Fire Never Dies - by Carmen Aguirre (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In Fire Never Dies: The Tina Modotti Project, bestselling author and Electric Company Core Artist Carmen Aguirre explores the intersection of art and revolution through the life of Italian photographer and activist Tina Modotti.

Modotti's story unfolds in 1920s Mexico City, where her art flourished and she engaged with icons like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. However, after seven years, she abandoned photography to join the antifascist cause, ultimately running the Red Aid Hospital during the Spanish Civil War.

Modotti's journey from working-class roots to revolutionary martyrdom raises urgent questions: What is the purpose of art in the face of fascism? Can art serve the poor? Through a dynamic blend of styles and theatrical forms, the play unfolds in twenty episodes set during Modotti's final moments -- a fatal heart attack in a taxi in Mexico City at age forty-five.

Performed by a seven-actor ensemble, scenes shift fluidly: film noir for her espionage in Berlin, naturalism for parties in Mexico, runway theatrics to introduce characters. Aguirre mirrors Modotti's struggle to reconcile passion, creativity, and political conviction, ultimately asking: What is the personal cost of militancy?

Review Quotes

"Fire Never Dies seamlessly blends different genres." --Elena Massing, CBC News

"Colourful, handsome and sweepingly epic." --Jo Ledingham

"Never less than compelling." --Vancouver Plays

"Engrossing ... it lets us in on the making and remaking of a revolutionary spirit." --Angie Rico, Stir