Counting Pebbles
"If there's one thing first responders do, it's tell stories." - The Code Green Campaign, www.codegreencampaign.org
First responders in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are ten times more likely to contemplate suicide than the national average. The most common reasons responders leave the field are burnout and psychological trauma as a result of repeated exposure to traumatic events. Originally created in partnership with the Code Green Campaign and Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, this project is a live original performance exploring experiences of trauma in EMS providers. It received its first work-in-progress production in March 2019 at Yale University in New Haven, CT, in conjunction with a Yale Public Health masters thesis. Read more about that production here.
Initially workshopped during a residency at the CoHo Productions Summer Workshop Lab in Portland, OR, and performed for the first time at the Yale Cabaret, this ongoing collaborative process explores experiences of first responders struggling with and finding paths through trauma. The play was developed from interviews, anonymous stories, artwork, physical improvisation and the artists' experience as health workers and creators of collaborative performances. It is also the subject of a public health masters thesis by director Taiga Christie, "Carrying Pebbles: Towards trauma informed theater with emergency medical responders."
Our last performance was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are now planning summer 2023 performances at rural emergency medical services in Southeastern Vermont. Long term, we hope to continue to tour this performance to the field, bringing it to fire stations, EMS training facilities, and other places where it can start conversation between EMS providers.
Want to support our project? Here are ways to be involved:
This project was originally conceived by Taiga Christie and Faultline Ensemble with the support of the CoHo Summer Workshop Lab residency in 2016. We have received funding from the Network of Ensemble Theatres Travel Grant program, the InnovateHealth Yale Fund, the Tsai CITY Center, the Schell Center for Human Rights at Yale Law, the Yale Public Health Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Fund, the Yale MacMillan Program on Refugees, Forced Displacement and Humanitarian Responses, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and individual donors. Our March production was made possible with the support of the City of New Haven Mayor's Community Arts Grants Program, and our planned upcoming performance receives support from the New England Foundation for the Arts. We draw inspiration from the fields of community-based performance, narrative medicine, physical performance, trauma stewardship, drama therapy and theater of the oppressed. The project hopes to validate the unique struggles of first responders, and to celebrate the resilience, cohesion and pride that exist in the first responder community.
Initially workshopped during a residency at the CoHo Productions Summer Workshop Lab in Portland, OR, and performed for the first time at the Yale Cabaret, this ongoing collaborative process explores experiences of first responders struggling with and finding paths through trauma. The play was developed from interviews, anonymous stories, artwork, physical improvisation and the artists' experience as health workers and creators of collaborative performances. It is also the subject of a public health masters thesis by director Taiga Christie, "Carrying Pebbles: Towards trauma informed theater with emergency medical responders."
Our last performance was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are now planning summer 2023 performances at rural emergency medical services in Southeastern Vermont. Long term, we hope to continue to tour this performance to the field, bringing it to fire stations, EMS training facilities, and other places where it can start conversation between EMS providers.
Want to support our project? Here are ways to be involved:
- We are looking for a few collaborators in the New Haven, CT and Southeastern Vermont area - we encourage anyone interested to reach out about working with us. We especially hope to work with emergency medical and disaster responders, regardless of artistic experience. Please get in touch, and help us by spreading the word to others.
- Do you have access to housing spaces in Southeastern Vermont or Western Massachusetts? In order to maximize our minimal grant funding, we are seeking donated housing for traveling performers for two weekends in Summer 2023. If you have ideas, we would love to talk with you.
- We are exploring options for more performance and rehearsal venues, as this project continues into the future. If you have space in the New England region, and would like to see Counting Pebbles come to your town or service, please get in touch – we hope to find affordable and accessible venues to serve as homes for this performance's next iterations.
- Get in touch to share a story or opinion. We are invested in incorporating a wide range of perspectives and input. We welcome your ideas.
This project was originally conceived by Taiga Christie and Faultline Ensemble with the support of the CoHo Summer Workshop Lab residency in 2016. We have received funding from the Network of Ensemble Theatres Travel Grant program, the InnovateHealth Yale Fund, the Tsai CITY Center, the Schell Center for Human Rights at Yale Law, the Yale Public Health Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Fund, the Yale MacMillan Program on Refugees, Forced Displacement and Humanitarian Responses, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and individual donors. Our March production was made possible with the support of the City of New Haven Mayor's Community Arts Grants Program, and our planned upcoming performance receives support from the New England Foundation for the Arts. We draw inspiration from the fields of community-based performance, narrative medicine, physical performance, trauma stewardship, drama therapy and theater of the oppressed. The project hopes to validate the unique struggles of first responders, and to celebrate the resilience, cohesion and pride that exist in the first responder community.
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