Children displaced by the Eaton Fire can spend two weeks this month writing, improvising, and performing in a free theater program at a Pasadena spiritual center, with mental health professionals on hand to help them process what they lost.
The Eaton Fire Youth Theatre Project, organized by Arroyo Repertory Theatre and Cool Beans Comedy, runs Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon, from July 15 through July 31 at the Ahiah Center for Spiritual Living, 150 N. El Molino Ave. The workshop is open to children ages 8 to 14.
Dr. Jude H. Lucas, principal officer of Arroyo Repertory Theatre, is leading the program. "We aren't just putting on a play," Lucas said in a press release. "We are giving these children the tools to turn uncertainty into agency, building a resilient future for Altadena and Pasadena starting today."
The workshop has three parts: improvisation and movement exercises, a collaborative session where participants write an original theatrical piece, and a public performance built around environmental and community themes. The press release describes the program as trauma-informed, drawing on evidence-based methods to help children process loss and fear.
It arrives 18 months after the January 2025 fire tore through Altadena and parts of Pasadena, killing 19 people and destroying more than 9,400 structures. Rebuilding has been slow. As of January 2026, only about 10 homes had been rebuilt across the fire zones, according to city and county data cited by PBS NewsHour.
Arroyo Repertory Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has operated in Pasadena for about 20 years, with offices at 2033 E. Washington Blvd. Lucas, a longtime Pasadena theater director, co-leads the organization with Kelie McIver, according to GuideStar filings. Cool Beans Comedy, founded in 2009 and based at the Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena, runs youth comedy classes for ages 7 and up.
The press release states the workshop is supported by the Pasadena Community Foundation and the Children's Theatre Foundation of America, a national nonprofit based in Bentonville, Arkansas, that awards grants of $3,000 to $6,000 to youth theater programs. Neither organization's specific role in funding this program could be independently confirmed.
The workshop is free. Spots are limited. Families can register by emailing [email protected].
Upcoming community events in Pasadena:
- July 15–31 — Eaton Fire Youth Theatre Project, Mon.–Thu., 9 a.m.–noon, Ahiah Center for Spiritual Living, 150 N. El Molino Ave. Free; register at [email protected].
