DGS drama looks to define personal identity and unite communities in its annual black history play.

“Fires in the Mirror” will be presented in the DGS auditorium on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3 from 7-8:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door and are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and free for students with an ID.

The play, written by playwright Anna Deavere Smith, tells the story of tensions between the African American and Jewish communities in Crown Heights, New York in 1991. English teacher and play director Nathaniel Haywood believes that the historically recent event will connect to the audience and emphasizes the importance of community.

“It [the play] kind of highlights how important community is to the African American community historically and in present day what that means, how that influences things, how it helps people for the better but then also can hold people back in some ways; it’s an interesting exploration of different components there as well as for the Jewish community,” Haywood said.

The original play consisted of 29 monologues created from interviews of members of both communities; it first premiered in New York City in 1992 where Smith put on the entire play as a one-woman show.

Cast members in DGS’s production of “Fires in the Mirror” each have two or three roles. Some monologues from the original play have been cut, and background acting will occur during monologues.

Senior Michaela Dukes will act as three roles in the play: activist Angela Davis, Rabbi Shea Hecht and Carmel Cato, a concerned father. Because “Fires in the Mirror” is based off of real interviews, Dukes said she looks up her characters to prepare for her different roles. Dukes said that the diversity of this cast brings in a new element of history.

“There are so many other races involved in it [the play] … and I feel like also because me being a black person, you kind of just learn that it’s not just about your race in general. You’re not at fault [for historical events],” Dukes said.

The black history play also features a student director. Junior Miki Valchinova became involved with the play through her Acting I class. This is the first production Valchinova has been involved with, and she said she has had a “wonderful” experience working with the cast and crew.

“Overall, they [the cast] are a very friendly and great bunch. They work really hard, and just seeing them in action is amazing,” Valchinova said.

Beginning practices during first semester finals and missing multiple days due to winter break and other drama activities, the cast has had minimal time to put the show together. Haywood said the cast members “seem to get along pretty well and they play off of each other,” even with the lack of rehearsal time.

The black history play has had smaller audience turnouts in the past compared to other productions throughout the year. Haywood said he is hopeful to see a bigger audience for this year’s show but does not believe that the audience size will affect the performance.

“I think one of the big messages [of the play] is that, number one, everyone needs to work together. The nature of the conflict in Fires in the Mirror shows what happens when people just blindly ‘take their side’ and the danger that that can have and the negative effects that it can cause. I really like that the play touches on that and how it’s good to recognize your community and have part of your identity be connected to your race and and your ethnicity but also not being afraid to reach out and understand that as well,” Haywood said.