ENOUGH! PLAYS TO END GUN VIOLENCE Comes To UC Santa Barbara's Hatlen Theater

Ensemble Theatre Company and UC Santa Barbara's Initiative for New and Reimagined Work will present “ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence,” a nationwide reading of six new ten-minute plays by teenage playwrights, on Monday, October 6, 2025, at UCSB's Hatlen Theater. This city presentation joins a national effort to amplify youth voices confronting gun violence, turning personal stories into invitations for community conversation and concrete action.

The evening features six urgent, varied perspectives: Abby Dougherty's Holding Space (GA), in which two students must decide what's right after a school protest goes wrong; Matias Finley's Oh Look, Another School Shooting! (WI), a sharp look at how competing agendas shape whose stories—and whose healing—get attention; Ian Hodges's Nobody Cares About Death (FL), a darkly comic televised interview with Death that exposes numbed cycles of violence; Payton Aurora Jones's The Perfect Victim (CA), which examines fragile systems and community strength in the aftermath of a shooting; Pace Rundlett's We Didn't Have to Meet Here (MS), a moving portrait of four strangers confronting the human stories behind the statistics; and Olivia Stanley's Under Wraps (TX), a lyrical piece in which a love ballad unravels into secrecy and loss. Each playwright brings a distinct voice and young perspective—united by a commitment to storytelling as a catalyst for change.

Prior to the performance, attendees are invited to a pre-show reception and resource fair featuring local partners Moms Demand Action, Ortega Park, and Youthwell, who will provide information on community programming and mental-health resources. Selected representatives will join a post-reading panel to discuss prevention strategies and local avenues for involvement.

"These are the stories our community needs to hear, and I believe teen voices are essential to understanding and addressing gun violence,” says ETC's Director of Education, Brian McDonald. “Their perspectives bring honesty and urgency that can inspire real change. With the inclusion of our local organizations tackling these issues, we hope to move audiences from empathy to action—sparking conversation and providing tangible pathways to prevention.”