A new play written and directed by Carmen Aguirre

Preview October 15

World Premiere October 16

Produced by Electric Company Theatre

Presented by The Cultch in partnership with the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre

Tickets on sale now!

Explore The Alchemist Heart, Dafne Sarlay-Blanco’s multimedia installation in dialogue with the world premiere of Fire Never Dies: The Tina Modotti Project. See it at The Cultch Gallery, October 15–26. Free admission. More information.

“What exactly is the purpose of art in the face of fascism? Can art serve the poor, and if so, how?” — Carmen Aguirre 

In Fire Never Dies: The Tina Modotti Project, best-selling author and Electric Company Core Artist, Carmen Aguirre tackles the dialectic between art and revolution by excavating Tina Modotti’s life and art, and, in so doing, reflecting on our own lives through hers.

This Italian photographer and her revolutionary art thrived in Mexico City in the 1920s.  She was Frida Kahlo’s lover and posed for Diego Rivera’s murals. After seven years of photography, she abandoned her art to join the anti-fascist cause in Europe, running the Red Aid Hospital in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War.

Raised in a working-class family, Tina’s legacy is one of dedication to justice and equality and the four hundred photographs she left behind. She died of a heart attack at the age of forty-five in the back of a taxi cab in Mexico City. Carmen is compelled by Tina’s struggle to reconcile her artistic practice and intimate life with her political commitment.

The play takes place during Tina’s heart attack and consists of twenty-five episodes performed by a seven-actor ensemble. Each episode differs stylistically: film noir when Tina is in 1930s Berlin spying on the Nazis for the Soviets, naturalism when she is at a 1920s party in Mexico City, cat-walking when characters are introduced on a runway, etc. The thematic thread is: what is the personal cost of militancy?

Click here to read about the creative team

Ticket Access

• Pay-What-You-Choose Preview Oct 15
• Community Pricing Oct 21 (all tickets $35)
• If cost is a barrier for you, please contact julian@electriccompanytheatre.com

Get 15% off* the best seats (sections A+ / A)

Use promo code ELECTRIC

*Cannot be combined with any other offer; no cash value; not applicable for Preview / PWYC (Oct 15) or Community Pricing (Oct 21) performances. Offer may not be applied to past purchases.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the BC Arts Council Arts Impact Program, Metro Vancouver’s Regional Cultural Project Grants Program as well as the Deux Mille, Hawthorne, Lohn, Schein, Y.P. Heung Foundations and the Elsie and Audrey Jang Fund, held at Vancouver Foundation. Special thank you to the 2023 Banff Playwrights Lab for precious writing time, and to Savage Society and Studio 58 for their technical contributions.

Performance and Event Schedule

Performance Schedule

Evening Shows
TUE–SAT | 7:30PM

Matinees
SAT, OCT 25 | 2:00PM
SUN, OCT 19 & OCT 26 | 2:00PM

Special Events

The Alchemist Heart Exhibition - Opening Reception
WED, OCT 15 | 6:00PM

Preview
WED, OCT 15 | 7:30PM

Opening Night
THUR, OCT 16 | 7:30PM

Talkbacks
SUN, OCT 19 | 2:00PM
TUE, OCT 21 | 7:30PM

Inside The Alchemist Heart - A Guided Tour with artist Dafne Blanco-Sarlay (Details and tickets here)
SUN, OCT 19 | 6:00PM

Pre-Show Talks (Details and RSVP here)
WED, OCT 22 | 6:30PM | Naomi Klein
THU, OCT 23 | 7:30PM | Harsha Walia

Copyright disclaimer under section 6 of the Copyright Act, from 2002-12-31 to 2022-12-29.

All rights and credits are reserved for their rightful owners of the creative works of Frida Kahlo, Edward Weston, Diego Rivera, Tina Modotti and Pablo Neruda. No copyright infringement intended.

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