By E. Quinn Evans Staff writer
As racial tensions continue to divide the country, prejudice has managed to permeate communities everywhere, including the Susquehanna campus. This year, the Center for Intercultural & Community Engagement was able to welcome Dale Ricardo Shields as an artistic activist-in-residence.
After two and a half weeks of rehearsals and set building, a cast and crew of 14 students are proud to present “Fires in the Mirror;” a production that broaches the sensitive yet relevant topic of racial divide.
Written by Anna Deavere Smith, “Fires in the Mirror” first premiered in May 1992, shortly after what is known as the Crown Heights riots: a series of violent incidents between the black and Jewish communities of Brooklyn.
After the tragic events that occurred in Crown Heights in August 1991, Smith interviewed individuals from both racial communities involved in the conflict and formed a succession of soliloquies, originally to be performed solely by herself. With the professional guidance of Shields, 14 students have divided the monologues among themselves to present a needed examination of the complexity of racism.
This will be Shields’ second time directing “Fires in the Mirror,” and he is eager to share his passion among Susquehanna students. He said: “We are living in some pretty sad, disappointing times, as far as I’m concerned. We’re not doing well, we’re not playing well with each other, and I think that’s dangerous. I don’t think it’s healthy.”
Shields, the 2017 winner of The Kennedy Center Inspirational Teacher Award and Broadway director, said he prefers the term “Artistic Activist.” He clarified: “Certainly a lot of issues have come up and I’ve found myself actually being an activist, trying to explain to students why this is important.”
Due to the university’s hesitancy to produce “Fires in the Mirror,” Shields had a difficult time recruiting students to audition for the play. Junior Tyler Ravert recounted how Shields came up to him during lunch in the cafeteria and asked if he would audition for the show.
Despite the rough recruitment process, the company has been very supportive of one another and has enjoyed working with Shields. Senior CJ Williams said, “He could’ve treated me like a football player… But he treated us like professionals.”
“When someone like him, from Broadway, treats you like that, it fuels you to work hard,” Williams continued.
Sophomore Sarah Rinaldi said: “There’s a big difference working with people who are straight out of Broadway and theater teachers. New York style is more demanding and fast paced—you have to be ready for basically anything that is thrown your way.”
Though the pace of the theatrical process was quicker than past shows, a couple of the actors attested to the amount of freedom Shields provided them with.
Senior Matthew Potter said, “This was a completely new experience for me—you don’t have those walls and those boundaries that theater department people give you.”
Junior Jeffrey Huyard remarked: “This is our show. We shape it how it goes, and that’s very different, but basically we can push it as far as we want to push it, and if we’re going to fail at something, then better to fail at something huge and tweak it after.”
The students involved with the production share the same amount of passion as Shields for both theater and the value of conversation. Junior Cameron Warner was especially appreciative for this chance, as he said: “It’s a great story to tell especially in a time like this right now. It’s a good opportunity to show how I feel about the climate.”
Sophomore Donique Haynes is the assistant stage manager for the production. She revealed that she “made sure to spread the word for actors in a play that’s different from our theater department… I wanted to be a part of the play, because it has an impact and people on campus need to see a play like this.”
Williams also felt the significance of presenting this piece. He said: “Just today we had a talk about all the hate crimes on campus, and I’m here to help fix it because I can see the tension. I can feel it.”
Cast members spoke about the importance of the play, which exposes the many facets of racism and encourages a much-needed dialogue of such issues.
As Shields remarked: “Everyone here is so polite, but underneath are racial issues. They’re not talking about the elephant in the room. The play does.”
“Fires in the Mirror” will be held in the back of Weber Chapel on Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m. with free admission for students. Audience members are encouraged to stay afterwards for desserts and a discussion with the cast.
