Hawaii's Kumu Kahua announces 40th season (Aug10)

HONOLULU, HI It’s been 40 years. So, opening its 40th anniversary season, Kumu Kahua Theatre presents a provocative world premiere play by Dennis Carroll, a founding member of Kumu Kahua.

Our 40th season of shows will consist of five world premieres, including three plays commissioned especially for our 40th anniversary, by five of our best-known playwrights: Dennis Carroll, Lee Cataluna, Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, Edward Sakamoto and Lee A. Tonouchi, who collectively have written the biggest hits Kumu Kahua has ever had!

With this outstanding season, our commitment to producing plays for and about Hawai‘i continues.

Ghosts in the Plague Year
By Dennis Carroll; based on a story by Dennis Carroll and Bob Okazako
Chinatown, 1900: In a seedy brothel, men from all walks of life gather to enjoy opium, drinks and the company of women. Outside, the bubonic plague has begun to spread, and the government will do anything to stop it. Dennis Carroll, a founding member of Kumu Kahua and the author of Way of a God and Age Sex Location, unleashes a brutal and sensual new play that brings to life a dark chapter in Hawai‘i’s history. This play contains adult language and content.
August 26 - September *26, 2010

The Great Kaua‘i Train Robbery
A Kumu Kahua commission by Lee Cataluna
Kaua‘i, 1920: At a time when plantations used railways to transport workers’ pay, the stage was set for one of Hawai‘i’s most unusual robberies. This is the story of Hali, a man who will do anything to protect his beloved family—even if it means becoming a suspect in the crime. From the author of the smash hits Folks You Meet in Longs and Da Mayah comes this tender and moving drama, inspired by a true story, about how far we go for the people we love.
October 28 - November *28, 2010
(No Show Thursday, November 25th, because of Thanksgiving)

Da Kine Space
A Kumu Kahua commission by Lee A. Tonouchi
Gen X and Gen Y collide, local style! Meet Ry, a failed artist frustrated by his life and relationships, and Cader, a wannabe filmmaker with some odd ideas about art. As Ry and Cader confront the creative process, pop culture, the generation gap and more, the theatre transforms into a living art gallery. Lee A. Tonouchi, the author of Living Pidgin and Gone Feeshing, brings his sharply-honed pidgin and offbeat sense of humor to this wry study of art and life in contemporary Hawai‘i. This play contains adult language and content.
January 13 - February *13, 2011
(No Show February 6th, because of the Suberbowl)

The Holiday of Rain
A Kumu Kahua commission by Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl
At the Sadie Thompson Inn in Samoa, guests can take part in an unusual experience: a reenactment of W. Somerset Maugham’s 1921 short story “Rain.” But thanks to a magician’s time warp, the real Maugham finds himself on the guest list. Swirling together fantasy, history, humor and drama, Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, winner of the Hawai‘i Award for Literature and the author of The Conversion of Ka‘ahumanu and Ola N? Iwi, deconstructs one of the world’s most popular writers.
March 24 - April *23, 2011
(No Show April 24th, because of Easter)

It’s All Relative
By Edward Sakamoto
The Miyamotos look like a happy family, but in Edward Sakamoto’s dark comedy, nothing is what it seems. Beneath the surface you’ll find a collapsing marriage, resentment, regret, midlife crises, and three daughters who’ll do anything for their parents’ attention. One of our most popular playwrights and the author of Aloha Las Vegas and Stew Rice unveils a fresh, funny and challenging portrait of a local family adrift in the modern world.
May 26 - June *26, 2011

Kumu Kahua has a special place in Hawaii's theatre world as it seeks to perpetuate and develop Hawaii's distinct cultural legacy through dramatic arts. It strives to nurture local playwrights and to consistently offer performers local roles. Kumu Kahua is the only theatre that produces plays exclusively about Hawaii and plays specifically relevant to Hawaii's diverse cultures and peoples.

Kumu Kahua Theatre, whose name means Original Stage or Original Platform in the Hawaiian language, began its history with a 1971-1972 season producing original plays at the Kennedy Laboratory Theatre at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. It became a fully independent entity with its own incorporation and 501(c)(3) status in 1991.

For many years the theatre performed in various performance spaces in the Honolulu area. In the 1993-1994 season the State of Hawai‘i completed the remodeling of a space for the organization to rent in the historic Kamehameha V Post Office building in downtown Honolulu. The theatre space is a black box house with flexible risers and seating. This intimate playing house can accommodate between 100 to 120 people. Over the years the theatre has received a great deal of support from local foundations, corporations and individuals in the community. Beginning in 1981 the theatre has received regular biennium grants from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

Kumu Kahua very early developed the mission to produce plays that were written by local playwrights, to give a platform that presented plays with direct relevance to the people of Hawai‘i, many in local pidgin, the Creole language of Hawai‘i. Over the years Kumu Kahua Theatre has produced plays that reflect the community in which it exists. Hawai‘i is a land peopled by a multi-ethnic population with a rich historical and cultural legacy. We have produced plays, both historical and contemporary, on issues concerning the native Hawaiian people, as well as plays that reflect the Asian influenced heritage of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino cultures, etc.

Each year Kumu Kahua Theatre produces five plays in its performance space; conducts developmental workshops of three plays that are presented in play readings; and conducts an educational program for the community in the summer and winter, where acting and playwriting are emphasized. The theatre commissions plays, gives them a workshopped reading, and brings them to production.

Kumu Kahua has toured shows to places as diverse and far away as Edinburgh, Scotland; Manila in the Philippines; Samoa; as well as Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.

We actively seek to make our theatre available to the broad population of Hawai‘i by keeping our ticket prices down so we can reach most sectors of the community. Of all the established theatres in our community Kumu Kahua offers, by far the lowest ticket prices for its performances. We serve a broad range of ages from students at the high school and university levels to seniors in the community.

For more information on Kumu Kahua Theatre please contact:
Scott Rogers
Managing Director
Kumu Kahua Theatre
46 Merchant Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Email: KumuKahuaTheatre@hawaiiantel.net or visit www.KumuKahua.org
For more information about individual shows, or becoming a Season Subscriber, call 536-4222, or email: KumuKahuaTheatre@hawaiiantel.net.

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 Annenberg Foundation; the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, Mufi Hannemann, Mayor; paid for in part by the taxpayers of the City & County of Honolulu, the Hawai’i State Legislature, and Foundations, Businesses and Patrons.

Questions? Email



	Kumu Kahua Theatre Announces Its 40th Anniversary Season! HONOLULU, HI It’s been 40 years. So, opening its 40th anniversary season, Kumu Kahua Theatre presents a provocative world premiere play by Dennis Carroll, a founding member of Kumu Kahua. Our 40th season of shows will consist of five world premieres, including three plays commissioned especially for our 40th anniversary, by five of our best-known playwrights: Dennis Carroll, Lee Cataluna, Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, Edward Sakamoto and Lee A. Tonouchi, who collectively have written the biggest hits Kumu Kahua has ever had! With this outstanding season, our commitment to producing plays for and about Hawai‘i continues. Ghosts in the Plague Year By Dennis Carroll; based on a story by Dennis Carroll and Bob Okazako Chinatown, 1900: In a seedy brothel, men from all walks of life gather to enjoy opium, drinks and the company of women. Outside, the bubonic plague has begun to spread, and the government will do anything to stop it. Dennis Carroll, a founding member of Kumu Kahua and the author of Way of a God and Age Sex Location, unleashes a brutal and sensual new play that brings to life a dark chapter in Hawai‘i’s history. This play contains adult language and content. *August 26 - September 26, 2010 The Great Kaua‘i Train Robbery** A Kumu Kahua commission by Lee Cataluna Kaua‘i, 1920: At a time when plantations used railways to transport workers’ pay, the stage was set for one of Hawai‘i’s most unusual robberies. This is the story of Hali, a man who will do anything to protect his beloved family—even if it means becoming a suspect in the crime. From the author of the smash hits Folks You Meet in Longs and Da Mayah comes this tender and moving drama, inspired by a true story, about how far we go for the people we love. October 28 - November 28, 2010 (No Show Thursday, November 25th, because of Thanksgiving) Da Kine Space* A Kumu Kahua commission by Lee A. Tonouchi Gen X and Gen Y collide, local style! Meet Ry, a failed artist frustrated by his life and relationships, and Cader, a wannabe filmmaker with some odd ideas about art. As Ry and Cader confront the creative process, pop culture, the generation gap and more, the theatre transforms into a living art gallery. Lee A. Tonouchi, the author of Living Pidgin and Gone Feeshing, brings his sharply-honed pidgin and offbeat sense of humor to this wry study of art and life in contemporary Hawai‘i. This play contains adult language and content. January 13 - February 13, 2011 (No Show February 6th, because of the Suberbowl) The Holiday of Rain* A Kumu Kahua commission by Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl At the Sadie Thompson Inn in Samoa, guests can take part in an unusual experience: a reenactment of W. Somerset Maugham’s 1921 short story “Rain.” But thanks to a magician’s time warp, the real Maugham finds himself on the guest list. Swirling together fantasy, history, humor and drama, Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, winner of the Hawai‘i Award for Literature and the author of The Conversion of Ka‘ahumanu and Ola N? Iwi, deconstructs one of the world’s most popular writers. March 24 - April 23, 2011 (No Show April 24th, because of Easter) It’s All Relative* By Edward Sakamoto The Miyamotos look like a happy family, but in Edward Sakamoto’s dark comedy, nothing is what it seems. Beneath the surface you’ll find a collapsing marriage, resentment, regret, midlife crises, and three daughters who’ll do anything for their parents’ attention. One of our most popular playwrights and the author of Aloha Las Vegas and Stew Rice unveils a fresh, funny and challenging portrait of a local family adrift in the modern world. May 26 - June 26, 2011 American Sign Language Interpretation Available Upon Request Kumu Kahua Theatre: History Kumu Kahua has a special place in Hawaii's theatre world as it seeks to perpetuate and develop Hawaii's distinct cultural legacy through dramatic arts. It strives to nurture local playwrights and to consistently offer performers local roles. Kumu Kahua is the only theatre that produces plays exclusively about Hawaii and plays specifically relevant to Hawaii's diverse cultures and peoples. Kumu Kahua Theatre, whose name means Original Stage or Original Platform in the Hawaiian language, began its history with a 1971-1972 season producing original plays at the Kennedy Laboratory Theatre at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. It became a fully independent entity with its own incorporation and 501(c)(3) status in 1991. For many years the theatre performed in various performance spaces in the Honolulu area. In the 1993-1994 season the State of Hawai‘i completed the remodeling of a space for the organization to rent in the historic Kamehameha V Post Office building in downtown Honolulu. The theatre space is a black box house with flexible risers and seating. This intimate playing house can accommodate between 100 to 120 people. Over the years the theatre has received a great deal of support from local foundations, corporations and individuals in the community. Beginning in 1981 the theatre has received regular biennium grants from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Kumu Kahua very early developed the mission to produce plays that were written by local playwrights, to give a platform that presented plays with direct relevance to the people of Hawai‘i, many in local pidgin, the Creole language of Hawai‘i. Over the years Kumu Kahua Theatre has produced plays that reflect the community in which it exists. Hawai‘i is a land peopled by a multi-ethnic population with a rich historical and cultural legacy. We have produced plays, both historical and contemporary, on issues concerning the native Hawaiian people, as well as plays that reflect the Asian influenced heritage of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino cultures, etc. Each year Kumu Kahua Theatre produces five plays in its performance space; conducts developmental workshops of three plays that are presented in play readings; and conducts an educational program for the community in the summer and winter, where acting and playwriting are emphasized. The theatre commissions plays, gives them a workshopped reading, and brings them to production. Kumu Kahua has toured shows to places as diverse and far away as Edinburgh, Scotland; Manila in the Philippines; Samoa; as well as Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. We actively seek to make our theatre available to the broad population of Hawai‘i by keeping our ticket prices down so we can reach most sectors of the community. Of all the established theatres in our community Kumu Kahua offers, by far the lowest ticket prices for its performances. We serve a broad range of ages from students at the high school and university levels to seniors in the community. For more information on Kumu Kahua Theatre please contact: Scott Rogers Managing Director Kumu Kahua Theatre 46 Merchant Street Honolulu, HI 96813 Email: KumuKahuaTheatre@hawaiiantel.net or visit www.KumuKahua.org For more information about individual shows, or becoming a Season Subscriber, call 536-4222, or email: KumuKahuaTheatre@hawaiiantel.net. 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 Annenberg Foundation; the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, Mufi Hannemann, Mayor; paid for in part by the taxpayers of the City & County of Honolulu, the Hawai’i State Legislature, and Foundations, Businesses and Patrons. Home \| News \| Calendar \| Directory \| Plays \| Library/Storefront \| Timeline Copyright 2010, Roger W. Tang Questions? Email

Kumu Kahua Theatre Announces Its 40th Anniversary Season!