Campus Connection

UWL Theatre production 26 Pebbles chosen for Kennedy Center competition

Four years ago, UWL senior Kelsey Norton was outside of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., when her mom turned to her and said “maybe one day you’ll be performing in there.” What Norton thought would never happen is now a possibility as a college senior. “The fact that there’s potential for that blows my mind,” says the theatre performance and arts administration major. Norton was a member of the ensemble that debuted the play 26 Pebbles this year. That show has been selected to perform at the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival competition in Indianapolis in January. It was one of five productions selected from 25 entries. If the performance wins in Indianapolis, students will travel to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., this spring. “To bring a show like this to light and to spread its message of love is huge,” says John Divney, a member of the cast. 26 Pebbles, written by Eric Ulloa, is new play based on a series of interviews with community members from Newtown, Connecticut, in the months following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings Dec. 14, 2012. Those transcripts were adapted in 2013 to become 26 Pebbles, a piece that explores the power of community and the ability to maintain hope in the face of unimaginable tragedy. https://youtu.be/sP8PSh7p12o Ulloa flew to La Crosse from New York to attend the world premiere performance in October. During his visit, he also gave two talkback sessions with audiences. Upon receiving the news of the show’s selection, Ulloa said he was “speechless.” “I knew the work of this faculty and these students was extraordinary, but now they get to show a giant new audience the beauty they showed me in their production this past October. I truly could not be prouder,” Ulloa wrote. A dress rehearsal performance will be at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9, in Toland Theatre in the Center for the Arts, 333 16th St. N. The rehearsal is open to the public and donations will be accepted at the door to help fund the trip to Indianapolis. “It’s an honor for our school to send this message of love and community and strength to a new city and inspire them,” says Norton.