Kumu Kahua presents THE SONGMAKER'S CHAIR

HONOLULU, HI In the words of Albert Wendt, its playwright, The Songmaker’s Chair introduces audiences to “the lives of those courageous migrant families who have made Auckland and Aotearoa their home.” This story of conflict, continuity, and change in three generations of an extended Samoan family will play at Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant Street, downtown Honolulu. It opens March 16 and runs through April 15.

Kumu Kahua Theatre is an air-conditioned, intimate 100-seat performance space; to avoid disappointment, patrons should purchase tickets in advance. Performances are at 8pm Thursday through Saturday, and at 2pm on Sunday afternoons. Tickets can be purchased with a credit card by calling 536-4441, or by visiting our Box Office between 11am and 3pm Monday through Friday. Ticket prices range from $16 to $5. Tickets go on sale Monday, February 27. For more information about this and other productions, visit www.kumukahua.org.

An international award-winning Samoan novelist, poet, and educator, Wendt is one of the best-known writers in the South Pacific. Among his major works is the novel Leaves of the Banyan Tree, considered a modern classic work of Pacific literature. Born in Apia of mixed German and Polynesian ancestry, Wendt was visiting Professor of Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa in 1999 and is serving this year as the U.H. Citizen’s Chair. The world premiere of The Songmaker's Chair played to sold-out audiences in 2003 at the Maidment Theatre in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand).

Kumu Kahua Theatre co-founder Dennis Carroll will direct the play. The production team includes set design by Dan Gelbmann and light design by Melissa Steinbach. The cast features Kumu veterans Wil T.K. Kahele and Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl. Talavou Avegalio, Vailofa E.K. Samifua, Fata Simanu-Klutz, Jacky Tofa-Marques, Fa’i Silipa Jr., Hina Puamohala Kneubuhl, Sami L.A. Akuna and Gilbert Molina will make their Kumu debut with The Songmaker’s Chair.

Kumu Kahua productions are being supported by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts celebrating more than thirty years of culture and the arts in Hawai‘i (with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts); the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, Mufi Hannemann, Mayor; The Hawai‘i Community Foundation; The Hawai‘i Council of the Humanities; and Foundations, Businesses and Patrons.

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	KUMU KAHUA THEATRE PRESENTS THE FIRST PLAY BY ONE OF THE PACIFIC’S FOREMOST WRITERS, THE SONGMAKER’S CHAIR HONOLULU, HI In the words of Albert Wendt, its playwright, The Songmaker’s Chair introduces audiences to “the lives of those courageous migrant families who have made Auckland and Aotearoa their home.” This story of conflict, continuity, and change in three generations of an extended Samoan family will play at Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant Street, downtown Honolulu. It opens March 16 and runs through April 15. Kumu Kahua Theatre is an air-conditioned, intimate 100-seat performance space; to avoid disappointment, patrons should purchase tickets in advance. Performances are at 8pm Thursday through Saturday, and at 2pm on Sunday afternoons. Tickets can be purchased with a credit card by calling 536-4441, or by visiting our Box Office between 11am and 3pm Monday through Friday. Ticket prices range from $16 to $5. Tickets go on sale Monday, February 27. For more information about this and other productions, visit www.kumukahua.org. An international award-winning Samoan novelist, poet, and educator, Wendt is one of the best-known writers in the South Pacific. Among his major works is the novel Leaves of the Banyan Tree, considered a modern classic work of Pacific literature. Born in Apia of mixed German and Polynesian ancestry, Wendt was visiting Professor of Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa in 1999 and is serving this year as the U.H. Citizen’s Chair. The world premiere of The Songmaker's Chair played to sold-out audiences in 2003 at the Maidment Theatre in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Kumu Kahua Theatre co-founder Dennis Carroll will direct the play. The production team includes set design by Dan Gelbmann and light design by Melissa Steinbach. The cast features Kumu veterans Wil T.K. Kahele and Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl. Talavou Avegalio, Vailofa E.K. Samifua, Fata Simanu-Klutz, Jacky Tofa-Marques, Fa’i Silipa Jr., Hina Puamohala Kneubuhl, Sami L.A. Akuna and Gilbert Molina will make their Kumu debut with The Songmaker’s Chair. Kumu Kahua productions are being supported by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts celebrating more than thirty years of culture and the arts in Hawai‘i (with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts); the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, Mufi Hannemann, Mayor; The Hawai‘i Community Foundation; The Hawai‘i Council of the Humanities; and Foundations, Businesses and Patrons. Home \| News \| Calendar \| Directory \| Library \| Plays Copyright 2006, Roger W. Tang Questions? Email

KUMU KAHUA THEATRE PRESENTS THE FIRST PLAY BY ONE OF THE PACIFIC’S FOREMOST WRITERS, THE SONGMAKER’S CHAIR