Director's Note

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Thank you all for coming to see our take on a beautiful show all about truth, love, hope, and light. I cannot thank you enough for supporting this amazing company and all of the hard work each and every person has put into this amazing piece of art. As a student director, you often get asked “Why did you pick this show?” More like why NOT this show? Upon hearing about this show, prior to seeing it at International Thespian Festival 2019, I thought it would be a tear-jerker. Trust me it is, but it is so much more than that. The incident remains the deadliest mass shooting at either a primary or secondary school in U.S. history, the second deadliest U.S. school shooting overall, and the fourth-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. The shooting that occurred at Sandy Hook shook me to the core as a fourth-grader, and yet gun violence is still an ever-increasing problem in America today. After the Parkland shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, Pleasant Valley High School (as well as the whole country) seemed to awaken and understand that no one was truly safe in their place of education. There were walkouts held all across the country, but after that there was silence. After Sandy Hook, we said “Never again.” There have been 2,559 mass shootings since Sandy Hook. Michelle Obama said, “You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.” So we won’t let fear get in our way. We will rise above it. Theatre brings light to situations that are not easy, which 26 Pebbles does successfully. It’s not about the tragedy of the events that occurred on 12/14 or the sadness and fear that struck Americans in every town across the U.S. It’s about the love and truth brought to light because of the community of Newtown. Directing this show has been a liberating experience for me as a thespian and I am so proud of what you are about to see. “We are love. We are Newtown. That message says it all.” ~ Erica Heiselman*, Director