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SELECTED PROJECTS
SHUULUK WECHUWVI: WHERE LIGHTNING WAS BORN
Shuuluk Wechuwvi: Where Lightning Was Born follows Lucky, a disillusioned teen and gamer, as he’s drawn away from virtual worlds and into a journey of cultural awakening and environmental responsibility. Guided by his uncle and the spirit of Water, Lucky reconnects with his Kumeyaay roots, discovers the power of his voice, and transforms into Shuuluk—“Lightning”—a force for change.
LA LLORONA ON THE BLUE LINE
La Llorona on the Blue Line is an immersive play that interweaves multiple historical timelines aboard San Diego’s Blue Line trolley, haunted by La Llorona—a spectral embodiment of maternal grief, injustice, and memory.
Set in light rail train cars from 1920, 1946, and 1982, each era unfolds as a chilling vignette, revealing hidden truths and long-buried pain as La Llorona traverses time and space. Through ghostly encounters and eerie reckonings, this immersive play invites audiences to board different train cars, experiencing how the past lingers in unexpected ways. Here, the Blue Line becomes a liminal space where truth surfaces and spirits seek justice to wonder if La Llorona is not a monster but a mirror—asking who the real monsters are, and reminding us that memory cannot be shackled.
Commissioned by TuYo Theatre. Premiered at the National City Train Depot in National City, California.
Nominated for a 2025 Craig Noel Award for Outstanding New Play
Set in light rail train cars from 1920, 1946, and 1982, each era unfolds as a chilling vignette, revealing hidden truths and long-buried pain as La Llorona traverses time and space. Through ghostly encounters and eerie reckonings, this immersive play invites audiences to board different train cars, experiencing how the past lingers in unexpected ways. Here, the Blue Line becomes a liminal space where truth surfaces and spirits seek justice to wonder if La Llorona is not a monster but a mirror—asking who the real monsters are, and reminding us that memory cannot be shackled.
Commissioned by TuYo Theatre. Premiered at the National City Train Depot in National City, California.
Nominated for a 2025 Craig Noel Award for Outstanding New Play
BLUE MARIGOLD
Sammy Flores is just trying to survive her new home, new school, and a mom who doesn’t seem to understand her. When she discovers her secret superpower from Mictlan (Land of the Dead), everything changes.
"Blue Marigold" was commissioned by Northwest Children's Theatre in Portland, Oregon as part of the TYA BIPOC Superhero Project, an initiative dedicated to promoting and celebrating the work of TYA playwrights across the United States. The project is a reminder that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes.
Artwork by Terry Blas
"Blue Marigold" was commissioned by Northwest Children's Theatre in Portland, Oregon as part of the TYA BIPOC Superhero Project, an initiative dedicated to promoting and celebrating the work of TYA playwrights across the United States. The project is a reminder that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes.
Artwork by Terry Blas
SOMOS AIRE
In this borderlands steampunk fairytale, a young woman returns to her hometown of San Ysidro in search of a cure that will save her sister and her community. Exploring issues of environmental justice and air quality, “Somos Aire” is a play about history, homecoming, and hope.
And now there's an accompanying comic book!!!
And now there's an accompanying comic book!!!
REMEMBER THAT TIME
Part reality, part fantastical journey, "Remember That Time" follows 11-year-old Carol as she wonders, “Can we be a family if we can't be together?" By creating make-believe memories with her father who is serving a life sentence, Carol tests the power of storytelling in this play about hope, imagination, and art.
"Remember That Time" was first performed for public as a virtual staged reading during the 2021 Latinx New Play Festival. It was later workshopped at a California state prison where the residents performed all the roles and then provided notes and feedback for the script. In addition, the residents, as well as other individuals who have experienced incarceration, have served as advisors throughout the development of this play. "Remember That Time" was performed for the public and in correctional facilities in 2023 and 2024.
"Remember That Time" was first performed for public as a virtual staged reading during the 2021 Latinx New Play Festival. It was later workshopped at a California state prison where the residents performed all the roles and then provided notes and feedback for the script. In addition, the residents, as well as other individuals who have experienced incarceration, have served as advisors throughout the development of this play. "Remember That Time" was performed for the public and in correctional facilities in 2023 and 2024.
THE SECRET GARDEN
Commissioned by Olympia Family Theatre, 2022
This modernized reimagining of the Frances Hodgson Burnett novel tells the story of Mary, an orphaned Latinx punk rock girl from L.A. who is taken in by her uncle in the Pacific Northwest. Reluctant to adjust to her new environment, Mary eventually discovers a secret garden where flowers, friendships, and her own spirit begins to bloom.
This modernized reimagining of the Frances Hodgson Burnett novel tells the story of Mary, an orphaned Latinx punk rock girl from L.A. who is taken in by her uncle in the Pacific Northwest. Reluctant to adjust to her new environment, Mary eventually discovers a secret garden where flowers, friendships, and her own spirit begins to bloom.
¡LOTERÍA: GAME ON!
2021 ReImagine Grantee
One rainy night, siblings Sam and Kris are completely consumed by their devices as their father sets up a pillow fort and invites them to play Lotería. His invitation is met with a resounding “NO.” When the internet goes out, Sam and Kris are outraged, but it's only the beginning of family game night gone awry.
One rainy night, siblings Sam and Kris are completely consumed by their devices as their father sets up a pillow fort and invites them to play Lotería. His invitation is met with a resounding “NO.” When the internet goes out, Sam and Kris are outraged, but it's only the beginning of family game night gone awry.
PASTORELA 2.0
Commissioned by TuYo Theatre, this play tells the story of Mercado Nochebuena, a grocery store that has been putting on a community pastorela for over three decades. But times are changing. Will the people and pastorela adapt or fold under new pressure? Complete with an epic battle between Good and Evil, this is a modernized re-telling of the classic holiday pastorela.
SEÑORITA MARIPOSA
Commissioned by Stages Theatre and based on the book by Ben Gundersheimer, this world premiere was written by Ben and Mabelle and chronicles the journey a monarch butterfly as she makes her way to the oyamel forest in Mexico.
OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS
Commissioned by Playwrights Project in partnership with SAY San Diego and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California, this play explores what happens when four teenagers become entangled with meth. This fictional story was created inspired by numerous interviews with San Diegans impacted by addiction.
TU PUEDES MIJA
One of the few women muralists in historic Chicano Park, Berenice Badillo chronicles her journey to restore the mural she painted over twenty years ago, while working through her recent breast cancer diagnosis.
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