The Press's enthusiasm for innovation is reflected in our continuing exploration of this frontier. In 1993, Anna Deavere Smith crafted a one woman stage play depicting these events, compiled from the numerous interviews she did with more than two dozen Crown Heights community members, representing both sides of the story, as well as the impressions of high profile members of the black community such as Rev. This adds emphasis to the fact that this play is very immediate and real. * August 24th -- 1500 protesters led by Rev. Through our commitment to new products—whether digital journals or entirely new forms of communication—we have continued to look for the most efficient and effective means to serve our readership. Through her portrayals of more than two dozen Crown eights adversaries, victims, and eyewitnesses, using verbatim excerpts from their observations derived from interviews she conducted, Smith provides a brilliant, Rashoman-like documentary portrait of contemporary ethnic turmoil. option. Fires in the Mirror is dramatist Anna Deavere Smith's stunning exploration of the events and emotions leading up to and following the Crown Heights conflict. To access this article, please, Access everything in the JPASS collection, Download up to 10 article PDFs to save and keep, Download up to 120 article PDFs to save and keep. In August 1991 simmering tensions in the racially polarized Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood of Crown Heights exploded into riots after a black boy was killed by a car in a rabbi’s motorcade and a Jewish student was slain by blacks in retaliation. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions institution. Read your article online and download the PDF from your email or your account. Fires in the Mirror By Anna Deavere Smith By Anna Deavere Smith By Anna Deavere Smith Foreword by Cornel West By Anna Deavere Smith Foreword by Cornel West. Please try again later. Derived from interviews with a wide range of  people who experienced or observed New York’s 1991  Crown Heights racial riots, Fires In The  Mirror is as distinguished a work of  commentary on black-white tensions as it is a  work of drama. Al Sharpton and Alton Maddox march through the streets of Crown Heights. * August 21st -- funeral of Yankel Rosenbaum; that same day marks the start of days of rioting and looting throughout the Crown Heights community. In fact, everyone, in a given amount of time, will say something that is like poetry.". * August 20th, 2am -- Rosenbaum dies at the hospital from his stab wounds; later that day, Trinidad-American teen Lemrick Nelson, Jr. is arrested in connection with the stabbing. The early portions of the play explore the political and emotional environment that existed prior to the events of August 1991, while the later monologues get more into the course of events on August 19th itself (I was surprised to see the text here included one of the actual crime scene photos under one of the passages). She has won two Obie Awards, two Tony nominations for her play Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 , and a MacArthur Fellowship, and she was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her play Fires in the Mirror . We are experiencing technical difficulties. In August 1991 simmering tensions in the racially polarized Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood of Crown Heights exploded into riots after a black boy was killed by a car in a rabbi's motorcade and a Jewish student was slain by blacks in retaliation. Read Online (Free) relies on page scans, which are not currently available to screen readers. We were among the first university presses to offer titles electronically and we continue to adopt technologies that allow us to better support the scholarly mission and disseminate our content widely. Derived from interviews with a wide range of  people who experienced or observed New York's 1991  Crown Heights racial riots, Fires In The  Mirror is as distinguished a work of  commentary on black-white tensions as it is a  work of drama. Sep 01, 1993 | ISBN 9780385470148 Buy. institution. By August 21st, he is charged with second degree murder (but by October 1992 is acquitted). While I appreciate Smith's unique approach to the subject matter, I'm not sure it entirely worked for me, personally. Fires in the Mirror is dramatist Anna Deavere Smith’s stunning exploration of the events and emotions leading up to and following the Crown Heights conflict. "Fires In The Mirror is part of a series of theater (or performance) pieces called On the Road: A Search for American Character, which I create by interviewing people and later performing them using their own words. *August 26th -- funeral of Gavin Cato; Rev. Anna Deavere Smith is an actress, teacher, playwright, and the creator of the acclaimed On the Road series of one-woman plays, which are based on her interviews with diverse voices from communities in crisis. By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. With an emphasis on the interdisciplinary, experimental, and avant-garde, the journal covers dance theater, performance art, popular entertainment, media, sports, and rituals in politics and everyday life. This item is part of JSTOR collection That first day, 16 arrests and 20 police officers left injured. For example, in regards to the use of the interview with rapper Big Mo, Smith notes that the interview used in the text was actually one done in 1989. All Formats + Paperback $16.00. Request Permissions. © 1993 The MIT Press Through her portrayals of more than two dozen Crown eights adversaries, victims, and eyewitnesses, using verbatim excerpts from their observations derived from interviews she conducted, Smith provides a brilliant, Rashoman-like documentary portrait of contemporary ethnic turmoil. Al Sharpton and writer Nzotake Shange. A recipient of the National Humanities Medal from… More about Anna Deavere Smith, Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from Penguin Random House, Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network. ©2000-2020 ITHAKA. On August 19th, 1991, the motorcade of a Lubavitcher Hassidic rebbe was traveling through Brooklyn. Our readers have come to expect excellence from our products, and they can count on us to maintain a commitment to producing rigorous and innovative information products in whatever forms the future of publishing may bring. Buy. Purchase this issue for $44.00 USD. * Violent acts and courtroom drama in connection with the deaths of Cato and Rosenbaum continue back and forth between the black and Jewish communities through 1992 and 1993, both sides wanting justice and vengeance. Smith, in her foreword, writes of how it was difficult to get a clear, unbiased look of the events at the time when there was media bias from nearly every angle. Anna Deavere Smith is an actor, a teacher, a playwright, and the creator of an acclaimed series of one-woman plays based on her interviews with diverse voices from communities in crisis. Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deavere Smith | : Books. Select a purchase TDR (1988-) While some of them are quite good, there are others here where I was wondering about the relevance. Sep 01, 1993 | ISBN … She is mirrof astonishing impersonator of men and women, blacks and Jews alike; though there is humor in her mastery of dialect and body language, it never seems forced or condescending as she inhabits each … Ebook $10.99. Writer and Actor Anna Deavere Smith ("The West Wing") gives stunning performances as she sets course on an emotional re-telling of this tragedy. Fires in the Mirror has ratings and 50 reviews. Access supplemental materials and multimedia. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization helping the academic community use digital technologies to preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and teaching in sustainable ways. 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