Firemen

Set in rural Washington state during the first Iraq war, the world premiere of Tommy Smith’s drama explores an unthinkable love relationship.

“Even though the love at the heart of this play seems to come from a misguided place, it’s the real thing,” says playwright Smith. “It reminds me of a rare flower I read about that only grows in the middle of a lava flow. Right in the midst of all that danger and destruction is this beautiful flower that no one can get at.” 

“I wanted to explore the personal home lives of Americans during the first Iraq war,” he explains. “The early ‘90s was a critical period in American history. There was a sudden shift in the way we treat one another. When it becomes okay to send a missile right through somebody’s front door, any line can be transgressed. People suddenly feel free to occupy others when their leader is occupying foreign lands.”

Smith’s plays frequently look at the fallout of personal relationships through a political lens. Playwright Craig Lucas, writing for the New York Theatre Review, declared, “[Tommy Smith] is writing in the shadow of our most daring and politically incendiary of martyred playwright saints.”

Firemen runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7p.m., Feb. 8 through March 16. There will be one preview performance on Friday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. Tickets to all performances are $25. Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039. On-site parking is free. For reservations and information, call (310) 307-3753 or go to www.EchoTheaterCompany.com.