Massie / Kahahawai at Palikū Theatre

October 20 – 28, 2017

Cassidy Patmont and Chase Jusseaume in Massie/Kahahawai at Paliku Theatre Oct. 20-28

Windward Community College presents Massie / Kahahawai directed by Taurie Kinoshita and performed by Windward CC Theatre 260 students onstage at Palikū Theatre October 20 through October 28—recounting the infamous Thalia Massie case in pre-statehood Hawai‘i. Based on court records, newspaper articles, and witness testimony, Massie / Kahahawai is a fast-paced, unsettling play dealing with race relations in still segregated, early 1930s Honolulu.   

Show dates and times:

October 20 & 21 (Fri. and Sat.), 7:30 p.m. (Post-show talk with cast on Saturday, October 21) 

October 22 (Sun.), 4:00 p.m.

October 25 (Wed.), 4:00 p.m.

October 26 – 28 (Thurs. – Sat.), 7:30 p.m.                                                                                                               

Ticket information:

$5 Students (14+ and college students with ID), Seniors (65+), Military (with ID)
$10 Adults

Purchase Tickets online at eTicketHawaii.com or call 808-235-7310 to charge by phone.

Due to adult situations and themes, this play is recommended for ages 14 and older. Running time is 85 minutes.                                                                                                                                                          

Background
In 1931, Thalia Massie, the privileged wife of a Naval officer, accused five locals of raping her.  Although witnesses saw her being followed by a white man, two Hawaiians and three other locals were arrested. Although she was legally blind, Thalia eventually remembered a license plate number. And even though the five defendants had been in a documented traffic accident at the time of the alleged incident, they were arrested, put on trial, defamed publicly and had their names and private addresses printed in Honolulu newspapers.

After the ensuing mistrial, one of the defendants, Joseph Kahahawai, was kidnapped and shot in the heart. The four murderers were convicted of manslaughter and ultimately were set free—spending not a single day in jail. 

Massie / Kahahawai is the story of race, poverty, a justice system which favors the wealthy—and the unsung heroes who risked everything to do the right thing. The discriminatory events surrounding the Massie case influenced the new state of Hawai‘i and indelibly changed Hawai‘i politics.

Windward CC Theatre 260 students in the cast are Cassidy Patmont, Chase Jusseaume, Chivalry Butler, Darla Richards, Johnathon Young, Jessica Jusseaume, Kelly Segal, Likeke Nakachi-Isaacs, Micah Souza, Michael Wall, Mikie Davidson, Noah Schuetz, and Spencer McCarrey. 

The play is written by Dennis Carroll with additional narration from Honor Killing by David Stannard.

For more information about Massie / Kahahawai, contact Director Taurie Kinoshita at 808-779-3456 or taurie@hawaii.edu. To learn more about Theatre 260 and other theatre classes offered at Windward Community College, contact Assistant Professor Nicolas Logue at 808-236-9138, logue@hawaii.edu or go online to windward.hawaii.edu. For more information about Palikū Theatre, please visit paliku.com. 

For more information, visit: http://eTicketHawaii.com