WILD FIRE is a community oral history and theatre project based on real stories of living with wildfire in Colorado. Launched in January 2021, the project focuses on the 2020 East Troublesome Fire and surrounding communities of Grand Lake and Estes Park.
The project was created by playwright Jessica Kahkoska in partnership with the Denver Center for Performing Arts and with the support of History Colorado’s Museum of Memory Initiative. Inspired by oral histories she collected, Kahkoska developed a theatrical concert for the Summer of 2021 that explores the impact of 2020's wildfire season.
The stories, histories, and experiences shared for this process are part of a theatre project and preserved through History Colorado’s Museum of Memory Initiative. The project aims to raise awareness and support for those affected by wildfires in Colorado. Museum of Memory is a public history initiative that works together with Colorado residents to co-author a shared history and create the opportunity for the community to decide how to remember its collective past.