One year after the Eaton Fire displaced more than 1,100 Pasadena Unified School District students, In Other People’s Shoes Productions is centering young survivors’ voices through “The Fire Stories Project,” a staged reading built entirely from interviews with young people ages eight to eighteen who lived through the disaster.
Professional actors will perform their exact words verbatim on January 31, February 1, and February 2 across three venues. The young participants remain anonymous, their identities shielded while their voices reach audiences of all ages. “We wanted to give young people the opportunity to have their voices heard, and to share their experiences of a very defining event in our community,” said founder Mireya “Murry” Hepner.
Board member Janet Greaves underscored the significance: “Adults have their own experiences and healing mechanisms. But young people’s experiences are unique, and we’re so honored that they were willing to share them with us.”
What distinguishes this project is embedded mental health support. Pacific Clinics therapists conducted interviews with young survivors and will facilitate post-performance community dialogues, allowing audiences to process their own fire experiences in a professionally-moderated setting.
The Eaton Fire, which ignited January 7, burned 14,021 acres. When containment was achieved on January 31, the toll included at least nineteen deaths, over 9,000 buildings destroyed, and nearly 60 percent of Altadena’s residential structures lost.
The Fire Stories Project will run on Saturday, Jan. 31; Sunday, Feb. 1; and Monday, Feb. 2 at various times.
The Fire Stories Project will run on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 1:00 p.m. 600 E. Mariposa St., Altadena;, For more information, call (626) 798-0833 or visit https://inotherpeoplesshoes.org/fire-stories-project.
