Additional photos with credits can be found here.
New Cuyama, Calif. — Blue Sky Center will host REC HALLIPALOOZA: A RESILIENT CUYAMA DRAMA in NEW CUYAMA, CA on Saturday May 16th, 2026. This original outdoor performance about the rural Cuyama Valley (population 1,100) will take place at three locations in Richardson Park, concluding with a celebration at the Cuyama Valley Recreation Hall. The interactive show will move from space to space and feature local history and stories, skateboarders, a Mexican Danza Folklorica, a lawnmower ballet, and a soccer field of dreams. This is a collaboration between Blue Sky Center, Cuyama Valley Recreation District and artists with PlaceBase Productions as part of the Arts in California Parks program that awards grant funds to local nonprofit, community, and tribal organizations to bring music, dance, storytelling, art, and cultural programs into parks, to create vibrant spaces that foster creativity, honor cultural heritage, and strengthen community connections.
- WHO: Artists ASH HANSON and ALEX BARRETO HATHAWAY, PlaceBase Productions,
with over 30 local artists and community performers - WHAT: REC HALLIPALOOZA: A RESILIENT CUYAMA DRAMA PERFORMANCE
- WHERE: RICHARDSON PARK, NEW CUYAMA, CA 93254
- WHEN: SATURDAY MAY 16, 2026 FROM 11 AM to 1:30 PM
Interested media, please RSVP to liz@blueskycenter.org, by phone 661-413-3005
Cuyama’s April 2026 Skate Jam Workshop: a participant attempts a skate trick, Photo by Noé Montes
“Our partnership with Blue Sky Center and the artists with PlaceBase Productions for this free drama program through the Arts in California Parks grant has energized our rural community around using our Rec Hall, our skate park, and other park sites in Cuyama,” said Melanie Shaw, Cuyama Valley Recreation District Director. “Kids have gained confidence in performing and skateboarding, and we’re excited to see our community get outside for the May 16th performance.”
Blue Sky Center and partners received a grant from Arts in California Parks for Resilient Cuyama Drama, a free year-long community theater program, hosted on park sites managed by Cuyama Valley Recreation District. Rehearsals began in the fall of 2025 for the holiday-themed Cuyama Holidrama, performed in December of 2025.
Throughout 2025 and 2026, artists Ash Hanson and Alex Barreto Hathaway of PlaceBase Productions have worked with local Cuyama youth, adults, and elders as paid artists and community co-creators to write, direct, and perform this theater production about the hopes and dreams and resilience of their rural community. In March the artists hosted two Skate Jam workshops at Cuyama’s Skate Park to teach skateboarding skills to youth. As many people in Cuyama don’t have skateboards, the workshops were supported by a donation of skateboards from Arbor Collective through local resident and CEO Bob Carlson. Carpinteria Skate Foundation donated skateboards, helmets and pads.
Arbor skateboards will be available to check out through Cuyama’s Rec District. The Resilient Cuyama Drama project will also create shade and seating improvements for Cuyama Rec District park sites for the performance and to benefit the community. Through the grant, the process will be captured with a short-form video by photographer/videographer Liam Pickhardt.
Artist Alex Barreto Hathaway teaches a first-time skateboarder (right). Photos by Noé Montes
This creative project builds on the artists’ long-standing relationships working with the rural Cuyama Valley. Ash Hanson, based in Moab, Utah, and Alex Barreto Hathaway, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, previously worked with the community to create the Celebrate Agua parade in 2025, Cuyama Drama in 2024, and the community-wide play Superbloom in 2022.
Through this grant, Blue Sky Center joined Arts in California Parks, a partnership between California State Parks, the California Arts Council, and Parks California to support artists, culture bearers, California Native American tribes, and local groups in creating art and cultural experiences in outdoor spaces.
Learn more about the funded projects at ArtsInCaliforniaParks.org/Projects-Map.
Cuyama’s April 2026 Skate Jam Workshop: a participant attempts a skate trick, Photo by Noé Montes
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About Blue Sky Center
Blue Sky Center is a Santa Barbara County 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the rural communities of Cuyama Valley by supporting entrepreneurs and building regional creative and economic resources. The organization is focused on building models for resilient, thriving, and inclusive rural economies in the Cuyama Valley. As a place-based organization, its team prioritizes projects and collaborations that celebrate the abundance of Cuyama. www.blueskycenter.org
About Arts in California Parks
Arts in California Parks aligns with statewide initiatives including Governor Gavin Newsom’s Outdoor Access for All, the California Natural Resources Agency’s Outdoors for All and California State Parks’ Reexamining Our Past Initiative. The program supports artists, culture bearers, California Native American tribes, and communities in creating art, installations, and cultural programming in state and local parks as catalysts for sustainable community connection, health, and well-being. Initiated by a one-time general fund allocation that extends through 2027, the program is a partnership between California State Parks, the California Arts Council and Parks California. artsincaliforniaparks.org
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