Bettendorf High Draws Controversy Over Fall Play About 2012 School Shooting
Five years after it was performed without opposition at Pleasant Valley High School, the play “26 Pebbles” has caused controversy in Bettendorf, as that high school plans to mount its own production Nov. 7 and 8.
The play – by Eric Ulloa, which premiered in 2017 – concerns the impact of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, 2012, in which 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 20 students (all between six and seven years old) and six school staff, before taking his own life.
“These 26 innocent deaths, like pebbles thrown into a pond, created ripples and vibrations that were felt far beyond the initial rings,” according to the synopsis by Concord Theatricals. “This is the story of those vibrations. Similar in style to The Laramie Project, 26 Pebbles is a heartbreaking and riveting docudrama.”
Eric Ulloa’s “26 Pebbles” premiered in 2017 in Dayton, Ohio, and has since been performed over 250 times around the world.
A 2018 Broadway World review of a Los Angeles production said the play isn’t just about what happened that dark December day, but “it is more about how the people of the Newtown community reached out to their neighbors to bond, cope, and heal from that devastating tragedy in order to move forward with their lives to a more hopeful future.”
Written similarly to The Laramie Project (2000), Ulloa interviewed 62 members of the Newtown community in May 2013.
“The Laramie Project” is a 2000 play by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project, about the reaction to the 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo. That play resulted from hundreds of interviews with residents of the town, and in the play eight actors portray more than 60 characters.
“26 Pebbles” calls for six actors to depict 19 characters (Bettendorf will feature nine student actors), in a one-act, monologue-heavy show, with no reenactment of any part of the shooting. And Ulloa said recently that he purposely did not interview those closest to the Sandy Hook tragedy – relatives of the victims, teachers and first responders.
The Dec. 14, 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School claimed the lives of 20 students, all ages 6-7 years old, and six school staff members.
Before his interviews, he met with Moises Kaufman, author of “The Laramie Project.”
“He gave me advice how to go about it, use tools like Facebook that he didn’t have,” Ulloa (a 43-year-old Florida native who lives in New York City) said in an interview Wednesday, Oct. 8.
“I was frustrated, I don’t have political power, monetary means to give to causes, but what I do have is myself, my voice,” as an actor and playwright, he said.
“I wanted to hear from the town, wanted to do something positive,” Ulloa said, noting he was there Mother’s Day weekend and stayed for weeks. The characters in “26 Pebbles” do not reflect the gun control debate, and all their dialogue is taken verbatim from his interviews.
“That was the last thing I wanted to talk about,” Ulloa said of gun laws, noting the idyllic Newtown struck him as similar to the fictional Grover’s Corners in the classic Thornton Wilder play, “Our Town.”
In the foreword to his play, Ulloa wrote: “It’s basically the idea that all we ask people is, can we do better?”
“26 Pebbles” has been produced 254 times since 2017, including at Pleasant Valley High School, Bettendorf, in fall 2020 — from blue districts to red, and in other countries, such as Prague and Edinburgh.
Actor and playwright Eric Ulloa interviewed 62 residents of Newtown, Conn., in May 2013, whose words make up all of the dialogue of his play, “26 Pebbles,” to be performed at Bettendorf High School, Nov. 7-8, 2025.
“What shocked me the most, there was a ton of empathy toward Adam Lanza, who committed the killings,” Ulloa said. “Not a single person blamed him directly. Most of them blamed themselves. They said, we raised him, he went through our school system. Could we have done better? I thought that was pretty shocking in the best way.
The play asks, “How can we make a better world from what we learned?”
While Ulloa was in Newtown, he helped sort through 700,000 pieces of mail, which reflected “beautiful signs of compassion, community,” he said. The world also sent over 65,000 teddy bears to the town, which then had a total population of 1,941.
“26 Pebbles” had its world premiere at The Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton, Ohio, in 2017. The play was featured in American Theatre Magazine, The New York Times and won the Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Award for 2017. “26 Pebbles” was named one of the Top Ten Plays of 2017 by Samuel French and was one of the top produced plays nationally in 2018.
Ulloa is a 2020 American Theatre Wing Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist and a 2020 Kleban Prize Award Finalist.
“26 Pebbles” premiered in Dayton partly because Ulloa had performed twice there before and the artistic director was getting ready to do their 30th season, and they love to do premieres, he said.
A reporter friend of Ulloa, The Hartford Courant’s Frank Rizzo, did a feature on the play for American Theatre magazine, “Newtown is Our Town,” referencing the 1938 Wilder classic.
“26 Pebbles” has not been performed in Newtown. “I do think what’s really important to them is, they have really turned the corner and really don’t want to go back to it,” Ulloa said, noting the play does not dwell on the actual shooting.
“They go through the day of; the idea is, set these characters, after the glass shatters of this world they live in, a symbolic shattering, they are set into this limbo of lessons,” the playwright said. “They’re going through multiple discussions, kind of like group therapy in a positive way.”
Many concerns in Bettendorf
Since early September, there has been a good deal of social-media debate around the Bettendorf High production, and many parents came to protest at the Sept. 11 school board meeting.
“This isn’t just ‘another play.’ This is our children being asked to relive one of the darkest tragedies in our nation’s history,” the Facebook group Bettendorf Parents posted Sept. 5. “Who chose that? Who thinks this is appropriate? And honestly — who is even going to want to go see that? I have so many questions.
Katie Howard, director of theatre at Bettendorf High School.
“And here’s the real outrage:
- No survey.
- No parent input.
- No voice from the tax-paying community that funds these schools.
“Why would we endanger our children to this type of cruel violence? Why would we expose innocent students to trauma instead of protecting them?
“This decision was made for you and for your children — without your say,” Bettendorf Parents posted. “That should alarm every single one of us.
“Bettendorf residents: when will enough be enough? When will we stand up and demand leadership that values the safety, innocence, and well-being of our students over shock value and controversy?”
“While I recognize that school shootings are a tragic and urgent reality that must be acknowledged in our society, I am troubled by the decision to feature such a subject as the centerpiece of our high school’s theater program,” 1998 BHS alum Brian Girskis posted on Facebook Sept. 12.
Of the play’s references to gun violence, mental illness, PTSD, and suicide, these are “extraordinarily heavy topics for a high school production, and I question whether this is the most constructive or supportive way to engage our students and community,” he wrote.
“While the play addresses grief and healing, the author, Eric Ulloa, is known for his strong progressive political views. This could make discussions around the play politically charged, potentially shifting focus from the educational and emotional objectives toward partisan debates,” Girskis said.
In the fall 2020 PVHS production, senior Lydia Cox recalled the moment she heard about the Sandy Hook shooting.
“Theater can and should be a platform for creativity, growth, and community pride. There are countless classic, uplifting, or age-appropriate works that could challenge our students artistically while inspiring and uniting our community,” he posted. “Choosing a play so deeply tied to national trauma feels misaligned with those goals.”
In light of recent tragic shootings, “the choice of this particular production is especially difficult to understand,” Girskis said. “I also ask the district to consider the broader impact this choice may have on our students, families, and community at large. I believe there are many ways to reach the same educational objectives without centering on such a sensitive theme, and I encourage consideration of productions that all students and families can comfortably attend.”
Since 2013, 129 people have been killed and 213 injured by gunfire at 72 U.S. school shootings, according to an NBC News School Shooting Tracker.
At the Bettendorf school board meeting Sept. 11, 2025, Superintendent Michelle Morse acknowledged the deep emotions surrounding the selection of “26 Pebbles.”
In the fall 2020 production of “26 Pebbles,” Pleasant Valley senior Maegan Neil was among the nine-student cast.
Concerns from some in the community have been raised and Dr. Morse addressed them directly while also clarifying why this play was chosen and the educational value it provides to the students. Morse, BHS principal Kristy Cleppe and theatre director Katie Howard spoke to Ulloa that morning.
They noted the play is not about the act itself, but on the community’s resilience, grief, healing and the ways people come together to move forward. Ulloa said the play was never meant to politicize, but to give voice to real people navigating the unspeakable loss.
The script ends with the words: “We are love, we are Newtown.”
Morse said high school educators made the choice thoughtfully and with clear educational goals, according to the meeting minutes. “Theater is a mirror to society. It helps students to engage critically with real issues, build empathy and practice responsible storytelling.
Pleasant Valley High School, Bettendorf, performed “26 Pebbles,” directed by senior Erica Heiselman, in fall 2020.
“Morse said we take community concerns seriously and our responsibility to prepare students for the world they live in. A world where unfortunately they are already aware of violence and tragedy through the news and social media. Shielding them from difficult conversations does not make them safer,” the minutes said. “Providing them with the tools to process, reflect and respond with empathy does.
“She is asking all of us to engage in this conversation with respect. She said that we can disagree about the artistic choice, but we cannot lose sight of the shared mission,” the minutes said. “Two students who are in the fall play talked about their support of the play.”
At the meeting, Stacy Klinger spoke about the power of the arts and activities in the district. Melissa Zumdome addressed the board regarding the clubs that are offered in the district. Cyndi Diercks talked about her concerns with the play. Stephanie Boswell addressed the board regarding her support of the fall play. Melissa Hayes talked about her concerns with the play. Jill Ferris is proud the district offers clubs that provide a safe and supportive space for students.
She also spoke about the play and said the play is about healing and hope. She said this topic is not new to students and if they can do lockdown drills as frequently as fire drills then they can understand why this story is being told.
Drama director views
Howard said Friday (Oct. 10) that she was totally surprised by the opposition to “26 Pebbles,” and that parental or student input is typically never sought when she chooses a play.
“Parental input has never been something that is considered. I decide what I’m looking for — do I want something serious, lighthearted,” she said. “As I’m reading scripts, I started reading this, I didn’t want to stop, I wanted to know where it was going, if I want to keep reading. I don’t want to put it down…It is so powerful.”
“I honestly didn’t think anything of it,” Howard said of the difficult subject matter. “I was really shocked. Someone pointed out stuff online being said. You hear rumblings online, I stopped looking at them. At the school board meeting, a lot of people turned out, and a number there were supportive. People say they do support the message we’re trying to get across.”
In the PVHS production, Katelyn Morris, Lola Johannsen and Ethan Kilcoin’s characters gathered an abundance of stuffed animals (over 65,000 were sent from around the world) to the tiny town of Newtown, Conn., as symbols of condolence.
“I do think people who are opposed are operating under assumptions, that it is about school violence. Everyone is welcome to have their own opinion, and I encourage that. Theater and the arts are all about making people think. I’m happy people are thinking about it, but this is not something that’s uncommon in our world right now.
“It’s not new to our students,” Howard said of school shootings. “It’s on our minds all the time, it’s sad. We don’t even hear about all of them anymore. You can’t turn away from it and ignore what’s happening.”
The play is about coming together, “the whole idea of hope,” she added. “This is such a great example of coming together, dealing with loss, just the difficulty of dealing with grief.”
It literally is history for the students, since they were all too young (up to age 4 then) to remember Sandy Hook that day. During one transition, a clip of President Obama’s speech in response is played, Howard said.
Christina Myatt, the former PVHS drama director, said Thursday that her school faced no concerns when they did “26 Pebbles,” directed by PV senior Erica Heiselman, all students wearing face masks.
“She had seen it when we went to a festival, it really hit her. Coming back from COVID, so many of the themes were parallel, and there had been a lot of gun violence rallies,” Myatt said.
A scene of the world premiere of “26 Pebbles,” at The Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton, Ohio, in 2017.
“From an educational standpoint, it’s really a historical account. It’s no different from doing a Holocaust play, it’s all based on first-person interviews, using primary sources to create these dramatizations,” she said. “It’s not talking about gun violence, it’s how people deal with grief and separation. Students coming back after COVID, when we were still in hybrid, those feelings were very real for them — dealing with separation, grief, that anxiety of being alone.”
“The thing I like about this show, you’re not watching people hiding under desks. We are listening to accounts of real people, how their lives are affected by grief and loss,” Myatt added. “Teenagers deal with grief and loss on so many levels in their high school career, processing those, and those are great skills. ‘26 Pebbles’ does not glorify the shooter or reenact any part of the shooting.
“For students to be able to play characters who are processing loss and grief, what do you do after, how do you move forward with hope?” Myatt said. “That’s one of the beautiful things, like you see with any tragedies. After 9/11, everybody said it was so nice to see that hope and people come together. This show parallels that; it’s really a beautiful show, how communities come together, and how collectively we process things.”
Heiselman did “such a beautiful job” directing, she said. “For me to watch her lead a group of students, they did the research on who are these people, they’re real people.”
As for the public reaction, Myatt said: “People loved it, they were very touched by it,” she said. “For a student to direct that and direct it as well as she did, people were impressed to see how a student would handle it. We did not have any kind of criticism.”
“Those are universal things, everyone understands grief and loss,” she said. “How do we create those ripples? That’s what the pebbles refers to, it’s really more about how we cope. It definitely makes an impact. The impact is way more universal. It’s not about a select event – you could do interviews with people after 9/11 and make that into a story. It’s not about the events that happened, it’s not about glorifying the people who did the acts. It’s about how people cope and the hope that sprung from those communities.”
Erica Heiselman, a 2021 PVHS alum and 2025 grad of Oklahoma City University, directed the Pleasant Valley production of “26 Pebbles” in fall 2020.
In her director’s note, Heiselman (a 2025 Oklahoma City University grad who now works at Oklahoma City Children’s Theatre) wrote: “Upon hearing about this show, prior to seeing it at International Thespian Festival 2019, I thought it would be a tear-jerker. Trust me it is, but it is so much more than that.
“The incident remains the deadliest mass shooting at either a primary or secondary school in U.S. history, the second deadliest U.S. school shooting overall, and the fourth-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history,” she wrote then, before the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Tex., where an 18-year-old former student fatally shot 19 students and two teachers.
The Sandy Hook shooting “shook me to the core as a fourth-grader, and yet gun violence is still an ever-increasing problem in America today,” Heiselman wrote. “After the Parkland shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, Pleasant Valley High School (as well as the whole country) seemed to awaken and understand that no one was truly safe in their place of education. There were walkouts held all across the country, but after that there was silence.
“After Sandy Hook, we said ‘Never again.’ There have been 2,559 mass shootings since Sandy Hook,” she said. “Theatre brings light to situations that are not easy, which ‘26 Pebbles’ does successfully. It’s not about the tragedy of the events that occurred on 12/14 or the sadness and fear that struck Americans in every town across the U.S. It’s about the love and truth brought to light because of the community of Newtown.”
“Every High School” should do the play
OnStage Blog editor Chris Peterson wrote in 2018: “Every High School Should Perform ‘26 Pebbles’.”
“In addition to allowing the audience to take in different perspectives, it also gives the cast and crew an opportunity to explore these themes beyond the text as well,” he wrote. Director Mary Leonard spoke about her experiences directing this at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to Breaking Character Magazine —
“We were able to bring in a grief specialist to preemptively discuss with the actors the emotional triggers they might encounter, as well as tools to help them cope with those emotions,” she said. “My advice in producing this play is to allow time in rehearsal to talk, and to take some time to decompress afterward. We also had Q&A panels following selected performances that included mental health professionals, law enforcement, educators, and local political leaders, among others. These panels provided some understanding and context to this complex, emotional subject matter, and gave audience members the opportunity to respond with questions and observations.”
“While there are many sides to be taken on a variety of debates, no one would disagree that these school shootings need to stop,” Peterson wrote. “In times like these, silence is dangerous. A discussion needs to happen for issues to be understood and potentially resolved. With high schools performing 26 Pebbles, it gives communities an opportunity to talk about their feelings and thoughts on a wide spectrum of issues.”
In the recent interview, Ulloa responded to the concerns that the play will be too traumatic for students.
“They live it every single day with active shooter drills,” he said, noting his personal progressive politics have nothing to do with “26 Pebbles.” Anyone concerned with the play should read it, Ulloa said.
Compared to 13 years ago, bitter partisanship today has “become insane,” he said. “Back then, we dealt more with a lot of rationality. What you hear sometimes now, empathy as a negative thing, history will not be kind to them. The world always need empathy, community. To me, telling a story of how this town traversed the worst thing possible, hoping for a safer place for kids to go to school, there is no political side.”
“Newtown is a model for what any community should be, an amazing framework of how you should move forward,” Ulloa added. “They provide a model for a lot of things; when your town is hit by a horrible storm or tragedy, it’s about how we muddle through the crap and darkness to find some light. Their story is very much that.”
Bettendorf High School performs “26 Pebbles” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Performing Arts Center, 3333 18th St. Tickets are $10.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.