Lāʻieikawai
Lāʻieikawai (2015) debuted on February 20th, 2015 as the inaugural production of the Hawaiian Theatre program at UH Mānoa and is also Kennedy’s first Mainstage Hawaiian medium show. It incorporates the traditional Hawaiian performance forms of hula (dance), mele (song/Hawaiian poetry), oli (chant) and hula ki‘i (puppetry) to create hana keaka (drama). This hana keaka was adapted for the stage from our moʻolelo kuʻuna and directed by Dr. Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker, it follows the story Lā‘ieikawai (played by Kau‘i Kaina), one of twin princesses separated at birth. The story focuses mostly on her isolation from the outside world, and the numerous suitors that seek her hand. Among them is Kaua‘i chief ‘Aiwohikupua (played by Ioane Goodhue), who brings his Maile sisters, renowned for their fragrant scents, to help him woo the princess. Ultimately failing, he leaves his sisters behind. Grief stricken and lost, they go to the princess for help. Eventually, a bond of sisterhood is formed between them that will help them weather the seemingly insurmountable challenges ahead.
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes many minds and sets of knowledge to stage a production. In addition to Baker, a production staff of professionals from the community with a variety of skills are helping to shape this revolutionary production.
Kumu Kaliko Baker, an instructor of Hawaiian at Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, serves as the dramaturge and language coach for the production and Assistant Professor of Pacific Island Studies, Moana Nepia, contributes his modern dance expertise.
Kumu R. Keawe Lopes Jr., assistant professor at Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, is a native of Nānākuli, O‘ahu. He currently teaches Hawaiian language courses that include the study and practice of mele to enhance language acquisition and is working with original compositions of chant and hula for the production. Kumu Keawe and his wife Kumu Tracie Lopes are Kumu hula of the award winning hālau, hula Ka Lā‘ōnohi mai o Haeha‘ e. Snowbird Puananiopaoakalani Bento is also native of Nānākuli, O‘ahu and kumu hula of the prestigious hālau, Ka Pā Hula o Ka Lei Lehua. Kumu Snowbird, is contributing with original mele compositions and choreography for the production. Both hālau will be featured in a hula segment in the production.
This production is presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance and is hosted by the Asian Theatre Program. It is also co-sponsered by the UHM Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, the Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, and Halele‘a Arts Foundation.
For full production: Lāʻieikawai. ʻŌiwi TV, 4 May 2018.
For Educational Guide: Lā‘ieikawai Viewer’s Guide_LT
Media Coverage of Lāʻieikawai
Hawaiʻi Public Radio, Kevin Berg Discusses Lāʻieikawai.
Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s “Live Hawaiian Theatre”.
Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s “The Conversation”.
KGMB “Hawaiʻi News Now” Channel 9 News Coverage.
Solis, Kekeha. “Ka Hana Keaka ʻo Lāʻieikawai”. Kauakūkalahale, trussel2.com.
The Garden Isle Newspaper Tour Coverage.
UHM Kennedy Theatre Announcement.
Chancellor Awards Lāʻieikawai.
Production Photos
Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka
Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka (2017) was the thesis production of the lehua of the Hawaiian Theatre Program, Kauʻi Kaina. Her thesis told the world famous story of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele and her journey to retrieve her eldest sister Pele’s lover, Lohiʻauipo, from the northern shores of Kauaʻi in Hāʻena. The play took the audience through each island, detailing the many trials, tribulations and triumphs of Hiʻiaka as she prayed and fought her way through with her awesome power and magical incantations. Supported by Kumu Hula Frank Kaʻiuokalani Damas and chanter Keliʻi Ruth, who has recently studied under the tutelage of professor Kalena Silva, Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka is inundated with the many oli, mele, and hula that the kupua Hiʻiakaikapoliopele herself chanted and danced her journey through Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina. Kauʻi Kaina wrote and directed the hana keaka herself and it was played at BYU Hawaiʻi ma uka of Laniloa, Chaminade University at the shoulder of Waʻahila, as well as UH Hilo in the shadow of the Ua Kanilehua in 2017.
For full production: Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka. ʻŌiwi TV, 4 December 2017.
Media Coverage of Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka
Production Photos
ʻAuʻa ʻia: Holding On
The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Department of Theatre and Dance presented the world premiere of ‘Au‘a ‘la: Holding On September 27, 2019 on the Kennedy Theatre mainstage. In this new production, four UHM haumāna (students) are transported into pivotal moments in the history of Hawai‘i, meeting legendary figures, experiencing mele and hula in those times, and witnessing their cultural history transpire. Kumu Tammy Hailiopua Baker, Associate Professor and Director of the Hawaiian Theatre Program at UHM, was the playwright and director of this Hana Keaka (Hawaiian Theatre) play which was performed predominantly in the Hawaiian language.
At the heart of ‘Au‘a ‘la: Holding On is a faithful account of Hawai‘i’s past, from the perspective of the four haumāna. Tasked with a daunting research project for class, they embark on a journey that takes them into the repository of 19th century Hawaiian language archival materials. They connect with their kūpuna (ancestors), explore the meaning of mana (divine power/authority), and interrogate the histories of Ko Hawai‘i Pae ‘Āina (the Hawaiian archipelago). “It’s a story that parallels my experience and the experience of my friends and colleagues who have made a commitment to learn our language which has helped us to make sense of our history so that we can stand firm on that foundation and not hide from our history,” Baker shares. Much of the script integrates source materials from the time, including newspaper accounts, correspondence, and other historical documents. The majority of the play is in the native Hawaiian language, with bi-lingual segments throughout.
Authenticity is a key feature of the production, not only on stage, but off stage as well. Baker is assembling a vast, diverse group of collaborators from the Hawaiian community to bring the play to life. The group includes R. Keawe Lopes Jr. & C.M. Kaliko Baker (professors from Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language) as well as Kihei Nahale-a, Ka Hale ʻAuamo LLC- Hawaiʻi Content Specialist and Producer of Project KULEANA, Leah Kihara, Filmmaker and kumu of film and television production at Kamehameha Schools, Jace Kaholokula Saplan (UHM professor of music) and Kanaka Maoli visual artist Ahukini Kupihea. Many of the cast members were Kānaka Maoli, authenticating and strengethening the representation of Kānaka Maoli on stage.
One of the strengths of the play is how accessible it is. As Baker posits, “Not everyone is on the same canoe…on the same journey.” The four main characters all have different connections with their heritage. Some are very much grounded in their culture, while others are still discovering their “Hawaiian-ness” for the first time. Through the collective journey they take, however, they come out of it more connected with their past. “They push each other, and they become better people from it,” Baker says.
Baker adds that, “At the very least, I hope our community feels like this is a space where their stories can be told.” Baker also hopes that people will have a transformative experience and be enlightened by a history that has oftentimes been kept hidden: “It is seldom to hear the history of Kānaka Maoli from the perspective of Kānaka Maoli, and this play offers an immersive, authentic experience of just that.”
For Educational Guide: PukeHaawina
For New York Tour Reflections: ʻAuʻa ʻia ma NYC
Media Coverage for ʻAuʻa ʻia: Holding On
ʻAuʻa ʻia: Holding On Official Trailer by John Wells.
Hawaiʻi Public Radio Interview.
UH News Invitation to NYC Coverage.
Lee Cataluna Reviews ʻAuʻa ʻia: Holding On.
Hawaiian Airlines Feature Spotlight.
KGMB “Hawaiʻi News Now” Channel 9 News Coverage.
Eventsfy Theatre for the New City Coverage.
UH Hawaiian Language Play Makes Historic Debut off-Broadway
UH ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Play Makes Historic Debut off-Broadway
NYTW Reflections of Native Voices Festival
UH production headed to New York City for off-Broadway festival
Hawaiian language play will be opening act at Off Broadway festival
Production Photos
The full production was taped and is in the editing process. We will upload as soon as it has cleared post-production.
He Leo Aloha
He Leo Aloha (2021) was the second production produced by one of our program’s MFA Candidates, Kaipulaumakaniolono. He Leo Aloha explored the power and limits of the leo, voice. A group of college students embarked on a quest to scrutinize and find true aloha in one another and in the knowledge of their ancestors through their own ingenuity in applying their ancestral language. In their investigations of aloha, they experiment with implementing traditional non-heteronormative relationships into their modern lives. These experiments result in a preliminary exploration and depiction of what a punalua relationship may look like in a modern context. On this journey, they sought to weave the world of their ancestors into their own words, allowing for multi-generational communication in each utterance, imbuing their words with mana (divine power, authority). Throughout this hana keaka, traditional mele and original oli by Kaipulaumakaniolono and Kumu R. Keawe Lopes were utilized to communicate and highlight the power of the leo. He Leo Aloha is a story about the power of language and the vital importance of communication.
Media Coverage for He Leo Aloha
He Leo Aloha Promotional Video
Ka Hālau ʻŌlelo ʻo Kawaihuelani Spotlights He Leo Aloha
Ka Wai Ola Article on He Leo Aloha
Broadway World’s, “He Leo Aloha Streams From UHM’s Kennedy Theatre This October”
He Leo Aloha – Full Production with Closed Captions
He Leo Aloha Puke Haʻawina – Play Guide
Big Island News on He Leo Aloha National Awards
Maui Now on He Leo Aloha National Awards
KCACTF He Leo Aloha National Awards
Hoʻoilina
Set in a pre-pandemic Hawai‘i upon the luxurious slopes of Lēʻahi, Hoʻoilina is a farcical hana keaka that knocks on the door of a Kanaka Maoli family anxiously poised for a will reading that will determine the fate of a huge inheritance from their beloved matriarch. Just as the will is about to be read, a quirky stranger appears at the door, claiming her right to the hefty endowment. As chaos ensues, family secrets are revealed, causing the family to question their own relationships, identity, and future as Kanaka while being insidiously constricted by the pressures of capitalism and cultural loss. Written and directed by Ākea Kahikina, Hoʻoilina is a hana keaka (Hawaiian theatre) production performed in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language), Pidgin, ʻōlelo māhū (Māhū language), and English.
Media Coverage for Hoʻoilina
“Hawaiian Language Play Opens on Mainstage at UH” – KITV
“Hawaiian Culture Clash Comedy Debuts at UH” – KITV
Hoʻoilina – Full Production with Closed Captions
UHM News on Hoʻoilina National Awards
Maui Now on Hoʻoilina National Awards
Kaisara
In 1896, four scenes from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar were translated into ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi by James N. K. Keola and published in Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. What would have happened if Keola had asked other Kanaka Maoli intellectuals of his time to participate in a reading of these scenes? Kaisara imagines this gathering, exploring the intersection between Shakespeare’s portrayal of Ancient Rome and the political landscape of Hawaiʻi in the 1890s to ask timeless questions about division, conspiracy, and political violence. Kaisara was written and directed by Iāsona Kaper, the fourth Hawaiian Theatre MFA thesis production.
Media Coverage for Kaisara
Kaisara Press Release
Kaisara Play Guide
UH News Article – Queen’s 185th birthday launches annual Hawaiian history event
Star Advertiser Article – Hawaiian History Month reconnects community to its past
HPR-1 Radio Interview with Writer and Director
Images by Hezekiah Kapuaala
Glitter in the Paʻakai
After moving away nearly a decade ago, Kaʻōnohi reluctantly returns home to attend his nephew’s first birthday lūʻau in Hōnaunau, Kona. No longer separated by the vast distance, Kaʻōnohi must examine his fragile relationship with his family members who are struggling with their own precarious reality. Hula and mele are at the heart of this story, revealing the polarizing complexities of this Hawaiian ʻohana as they navigate loss, identity and healing. Glitter in the Paʻakai is written and directed by Joshua “Baba” Kamoaniʻala Tavares, the fifth Hawaiian Theatre MFA thesis production. This production was remounted an additional two times once at the ANNO Inagural Noiʻi Nōwelo conference in march, and once more at the CAATA ConFest Kuʻu Piko Kuʻu ʻĀina Kuʻu Kahua in May.
Media Coverage for Glitter in the Paʻakai
‘Lūʻau of emotions’ on stage at UH Mānoa
Images by Hezekiah Kapuaala
Puana
Haʻina ʻia mai ana ka puana… Puana explores the deep connections that Kānaka Maoli have with their kūpuna (ancestors) through song. Family artifacts reveal stories encapsulated in poetic compositions from the past, which guide contemporary musicians in their artistic journeys. This original hana keaka, Hawaiian language theatrical production, is a collaborative endeavor between UHM’s Hawaiian Theatre Program and Ka Waihona A Ke Aloha, a project of Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language. Puana brings together nationally and internationally renowned artists, professor and playwright/director Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker, professor, composer and Kumu Hula R. Keawe Lopes, Jr., Kumu Hula Tracie Kaʻōnohilani Lopes, Nā Hōkū Hanohano award-winning musician and composer Zachary Alakaʻi Lum, Māori composer and award-winning recording artist Tawaroa Kawana, moʻolono and playwright Kaipulaumakaniolono Baker.
