Westfield High School Students Perform Powerful Play Monday

WESTFIELD, NJ — Eight years ago this Saturday, more than two dozen people died in a school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The Westfield High School Theatre Department will present, on Saturday and Monday, "26 Pebbles," a play by Eric Ulloa, related to the tragedy and its aftermath.

The pre-recorded virtual event will be streamed via BookTix here at 7:30 p.m. on each of those two nights.

According to a press release, the 26 deaths that day — described by one local resident as “pebbles thrown into a pond" — created ripples that captured the attention of the entire nation, and vibrations that were felt far beyond the initial rings. This is the story of those vibrations.

“Every so often, a piece of theatre like 26 Pebbles comes along that has the opportunity to have an everlasting impact on those who view it,” said Westfield High School Theatre Director Daniel Devlin. “The cast and crew of 26 Pebbles have been working tirelessly to discover new ways of connecting with one another, reestablishing our community, creating meaningful, thoughtful theatre and continuing to tell these important stories or courage and healing. We look forward to sharing this story of challenge, strength, and renewal and we hope the community will join us for this remarkable event.”

Due to the current COVID19 pandemic and the ripples it has sent, the WHS Theatre Department has been preparing for this production 100 percent remotely. All auditions, rehearsals, technical work, and performances have been conducted online, which has presented myriad challenges, as well as numerous learning opportunities.

Due to the pandemic and the health precautions, the performances will be virtual only.

WHS Theater is sharing this pre-recorded performance as a special streamed event via whstd.booktix.com on Saturday and Monday at 7:30 p.m.

The publisher suggests that the target audience for this production is adults and teenagers between the ages of 14-18.

Tickets will close 15 minutes before each performance. For additional information and "tickets"/"viewing packages," please visit WHSTD.BOOKTIX.COM.

The poster above was designed by Westfield High School 11th grader Amy Broughton.

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