Every day is opening night.

Benefit Reading of Newtown Docudrama, “26 Pebbles” by Eric Ulloa, Set for 12/15 at Culture Project

Contact: Rick Miramontez / Scott Braun / Philip Carrubba

rick@oandmco.com / scott@oandmco.com/ philip@oandmco.com

212-695-7400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

 

ONE-NIGHT-ONLY

BENEFIT STAGED READING

OF THE NEWTOWN DOCUDRAMA

“2 6    P E B B L E S ”

 

A NEW PLAY BY ERIC ULLOA

DIRECTED BY IGOR GOLDIN

 

MONDAY, DECEMBER 15 AT 7:00PM

AT THE CULTURE PROJECT’S LYNN REDGRAVE THEATER

 

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE

SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGEDY

 

PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT CHARITIES

CHOSEN BY CITIZENS OF

THE CITY OF NEWTOWN

 

New York (November 18, 2014) – Producers R. Erin Craig, La Vie Productions, James E. Cleveland, Randy Donaldson and Wolfstone Productions are thrilled to present a benefit staged reading of the Newtown docudrama 26 Pebbles, a stirring new play by Eric Ulloa to be directed by Igor Goldin.  The star-studded one-night only event will be hosted by the Culture Project at The Lynn Redgrave Theater (45 Bleecker Street) on Monday, December 15th at 7:00PM in commemoration of the second anniversary of the tragedyProceeds from the event will benefit a collection of charities chosen by the citizens of the City of Newtown, whose voices and testimonies are evocatively presented—verbatim—in 26 Pebbles.

 

26 Pebbles is a new play that explores the power of community in the face of unimaginable tragedy.   On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT.  The tragedy captured the attention—and broke the hearts—of the entire nation.   These 26 innocent deaths—referred to by one Newtown resident as ‘pebbles thrown into a pond’— created ripples and vibrations that were felt across the country.  

 

Playwright Eric Ulloa conducted interviews with residents of Newtown in the months after the tragedy including shop owners, parents of students, religious leaders, spiritualists, town workers and others who were touched by the tragedy.  Those transcripts were then adapted into a play that provocatively asks:  How does a community endure the ultimate test, and what comes after the cameras and noise leave?

 

The charities that will benefit from this special evening include Avielle Foundation (www.AvielleFoundation.org), Classes4Classes (www.Classes4Classes.org), UConn Sandy Hook Memorial Scholarship Fund (www.friends.uconn.edu/sandyhook), and  My Sandy Hook Family Fund (www.MySandyHookFamilyFund.org), among others to be announced.  More info on each of these below.

“Months after the tragedy in Newtown, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were losing a precious moment in time, as far as learning from this horrific event,” stated Ulloa.   “The story became a divisive political issue and we stopped listening to the voices of this community that still had a whole lot to say.”  He goes on to state, “I went to Newtown 5 months after the tragedy, just to allow people to talk about what was on their minds and how they felt about all this.   It soon became clear that they were giving me a guide book on how to navigate tragedy and how to try to bring about the best possible outcome from the worst possible situation.  This community, and their understanding of what that words means, changed my life forever, and their stories have the power to change many, many more. I am honored and extremely humbled to be the one to give these beautiful interviews a forum to be heard within.”

 

Tickets for 26 Pebbles are priced at $50 – $150 (Premium Ticket includes a VIP Reception), and are available online at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/9964774, or by calling (866) 811-4111.  (Ticket fees will apply.)

  

For more information on the play or the reading, please contact 26Pebbles@lavieproductions.com.

 

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ABOUT THE CHARITIES

 

The mission of the Avielle Foundation is to prevent violence and build community compassion through an understanding of brain science and brain health education.  The Avielle Foundation aims to support and protect our vulnerable loved ones and to strengthen communities through brain health initiatives and community engagement. AvielleFoundation.org 

 

Classes 4 Classes, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to teach every child in our nation that our lives are not separate but rather completely connected, and that everyone has the power to take action and create positive change. The platform provided by our website actively engages students in learning a social curriculum, not by talking about kindness and empathy but by living it. This encourages the development of their emotional intellect, which is key to forming healthy relationships. Classes 4 Classes believes that when we teach kindness, compassion, love and empathy there is no room for hate. Classes4Classes.org

 

UConn Sandy Hook School Memorial Scholarship Fund: To help support college costs for any siblings of those killed in the assault, the dependents of the adults who also lost their lives, students enrolled at the elementary school at the time of the tragedy. In addition, scholarships for dependents of adults who were physically injured by the gunman will be available from this fund. www.friends.uconn.edu/sandyhook

 

My Sandy Hook Family Fund (www.mysandyhookfamilyfund.com) is an charitable organization established in the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook School tragedy by the Newtown and Sandy Hook parents of the children who survived.  They are the classmates, friends, and the little league coaches.  Sandy Hook is where they live — it is their proud community.  They continue to stand with the 26 families who lost children and loved ones at Sandy Hook School as they uniquely can.  They remain personally connected to these families and continue to serve them as friends would; meeting their needs as directed by the families themselves with hands-on assistance and a pure and compassionate heart.  The My Sandy Hook Family Fund continues to give 100% of the donations collected to the 26 families in equal shares for their continued support.