Cuban Theater Digital Archive

"Faces in the Flames" is a timely, significant work that was commissioned and produced by the Atlanta Opera in 2023. The chamber opera focuses on the legacy of Thomas Askew through an intergenerational view, specifically through the perspective of a mother and daughter. The narrative is framed around the Great Atlanta Fire of 1917, and the story is depicted through memories and flashbacks, using picture frames as a theatrical device. Some of the central themes throughout the performance include preservation through photography, legacy, and memory. Moreover, the narrative connects personal and historical trauma through the metaphor of flames; this is exemplified through skew's photographs that serve as both historical documents and symbols of Black dignity and resistance The opera received recognition in the 96 Hour Opera Competition at Atlanta Opera and Morehouse University, winning both Runner Up and the Audience Choice award in 2023. What's particularly interesting about this performance is how the opera weaves together multiple historical threads - Askew's pioneering photography documenting African American life in Atlanta, the destructive impact of the Atlanta Fire, and the broader themes of preserving Black history and dignity through art. The mother-daughter relationship adds an intimate, personal dimension to these larger historical events.