Bushfire risk perception may be influenced by the private land tenure system characteristic of Western societies. The majority of social research in on bushfire in these societies has involved participants are white, older, middle-aged property owners, which has implications for scholarly research. In particular, the voices of those who live in rental properties have rarely been heard in the context of bushfire research. This paper reports on research with diverse renters in nipaluna/Hobart, Australia’s most bushfire-prone capital city. In order to hear these voices on their own terms, an arts-based method was used in collaboration with Hobart Playback Theatre, an improvisational theatre company. This performative storytelling method is used to produce and examine the ways in which people talk about bushfires and how they think about their "homes" and communities. The paper demonstrates how experimental methods may provide an alternative to conventional research methods and engage with difficult-to-research segments of society. Through the use of a creative method, this study reflects on both discursive and material findings from Embers of imagination workshops.