A Pasadena nonprofit theatre company will begin a free two-week workshop July 15 for children ages 8 to 14 affected by the Eaton Fire, offering improvisation, movement and a student-written performance that its organizers say will help the children process the disaster.
The program, which Arroyo Repertory Theatre calls the Eaton Fire Youth Theatre Project, runs Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon through July 31 at the Ahiah Center for Spiritual Living, 150 N. El Molino Ave., according to a press release from the theatre company. It comes about 18 months after the fire, which began Jan. 7, 2025, burned through Altadena and parts of Pasadena.
Arroyo Repertory Theatre, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose legal name is Valley Repertory Company, says it has operated in Pasadena for about 20 years and describes itself as a community arts organization focused on artistic development through theatre and visual arts education. Dr. Jude H. Lucas, the theatre’s principal officer, is leading the program along with mental health professionals, according to the release. Kelie McIver serves as the organization’s co-principal officer. The theatre also runs community arts events, including a recurring music meetup it calls Soup, Bread and JAM.
The workshop is being run in partnership with Cool Beans Comedy, a Pasadena comedy school founded in 2009 and based at the Ice House Comedy Club at 24 N. Mentor Ave. The school offers comedy and performance classes for students across a wide range of ages, with sessions that typically conclude in a performance at the Ice House.
According to the release, the workshop centers on three parts: improvisation and movement exercises; a collaborative session in which the children write an original theatrical piece; and a public performance built around environmental and community themes. The theatre describes the program as trauma-informed and says it draws on evidence-based methods to help children process loss and fear.
The theatre says the workshop is supported by the Pasadena Community Foundation and the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America, a national nonprofit based in Bentonville, Ark., that funds theatre programs for young audiences.
The workshop is free, and the release says capacity is limited to preserve the program’s clinical and artistic depth. Registration is being handled by email at arroyoreptheatre@gmail.com.
The program is scheduled to run four mornings a week for two weeks, through July 31.
