Fires in the Mirror is a collection of multiple voices and points of view. It is a hybrid of theater and journalism.
Smith provides information as to where each interview was done, including the settings and environment, other people who were near, and when the interviews took place. This emphasizes the fact that the play was drawn from the words of people who were directly involved with events.
The play is written as verse. Smith uses lines, ellipses, and other notation, to express how people expressed themselves in each interview.[4]
Fires in the Mirror is a postmodern play. According to David Rush, characteristics of a postmodern play include the minimization of a single "author"; its purpose is to engage the audience rather than express one point of view. There may be multiple narratives interacting with each other, the structure departs from the conventional play pattern, and the play is usually fragmented. Fires in the Mirror encompasses all of these characteristics.[2]
