Kumu Kahua announces 2009-10 season (Jul09)

HONOLULU, HI In its 39th anniversary season, Kumu Kahua presents a provocative, wide-ranging collection of plays. With this outstanding season, our commitment to producing plays for and about Hawai`i continues to grow. Our two world-premieres range from a challenging look at Hawai‘i’s entrance to the union with The Statehood Project to a contemporary look at life through the eyes of one of Hawai‘i’s newest and most off the wall playwrights with House Lights & Prolonged Sunlight. Originally produced in Los Angeles by the East West Players, Voices From Okinawa will find resonance with local audiences and M?ui The Demigod deals with deep felt, native Hawaiian legends and is among our best loved shows of years gone by. The best-known title of the season is probably The Hilo Massacre, a popular teleplay on PBS that is being adapted for the stage for the first time by Kumu Kahua Theatre.

The season opens with The Statehood Project, conceived by Fat Ulu Productions & Kumu Kahua Theatre. In conjunction with Fat Ulu Productions, an organization dedicated to creating and strengthening communities through the literary arts (it recently produced a series of collaborative poetry performances), Kumu Kahua presents a collection of monologues, scenes and stories written by Hawaii playwrights, poets and storytellers. With the intention of presenting multiple perspectives on the issue of statehood in Hawaii – including political, historical and sociological – in early 2009 Kumu and Fat Ulu invited local writers to create short, personal expressions and reflections on any chosen aspect of statehood. These pieces were first read by the writers or actors to an audience, then revised by the writers and refined and organized by producers at Kumu. The result is a significant, and refreshingly different, addition to both the commercial promotion and journalistic reportage that has been celebrating Hawaii's 50th anniversary of statehood.
Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: August 21, 22, 27, 28, 29; September 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 2009
Sundays 2 pm: August 23, 30; September 6, 13, *20 , 2009
(Opening Friday, August 21, 2009 Statehood Day)

Voices from Okinawa
by Jon Shirota
Originally produced last year by the East West Players in Los Angeles, Voices From Okinawa tells the story of Kama Hutchins, an American of Okinawan ancestry who teaches English to local Okinawans. He eschews traditional ESL teaching methods to have his students relate personal stories to the class. As the tales are told, the attitudes of the young students toward the American soldiers stationed on the island, change. (For years, Okinawans have protested the U.S. presence, citing crime, rape and the destruction of Okinawan culture.) From his students, as well as from his shaman great-aunt, Kama learns a great about his own cultural heritage. The drama blends with comedy as Kama is compelled to defend his teaching methods to the school principal. The playwright's father left Okinawa in 1907, along with three brothers, and became a pineapple grower on Maui. The brothers eventually returned to Okinawa, but Shirota's family remained.
Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: November 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 27, 28; December 3, 4, 5, 2009
Sundays 2 pm: November 8, 15, 22, 29; December *6, 2009
(No show Thursday, November 26, because of Thanksgiving)

House Lights & Prolonged Sunlight
by Eric Yokomori
In a one-act play (House Lights) and six short plays under one title, (Prolonged Sunlight), playwright Yokomori explores the human condition via dramatic surrealism and theater of the absurd. Intense aberrant behavior is the norm as characters confront one another in strange situations. In one of the short plays, Joey tells Crystal that he possesses a magic rock into which he has placed all of his love, and no one can take it away from him. Crystal finds her own rock, and the battle begins. In another, an author attempts to convince a children's book publisher to buy his x-rated manuscript. In another, a bizarre cocaine deal goes bad. In House Lights, Saul Peacock, an actor whose credits are merely those of a perennial extra ("It's the hardest role to play, really. You never draw attention to yourself."), is invited to dinner at the dysfunctional Roget household and gives them all a lesson in the difference between illusion and reality.
Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: January 14, 15, 16, 19, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30; February 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 2010
Sundays 2 pm: January 17, 24, 31; February *14, 2010
(No show Sunday, February 7, because of the Superbowl)

M?ui the Demigod
adapted by Gary L. Balfantz with oli & hula created by Kahoa Malalis
A narrative theatre adaptation of Steven Goldsberry's M?ui the Demigod: An Epic Novel of Mythical Hawai`i, Balfantz's play was first produced by Kumu Kahua in 1991 and toured the islands in 1992. The play incorporates hula, chant and storytelling in bringing the many myths of M?ui to the stage – including his miraculous birth, prank-filled childhood, and heroic deeds of manhood such as slowing down the pace of the sun and pulling an island from the depths of the sea. Characters in the play include M?ui's older brothers Loke, Waena and Ki`i, his mother Hina, god of the ocean Kanaloa and the sun La. Many versions exist of the same stories because, as the Kupuna says, "M?ui was a great man. There were many who said he did things that he did not do. Many liars whom we cannot blame for their wonderful lies."
Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: March 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27; April 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 2010
Sundays 2 pm: March 21, 28; April 11, *18, 2010
(No show Sunday, April 4, because of Easter)

The Hilo Massacre
by Tremayne Tamayose for the Center for Labor Education & Research, University of Hawai‘i (now at West O‘ahu) for broadcast as part of the Center’s Rice & Roses series on Hawaii Public Televsion. On August 1, 1938, to express their solidarity with striking workers in Honolulu, more than 200 Big Island men and women belonging to different labor unions (including longshoremen, warehousemen, teamsters, garbage collectors, quarry workers and the ladies auxiliary) attempted peacefully to demonstrate against the arrival of a ship from Oahu. They were met by a force of over 70 police officers who tear-gassed, hosed and fired riot guns into the crowd. Fifty of the demonstrators were hospitalized. Based in part on research from labor historian William J. Puette's book The Hilo Massacre: Hawaii's Bloody Monday, Tremaine Tamayose's teleplay, originally produced for the PBS labor history series Rice and Roses, infuses historical events with personal stories of the workers, police and politicians. It is brought to the theatrical stage for the first time by Kumu Kahua Theatre.
Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: May 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29; June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 2010
Sundays 2 pm: May 23, 30; June 6, 13, *20, 2010

Kumu Kahua's 100-seat playhouse puts you at the heart of the drama. With well over 100 plays to its credit, KKT’s reputation attracts some of Hawaii's most talented actors, directors, playwrights, designers and theater artists and technicians. For more information about individual shows, or becoming a Season Subscriber, call 536-4222, or email: KumuKahuaTheatre@hawaiiantel.net.

Kumu Kahua productions are made possible with support from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, celebrating more than thirty years of culture and the arts in Hawai‘I, and the National Endowment for the Arts; The Annenberg Foundation; Paid for in part by the taxpayers of the City & County of Honolulu; the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, Mufi Hannemann, Mayor; and Foundations, Businesses and Patrons.

Questions? Email



	Kumu Kahua Theatre Announces Two World-Premieres, A Hawai‘I Premiere, A Popular Revival, And The Adaptation Of A Popular Teleplay, In Its 39th Anniversary Season. HONOLULU, HI In its 39th anniversary season, Kumu Kahua presents a provocative, wide-ranging collection of plays. With this outstanding season, our commitment to producing plays for and about Hawai`i continues to grow. Our two world-premieres range from a challenging look at Hawai‘i’s entrance to the union with The Statehood Project to a contemporary look at life through the eyes of one of Hawai‘i’s newest and most off the wall playwrights with House Lights & Prolonged Sunlight. Originally produced in Los Angeles by the East West Players, Voices From Okinawa will find resonance with local audiences and M?ui The Demigod deals with deep felt, native Hawaiian legends and is among our best loved shows of years gone by. The best-known title of the season is probably The Hilo Massacre, a popular teleplay on PBS that is being adapted for the stage for the first time by Kumu Kahua Theatre. The season opens with The Statehood Project, conceived by Fat Ulu Productions & Kumu Kahua Theatre. In conjunction with Fat Ulu Productions, an organization dedicated to creating and strengthening communities through the literary arts (it recently produced a series of collaborative poetry performances), Kumu Kahua presents a collection of monologues, scenes and stories written by Hawaii playwrights, poets and storytellers. With the intention of presenting multiple perspectives on the issue of statehood in Hawaii – including political, historical and sociological – in early 2009 Kumu and Fat Ulu invited local writers to create short, personal expressions and reflections on any chosen aspect of statehood. These pieces were first read by the writers or actors to an audience, then revised by the writers and refined and organized by producers at Kumu. The result is a significant, and refreshingly different, addition to both the commercial promotion and journalistic reportage that has been celebrating Hawaii's 50th anniversary of statehood. Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: August 21, 22, 27, 28, 29; September 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 2009 Sundays 2 pm: August 23, 30; September 6, 13, 20 , 2009 (Opening Friday, August 21, 2009 Statehood Day) Voices from Okinawa* by Jon Shirota Originally produced last year by the East West Players in Los Angeles, Voices From Okinawa tells the story of Kama Hutchins, an American of Okinawan ancestry who teaches English to local Okinawans. He eschews traditional ESL teaching methods to have his students relate personal stories to the class. As the tales are told, the attitudes of the young students toward the American soldiers stationed on the island, change. (For years, Okinawans have protested the U.S. presence, citing crime, rape and the destruction of Okinawan culture.) From his students, as well as from his shaman great-aunt, Kama learns a great about his own cultural heritage. The drama blends with comedy as Kama is compelled to defend his teaching methods to the school principal. The playwright's father left Okinawa in 1907, along with three brothers, and became a pineapple grower on Maui. The brothers eventually returned to Okinawa, but Shirota's family remained. Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: November 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 27, 28; December 3, 4, 5, 2009 Sundays 2 pm: November 8, 15, 22, 29; December 6, 2009 (No show Thursday, November 26, because of Thanksgiving) House Lights & Prolonged Sunlight* by Eric Yokomori In a one-act play (House Lights) and six short plays under one title, (Prolonged Sunlight), playwright Yokomori explores the human condition via dramatic surrealism and theater of the absurd. Intense aberrant behavior is the norm as characters confront one another in strange situations. In one of the short plays, Joey tells Crystal that he possesses a magic rock into which he has placed all of his love, and no one can take it away from him. Crystal finds her own rock, and the battle begins. In another, an author attempts to convince a children's book publisher to buy his x-rated manuscript. In another, a bizarre cocaine deal goes bad. In House Lights, Saul Peacock, an actor whose credits are merely those of a perennial extra ("It's the hardest role to play, really. You never draw attention to yourself."), is invited to dinner at the dysfunctional Roget household and gives them all a lesson in the difference between illusion and reality. Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: January 14, 15, 16, 19, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30; February 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 2010 Sundays 2 pm: January 17, 24, 31; February 14, 2010 (No show Sunday, February 7, because of the Superbowl) M?ui the Demigod* adapted by Gary L. Balfantz with oli & hula created by Kahoa Malalis A narrative theatre adaptation of Steven Goldsberry's M?ui the Demigod: An Epic Novel of Mythical Hawai`i, Balfantz's play was first produced by Kumu Kahua in 1991 and toured the islands in 1992. The play incorporates hula, chant and storytelling in bringing the many myths of M?ui to the stage – including his miraculous birth, prank-filled childhood, and heroic deeds of manhood such as slowing down the pace of the sun and pulling an island from the depths of the sea. Characters in the play include M?ui's older brothers Loke, Waena and Ki`i, his mother Hina, god of the ocean Kanaloa and the sun La. Many versions exist of the same stories because, as the Kupuna says, "M?ui was a great man. There were many who said he did things that he did not do. Many liars whom we cannot blame for their wonderful lies." Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: March 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27; April 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 2010 Sundays 2 pm: March 21, 28; April 11, 18, 2010 (No show Sunday, April 4, because of Easter) The Hilo Massacre* by Tremayne Tamayose for the Center for Labor Education & Research, University of Hawai‘i (now at West O‘ahu) for broadcast as part of the Center’s Rice & Roses series on Hawaii Public Televsion. On August 1, 1938, to express their solidarity with striking workers in Honolulu, more than 200 Big Island men and women belonging to different labor unions (including longshoremen, warehousemen, teamsters, garbage collectors, quarry workers and the ladies auxiliary) attempted peacefully to demonstrate against the arrival of a ship from Oahu. They were met by a force of over 70 police officers who tear-gassed, hosed and fired riot guns into the crowd. Fifty of the demonstrators were hospitalized. Based in part on research from labor historian William J. Puette's book The Hilo Massacre: Hawaii's Bloody Monday, Tremaine Tamayose's teleplay, originally produced for the PBS labor history series Rice and Roses, infuses historical events with personal stories of the workers, police and politicians. It is brought to the theatrical stage for the first time by Kumu Kahua Theatre. Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: May 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29; June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 2010 Sundays 2 pm: May 23, 30; June 6, 13, 20, 2010 American Sign Language Interpretation upon request Kumu Kahua's 100-seat playhouse puts you at the heart of the drama. With well over 100 plays to its credit, KKT’s reputation attracts some of Hawaii's most talented actors, directors, playwrights, designers and theater artists and technicians. For more information about individual shows, or becoming a Season Subscriber, call 536-4222, or email: KumuKahuaTheatre@hawaiiantel.net. Kumu Kahua productions are made possible with support from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, celebrating more than thirty years of culture and the arts in Hawai‘I, and the National Endowment for the Arts; The Annenberg Foundation; Paid for in part by the taxpayers of the City & County of Honolulu; the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, Mufi Hannemann, Mayor; and Foundations, Businesses and Patrons. Home \| News \| Calendar \| Directory \| Plays \| Library/Storefront \| Timeline Copyright 2009, Roger W. Tang Questions? Email

Kumu Kahua Theatre Announces Two World-Premieres, A Hawai‘I Premiere, A Popular Revival, And The Adaptation Of A Popular Teleplay, In Its 39th Anniversary Season.