KUMU KAHUA THEATRE OPENS ITS 34TH SEASON WITH THE TERRITORIAL PLAYS:

Cane Fire by Kathryn Bond;
Reunion by Lisa Toishigawa Inouye;
In the Alley by Edward Sakamoto

Three short plays originally produced in the 30s, 40s and 60s take Kumu audiences back for a look at plantation workers, World War II veterans, and disaffected local youth of early statehood days in Hawai'i. The Territorial Plays will be shown at Kumu Kahua Theatre at 46 Merchant Street, from September 2 through October 3.

Kumu Kahua Theatre is an air-conditioned, intimate 100 seat performance space; to avoid disappointment, patrons should purchase tickets in advance. 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 August 16.

Cane Fire tells the story of a Scots plantation manager whose attempts to place blame for a canfield fire reveal the political machinations and racial attitudes of Hawai'i in 1930. Kumu Kahua's production is the play's world premiere. Reunion comically portrays the predicament of veterans who still have not found themselves after a year at home. First produced in 1947, it was praised for its affectionate reflection of familiar realities as well as its use of pidgin dialogue. In the Alley, an early work by Edward Sakamoto, whose comedies and dramas have been regularly produced by Kumu Kahua, is a classic dramatization of the dynamics of racial conflict in Hawai'i. It was originally produced by the UH Theatre group at Farrington Hall in 1961, and revived by Kumu Kahua at Kennedy Lab Theatre in 1974.

Kumu Kahua Theatre Artistic Director Harry Wong will direct the play. The production team includes setting by Dan Gelbmann, lighting by Gerry Kawaoka, costumes by Monica and Squire Coldwell. The cast features Kumu veterans Wil Kahele, Chance Gusukuma, Stuart Hirayama M.J. Gonzalvo, Mike Proffet, Siobhan Edmondson, Max Smart, and new commers Daniel Kunkel, Tracy Tayama, Shiro Kawai, Daniel Kalahele, and Salli Morita.

Kumu Kahua productions are being supported by the State Foundation on Culture & the Arts celebrating more than thirty years of culture & the arts in Hawai'i; the Mayor's Office of Culture & Arts, Jeremy Harris, Mayor; The Hawai'i Community Foundation; foundations, businesses & patrons.