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Fires in the Mirror Explores Racial Tensions Between Jewish and Black Communities

09/29/2019 01:52:01 PM

Sep29

The Milwaukee Chamber Theater is now running Fires in the Mirror, a play by Anna Deavere Smith, through October 13.

Here’s a synopsis of the play:

In 1991, in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, a Hasidic man's car jumped a curb, killing a seven-year-old black child. Shortly after, a Hasidic rabbinical student was stabbed and killed in what appeared to be an act of retaliation, sparking riots that made national headlines and exposed a growing friction in racial and cultural relations. But behind the headlines, there are people—politicians, activists, religious leaders, victims, and perpetrators alike—who each have their own story to tell. Anna Deavere Smith's landmark work of documentary theatre, presented here with two actors playing 26 roles, is a theatrical event that cannot be missed—an illuminating exploration of identities in conflict.

In partnership with Jewish Museum Milwaukee, Fires in the Mirror patrons will have the opportunity to see a traveling portion of the museum’s exhibition Allied in the Fight: Jews, Blacks and the Struggle for Civil Rights in the theater lobby.

March 29, 2024 19 Adar II 5784