The Eyaay Ahuun Foundation will present the new play, “Shuuluk Wechuwvi – Where Lightning Was Born,” at San Diego’s Spark Studio Soundstage with its first two performances on Saturday, Aug. 23.
The Kumeyaay play envisions revitalization of the Tijuana River Valley and Estuary, which suffers from rampant pollution and a sewage crisis. The Kumeyaay/Kumiai are the Indigenous people of present-day San Diego County and northern Baja.
Written by award-winning playwright Mabelle Reynoso, with production art and accompanying comic book illustrations by her sister Zulema Reynoso, and directed by Tori Rice. the project is part of the KNAPP-Tijuana and Otay River Valley revitalization effort and confronts decades of environmental degradation, economic disinvestment, and fractured planning in the region on both sides of the border.
The story is told not with despair, but with hope toward collective healing and ecological repair. Lucky, a disillusioned teen and passionate gamer, is guided on a transformative journey that explores his Kumeyaay heritage and his potential as an environmental activist. Learn more here.
“As daughters of the borderlands, we believe storytelling is one of our most powerful inheritances,” wrote Zulema and Mabelle Reynoso. “Through this project, we honor the Tijuana River Estuary—not just as a place, but as a living archive of resilience, culture, and community. Our stories preserve history, carry tradition, and remind us that our voices, joined together, shape the legacy we leave behind.”
The cast features Kumeyaay, Payómkawichum, and Yaqui actors. The project is part of the Kumeyaay Native Arts Pathway Program (KNAPP) and is presented and curated by the Eyaay Ahuun Foundation (Johnny Bear Contreras, (Founder) and Pilialoha Estall, (Executive Director)), and sponsored by the Prebys Foundation and Casa Familiar.
“The Eyaay Ahuun Foundation is very honored to present ‘Shuuluk Wechuvwi,’ “ said Johnny Bear Contreras. “It has been a long time coming! This production (the play together with the comic book) is the first of its kind for our Native people, and hopefully the beginning of many more.”
“The Kumeyaay/Kumiai are quintessential environmental stewards of this land,” said Pilialoha Estall, Executive Director of the Eyaay Ahuun Foundation and Coronado resident. “By connecting our cultural and environmental stewards with local leaders on both sides of the border, we can hopefully come up with more immediate solutions. It won’t be an easy fix. With over 65,000 people in Colonia San Bernardo and Los Laureles Canyon without sanitation infrastructure, the region’s sewage situation and land degradation will continue to worsen, before it gets better. Especially with increased storms, flooding and growing populations at the borderland.”
The first public performances will be held on August 23 at 1 and 5 pm at San Diego’s Spark Studio Soundstage, 8283 Ronson Road, San Diego, CA 92111. The event is free, space is limited, and reservations are required and available here.
After each of Saturday’s showings will be a panel discussion with local experts with Kumeyaay cultural practitioners and Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR) researchers.
