Photo Flash: First Look - FIRE Tells Tale of Triangle Waist Company Fire Off-Broadway

Chatillion Stage Company's world premiere production of the new play Fire, written by Debra Whitfield (Duck Sauce Can Be Dangerous), is now in performance through Saturday evening, October 28, 2017 at Theatre 54 at Shetler Studios and Theatres (244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor). Opening Night is Wednesday evening, October 18, 2017, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Directed by Benjamin Viertel (The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant), the eight-member cast features Lauriel Friedman (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Jake Horowitz (Our Town), Kevin Lowry (Sweet & Lucky), Paulette Oliva (Barbicide), Laura King Otazo (Insignificant), Jay Russell (End of the Rainbow), Malka Wallick (Outer Banks) and Stuart Zagnit (Newsies).

The Triangle Waist Company Fire on March 25, 1911, lives in infamy as one of the worst disasters in the history of New York City. In just a few short minutes, more than 140 lives were abruptly extinguished when the 8th, 9th and 10th floors of the Triangle Waist Company were consumed by Fire on that fateful March day. Most of the casualties were female immigrants who had come to America to start new lives for themselves and for their families. Many of the girls sent portions of their meager incomes back home to their relatives who remained in the "old country." The young women had believed the stories they had read about American streets being "paved with gold." The reality was, the only gold they saw were the gold coins pocketed by the manufacturers.

FIRE dramatically interweaves fictionalized stories about these young transplants with actual testimony from the trial against the owners of the factory. It poetically explores the theme of avarice juxtaposed against the dream of living in a new land and all the promise that goes along with it.

FIRE resonates today because one of the baser human desires, greed, pervades the world culture as much now, if not more, than it did back in 1911. The play is ultimately about overcoming adversity and never giving up hope for a better life.

Photo Credit: Russ Rowland

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