A year after the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, the community’s library is betting that theatre games and creative expression can help teenagers process what they have been through.
The Altadena Library District will host “Theatre & Recovery: Creative Workshop for Teens Impacted by the Altadena Fires” on Friday, February 20 at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free workshop is part of a broader wellness initiative funded by humanitarian nonprofit Direct Relief in response to the devastating January wildfire.
The program will use classic theatre games and exercises to help participants “explore creative ways to express their feelings, share their experiences, and build a sense of unity,” according to event materials. Registration is required. The workshop’s facilitator could not be confirmed through publicly available event listings.
The Eaton Fire began in Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains foothills on the evening of January 7, spreading rapidly into Altadena under powerful Santa Ana winds. Federal lawsuits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice allege that Southern California Edison’s high-voltage transmission lines sparked the blaze. The utility has acknowledged that its equipment “may have been associated” with the fire’s start shortly after 6 p.m. that day.
Anniversary event materials reference honoring “the 19 who perished,” though official casualty counts from Los Angeles County authorities were not available for confirmation.
The library, led by District Director Nikki Winslow, reopened after a two-month closure and has positioned itself as a community hub. Direct Relief’s support underwrites workshops across age groups, development of a wellness materials collection, and a forthcoming mental health fair.
The February workshop is free and open to teens impacted by the fires.
Theatre & Recovery: Creative Workshop for Teens Impacted by the Altadena Fires will run on Friday, February 20, 2026 at 4 p.m. Altadena Library District, Altadena. For more information, call (626) 798-0833 or visit https://www.altadenalibrary.org/programs?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D195218553.
