26 Pebbles

by Eric Ulloa

On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed twenty-six innocent souls before taking his own life. These twenty-six innocent deaths, like pebbles thrown into a pond, created ripples and vibrations that were felt far beyond the initial rings. This is the story of those vibrations.

Genres: Plays

62 pages, Paperback

Published October 23, 2017

Reviews

[Pia · Rating 5 out of 5]

26 Pebbles written by playwright Eric Ulloa is a somber, heartbreaking play that sets in the tragedy of the Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting that took place on December 14, 2012 and took the lives of 26 people, which were 20 students and 6 teachers. The play recaptures this misfortune by using an interview style, in which most of the play is told by through interviews and a couple of stage notes. Personally, I am not a big fan of styles of writing, especially in plays in which are not traditional and don't have the simple, chronological style but in the case of this play, 26 pebbles it is one of the most thought provoking, informative tragedies I have ever read that was based on a real life event. I liked it. I like it because the interview style though not my cup of tea is mixed in with a story-like structure where it isn't just a bunch of interviews but raw interviews that are told in terms of storytelling and where it's positives rely on the ability too easily read it but to also get more emotionally involved with the story's setting and the real life massacre. The play offered the right amount of people to make the play work, as it gave a better emotional response for me because they told it from all sides of the story. They didn't leave any part of it out. They told it from the first time they heard about the massacre to after it to finally to the end when they realized they had to let it go so they could heal and move on and it felt like a real problem-solution arc that you see in novels or other plays. The people were also very likable, as many didn't hide anything and were very honest to tell how they actually felt. The play wasn't just informative but it was also emotional. It took both of these ways to tell you about an horrible event and not only made you think about stuff like this but also made you care about it. That's what good stories do: enlighten and feel. Conclusively, I like this play and recommend people to read it. I know I will look back and check it out a few times.

[David Anzaldo · Rating 5 out of 5]

26 Pebbles is a play by Eric Ulloa which recounts the horrific Sandy Hook shootings and its aftermath through the perspectives of the townspeople in Newtown. The play is done in the style of Laramie Project, the beginning of the play has some characters introducing themselves without any real story going on. This does a great job in lulling the audience into a feeling of joviality which I believe mimics the general feeling Newtown had before this incident. So, when the play gets to the part of the shootings and all the different horrified reactions of the townsfolk, the audience feels it with them. Plays like these are important in that way due to some who might feel desensitized to the subject due to receiving their information from a news report can form a new empathetic connection in experiencing the play and learn more than when they were originally exposed to it. The play is so descriptive in it's language, creating an experience of visualizing the chaos that occurred at the time. Some examples were "kids pouring out into the fire house", "rapid fire of clergy", "wall to wall fire trucks". I believe the play did an amazing job in capturing the spirit of hope triumphing over the negative feelings stirred by the Sandy Hook shooting. The play handles many different talking points that were popular talking pieces when the shooting occurred. While short, it is condensed with characters being the instruments for which this dialogue is being presented to the audience. It handles the serious nature of mental health, gun control, and societal issues in a mature fashion while ending the play on a hopeful note. I enjoyed 26 Pebbles for what Eric Ulloa sought to achieve with his play, but the subject material is very sad to read through so one might want to keep that in mind before they give it a read.

[Trinity]

"26 Pebbles'’ by Eric Ulloa is a story about the Sandy Hook school shooting. On December 14, 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School was the place where a tragic shooting occurred. Totaling 26 deaths in total; mostly children and a few adults. Many parents had to wait in horror to see if their child were alive and many parents never had their children return home to them. Adam Lanza walked into Sandy hook elementary school and took the lives of innocent people, and when he was satisfied, he ended his own life. “26 Pebbles” is a very tragic play that takes testimony of people who live in Newtown, Connecticut and their personal experiences with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
“26 Pebbles” by Eric Ulloa is a very emotionally packed play to read. The range of emotion that every testimony that is written in this play shows the seriousness of the event and the impact it had on the parents. The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting had a huge impact on the entire world. Like Columbine, Sandy Hook halted the nation, bringing an impactful hit to our nation. I had a hard time reading this play. I had to stop a number of times while reading this play. Besides the amount of emotional rollercoaster I experienced While reading this play, the writing style was unique. Eric Ulloa has the same writing style as Moises Kaufman which is shown in this play. I will read more Eric Ulloa plays in the near future.

[Susana Ruvalcaba]

26 Pebbles by Eric Ulloa is a play that recorded what happened after the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012. This play tells the story of parents, members of clergy, and others in the Newtown community through their memories of the events following the news of the shooting. The name 26 Pebbles is indicative of the 26 pebbles victims of the shooting, and it’s supposed to represent the initial reason for the rippling aftermath of the situation.
This is a historical play told in a recollection type style. I enjoyed how the play captures the emotions of those who lived through the events in a style that doesn’t seem as fresh as is the events of the shooting and the immediate aftermath happening right before their eyes. This style of writing is refreshing because it doesn’t give a type of trauma to the audience. It allows for a calmer atmosphere. This is especially helpful towards the attitudes towards the end of the play. While I understand that this play was based off of real recollections and the ethics of interviewing a child would have been sketchy at best I would have liked to have seen more of a point of view from inside the school during the events of December 14th, but I am a sucker for details when it comes to dark topics. Overall, I think the play is well written and worth the read.

[Angelina G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play is a look into the impacts of gun violence within a small town community and how the families try to move on after such a devastating tragedy. By using the interview structure to create this play, Eric Ulloa gives the audience an unfiltered experience into how each person was affected. By being able to convey the emotional intensity that each person felt within the experience, Ulloa makes a impactful piece of art.
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I personally found this play to be a very quick and emotional read. As we are able to hear from both the people that this tragedy has directly affected as well as the community that supports them. The ways i which this community has managed to overcome this impossible grief is something that I feel Ulloa presents beautifully. Each person is able to have a voice though this tragedy even if it sometimes harsh and painful. For example, when they community learns the identity of the gunman, Adam Lanza, they made it very clear that they knew he was a disturbed individual and did not hesitate to include criticisms of his family. As much as this is a impactful play, it is important for to hear the voices of the community and their determination to overcome this tragedy.

[Larysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

26 Pebbles is a terrifying story of indifference and irresponsibility to human life that exist very close to us. Through interviews with community members in Newtown, Eric Ulloa attempts to understand the origins of violence. This horrific event drew my attention to the personality of Adam Lanza and his family and made me wonder what circumstances he was in when he committed this madness. Based on the science of psychology - there are no bad and good people; there are circumstances that model the behavior of people based on our three basic instincts: to survive, to be in society, and to continue our kind. In my opinion, only Adam Lanza’s parents can be blamed for what happened. Judging by the documentary film about his life, he was an abandoned child abused by his mother, classmates, and teachers and who was absolutely not needed by anyone. The rapist is the one who is subjected to constant violence. And all these factors have led to terrible consequences and the loss of innocent lives.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

26 Pebbles by Eric Ulloa is a play easy to read, the segments presented flow from one to the next as if it were a continuous dialogue. It is a sad story, although the argument it is not highly emotional, which is good. This play presents a case with an informative purpose, asking the reader to think about the tragedy. The objective is to present it as the result of social and cultural situations, at all levels, from the laws pertaining to a specific state, or the federal laws. Cultural situation in which discrimination is hidden behind clichés such as “live and let live”. Most importantly, it is to think about how after the massacre there were no changes at any level, and everything was back to normal, as it is just an anomaly part of the normality.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

26 Pebbles was very emotionally difficult to read, but I think it was very important to get the perspectives of the people who were directly affected by it. Hearing about Sandy Hook through the news is very different from hearing about the aftermath by the people most affected by it.

I do not know if I would be able to read this play again, but I do think that it is an important play to read because the people of Newtown were interviewed for it. There have been major shootings since Sandy Hook that make this play, unfortunately, still relevant since its initial release. Overall, I think that this play is incredibly heartbreaking and thought-provoking and everyone should read it at least once.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am truly devastated by this play. In 2012 I was only in the 5th grade, 3-4 years older than the unfortunate children at Sandy Hook Elementary. It is also unfortunate to hear that staff members were also taken from the world too early. Eric Ulloa did an amazing job in interviewing these community members that lived through and suffered because of Adam Lanze. Ulloa puts his feelings into action by compiling their interviews and creating 26 Pebbles, allowing readers and society to think about the safety in our schools, gun control, and mental health (post-trauma). Through not only a stage performance, but also the script itself, Ulloa's power to grab readers' attention to better touch their hearts and call for a stand is amazing.

[Alexzandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is just heartbreaking, from the tragedy itself to how the families did not receive any privacy. Throughout the entirety of the play, when it was mentioned that the town and the people were being swarmed by news reporters I felt overwhelmed just by reading it, I could not imagine how the family must have felt. The structure of the play was different, I have read a lot of plays like this before, but reading this specific play in this format made it a lot more sad for me to read. And since the tragedy already happened and the characters are recalling the day it happened and the days after, it must have been heartbreaking for them to look back on those memories. The writing of this play is captivating and I would recommend it.

[Fernando Preciado · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful play packed with emotion. The beginning was a bit slow but it did a good job with familiarizing the audience with what kind of town Newtown is. The play sets up Newtown as a peaceful, American dream type of community, which adds to the shock of the tragic event that follows. Reading this a day after the shooting in Buffalo, NY hit me differently. It opened my eyes and made me realize these things can happen to anyone anywhere. By far one of the most emotional plays I have read. A very important play for our day and age. As tragic as the story was, it was nice seeing a good majority of the community from different backgrounds and religions coming together when unity was most needed.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Newtown in the midst of a tragedy that ended in 26 deaths is truly inspiring. In the play, the story of the town and the boy is told each with such emotion that the reader can see both sides of a real-life tragedy before, during, and after such horrible events. The attention and support of the people from all around were one of the most incredible things. You see the trauma that a massacre brought not only the children, parents, and staff but the whole town. There was such a big impact Newtown has accomplished with the help of donations and hundreds of amazing volunteers. This is truly a powerful play with a great impact on audiences all around.

[Ivan Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite how underdeveloped it feels at times, Eric Ulloa has managed to create something just as thought-provoking and powerful as his mentor, Moises Kaufman, did with “The Laramie Project.” Overall, “26 Pebbles” is another drama filled to the brim with the message that human compassion can trump the most severe of tragedies, once the pieces are picked up. It’s quite easy to dwell in the dark acts that people are capable of, but it is matched with the kindness we are all capable of. While Ulloa’s drama could use a bit more depth, it still does such a wonderful job ik conveying the story of Newtown and the community that held itself together.

[Lehi Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

26 Pebbles, is different. I very much feel like this is still relevant today. This very much happens especially in the area where its mostly city. I wish that It wasn't true, but it is. We can't lie to our selfs. I did enjoy reading it though. To get the perspective of individuals who are directly affected by this event is very much heart breaking and amazing. Apart of me felt like I was reading something I shouldn't be reading. Like...too personal. I think it's a privilege to be able to read the text. I felt very emotional reading through out the book. I don't know if I can re read it, but I would recommend it.

[Kaytlin Lee-Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just did this play at school. Amazing how it brings the tragedy into light. The only issue I see is how the Author sets up the actors. There’s about 19 characters split up into 6 actors. The expectation from Eric is to just change your name tag and a defining feature of your costume on stage. This can be extremely confusing to the audience and isn’t really how doubling in theatre works. Though this can be easily fixed with who ever is directing it doing what ever they’d like with the script. The cast could very well be 19 people or 6 people. Or any number of people. I find it odd Eric decided to dictate how many actors there should be.

[Karina Marin · Rating 5 out of 5]

26 Pebbles by Eric Ulloa was heartbreaking to read. I have followed this tragic crime for years, this was the first time I read interviews. Nothing can bring those victims back, but reading about the strength, community resilience, and the way people united was good to read. This play was easy to read, it flowed from one character to another but it was not confusing. Watching the play performance made it more heartbreaking for me because i could see the pain in the book and the fear parents went as they waited to hear from their children. 10/10 recommend.

[Amy Najera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy to follow along and get attached to, which I enjoyed. You can see how Newtown felt a sense of community before and after the massacre. You see both sides to the argument of the death toll, as well as how individuals members of the town worked together to make a difference. The way the characters describe the support from the country was so emotional and adding the clip of Obama's speech made it even more so. I enjoyed every word and I think they did the event justice.

[Alexis Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The play itself is wonderful. The play was very easy to follow. I liked the way you can see both sides of each argument. There was an emotional part of the play where I almost teared up. But I did enjoy reading the play. I think this is a really good play. It does have really good stage managing. It was an interesting play to read. I wonder if it's a play that I can possibly watch it. It is another play I do recommend.

[Barbara Bowers-Camp · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has some well crafted moments however over all it reads like a lesser Laramie Project. Perhaps, that works itself out on stage.

[Mollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stage managing this wonderful play.

[Alexandra Miller]

Freaks you out a little- how a "safe town" can suddenly fill with fear

[Zachary Trenkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's genuinely a beautiful play, that is very similar to "The Laramie Project" which I loved