The caw of birds, and whirr of helicopters at the mouth of the Tijuana River set the real-life scene for the Kumeyaay play, Shuuluk Wechuwvi: Where Lightning Was Born.
“It tells the story of Lucky who is a 17-year-old, disillusioned gamer who goes to help his uncle out on a special project,” said playwright Mabelle Reynoso. “So with his uncle, with a scientist and with the character of water he starts to recognize his connection to the land, to his culture and stepping into his power as an activist.”
The new production builds off another play she wrote, “Somos Aire,” about air pollution in San Ysidro.
“I was born in Tijuana. So I am a daughter of the borderland. I've been crossing the border my whole life. So this area is sacred to me," Reynoso said.
It’s sacred to others, too.
Johnny Bear Contreras is an artist and cultural advisor for the new play. It tells the Kumeyaay creation story, he said.
“The Coronado islands is where the actual creation story begins,” said Contreras, a member of the San Pasqual Band of the Kumeyaay Nation
The new play is the first of its kind for the Kumeyaay Nation, he said.
“(It’s the) first time there's a Kumeyaay play I know of with Kumeyaay actors, Kumeyaay influence, Kumeyay custom and tradition,” Contreras said.
The Tijuana River Valley is in the center of it all.
“It moves from the Coronado Islands onto the shore and up in through the mountains and through the estuary and through the waterways,” he said.
Contreras said waterways play a significant role in all Kumeyaay storytelling.
“Especially in creation. Because (in the Kumeyaay language) creator is ‘'Emaay 'Ehaa’, water is ‘'Ehaa’. So when you call the creator you say “Emaay 'Ehaa Um Pow’, to be here,” he said.
After the performances on Saturday afternoon, there will be panel discussions about the Tijuana River Valley’s special environment.
“It's completely engulfed in a heavy urbanized area, it has influxes of wastewater, trash,” said environmental engineer Oscar Romo.
He’s speaking on the panels and has worked to restore the river valley for decades.
“All this was a dump site. Full of tires, mattresses, furniture, people driving four wheelers all over the place — it was bad. And this is the result of 40 years of care and love and passion,” Romo said.
The Tijuana River Valley is the kidney and lungs of San Diego, he said, but it’s suffering from rampant pollution and a sewage crisis.
Romo hopes the play inspires people to preserve the binational area for future generations.
“Fisheries depend on the estuaries, migratory birds depend on estuaries and we also depend on the quality of life we enjoy by having this space,” he said.
The play is a story for all, playwright Reynoso said.
“I think it's a universal story because it's about activism. It's about what power do we have as individuals and what power do we have when we recognize our connection to nature,” she said.
Shuuluk Wechuwvi: Where Lightning Was Born runs Saturday, Aug. 23 at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at San Diego’s Spark Studio Soundstage in Kearny Mesa.
The event is free and space is limited. Reservations are required.
