to assist teachers, students, and community leaders to use the film as a tool for classroom and public discussion. An advisory committee including experts in race relations, anti-Semitism, and conflict resolution, community leaders, and teachers guided development of the poster. A study guide for colleges and universities also was developed.

Information Sources
Ford Foundation summary; artist statement, playbill, Twilight, Colonial Theater, Boston; interview, Laura Penn, managing producer, Intiman Theatre.