Kennedy Theatre Announces 62nd Season
UHM Department of Theatre & Dance and Kennedy Theatre are proud to present the 2025-2026 Production Season. Kennedy Theatre’s 62nd production season brings new and original works to the forefront while celebrating various cultural heritages and powerful works of the past.
MAINSTAGE SEASON
The Mainstage Season features two exciting and culturally rich productions designed to captivate and inspire. Dancing in the Diaspora (November 14-23, 2025) blends hip-hop, Filipino Indigenous dance, and ‘Ori Tahiti to explore themes of identity, belonging, and community healing. The production is a collaboration with and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Center for Philippine Studies at UHM. In the spring, Panji and the Lost Princess (April 17-26, 2026) dazzles with the stunning art of Balinese wayang listrik giant shadow puppetry, combining intricate lighting, live gamelan music, and dynamic performances to tell a captivating Javanese tale suitable for all ages. These performances offer a deep dive into global cultural expressions, showcasing the power of storytelling through movement and music.
PRIME TIME SERIES
The Prime Time Series showcases the culminating works of MFA candidates in directing, choreography, design, playwriting, and live performance. This year’s season opens in September with The Yellow Boat by David Saar, directed by MFA candidate Emmanuel Mante. A heartwarming production suitable for youth and audiences of all ages, this imaginative and moving play transforms life’s deepest challenges into a sea of possibilities. October 2025 introduces the world premiere of Dolls: A Toy Story, written and directed by MFA candidate Alison Bruce-Maldonado. Set in a 1940s American toy store, this original musical tells a poignant tale of love, resilience, and societal change as characters navigate segregation, war, and the evolving landscape of history – all through the eyes of the dolls who silently witness it unfold. In January 2026, the MFA/BFA Dance Concert, directed by Sami L.A. Akuna, highlights new and original choreography created as apex creative projects for MFA and BFA students completing their degrees. This dynamic annual concert celebrates the creativity and artistic growth of UHM’s undergraduate and graduate dancers through innovative works for both stage and screen. Closing the Prime Time Series, March 2026 features Lele Wale, a world premiere Hana Keaka (Hawaiian theatre) production written and directed by MFA candidate Ikaika Mendez. Inspired by true stories from the Lahaina wildfires of 2023, this powerful production blends mele and hula to explore loss, resilience, and the unbreakable bond between people and place. Performed in a combination of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin), and English, Lele Wale serves as both a tribute and a call to action for the future of a beloved community.
LATE NIGHT SERIES
Late Night Theatre Company strives to create relevant and innovative performance art-making that dismantles oppression, fosters skills in a pre-professional environment, and empowers our local, national, and global communities. Late Night productions are by, for, and about UHM students. The Late Night Theatre Company’s 2025-2026 season will have its first offering in November 2025 with 友達「Friends」by Abe Kōbō directed by MFA candidate Robert Morris III and the second offering in April 2026 with Late Night Tech Takeover – A Night of One-Act Plays with two featured titles K*ll the Playwright by Reed Harvey and And The Crew Plays On by Lauren Grove. Both titles will be directed by MFA candidate Antonio Hernandez. Please be sure to check online for updates and more information.
Kennedy Theatre program and schedule are subject to change.
Mainstage Season – on the Kennedy Theatre Mainstage
Dancing in the Diaspora
Celebrating 50 years of the Center for Philippine Studies
Created and Directed by Dr. J. Lorenzo Perillo
Assistant Director: Emmanuel Mante
Artistic Collaborators: Mary Chris (Mycs) Villoso, Von Ace Asilo, Angela Sebastian, Ron Querian, Lydia Querian, Manarii Gauthier and Nalini Gauthier
November 14-23, 2025
Dancing in the Diaspora delves into the interconnected lives of Filipinos maneuvering the waters of belonging and exclusion in Hawaiʻi and beyond. This original Filipino cultural production is a collaboration between UHM’s Dance Program and Center for Philippine Studies (CPS) to unearth the dynamic powers of dancing identity, healing, and mobilizing community. This compelling, high-energy live performance interweaves cultural storytelling with dynamic Hip-hop, street dance, contemporary, Filipino Indigenous, and ‘Ori Tahiti choreographies accompanied by live kulintang and soulful Tahitian music. This production celebrates the 50th anniversary of CPS, established in 1975 by an Act of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to recognize the contributions of Filipinos to Hawaiʻi, and is now the most developed center of its kind in the diaspora. Written and Directed by Dr. J. Lorenzo Perillo, Associate Professor and Co-Director of CPS, Dancing in the Diaspora assembles acclaimed international and local choreographers Mary Chris (Mycs) Villoso, Von Ace Asilo, Angela Sebastian, Ron Querian and Lydia Querian of House of Gongs, and Manarii Gauthier and Nalini Gauthier, founders of award-winning Tahiti Mana. This production will be performed in a combination of Filipino, Ilokano, and English languages.
Content Advisories: Profane language, mental health issues, colonization and cultural struggles, loss and grief.
High School Educators interested in School Show Performance dates and costs please contact ktbox@hawaii.edu for more information.
Panji and the Lost Princess
Balinese Wayang Listrik (giant shadow puppets in combination with live action and gamelan orchestra)
Adapted from a traditional Balinese folktale by Ketut Wirtawan and Madé Moja
Co-Directed by Kirstin Pauka and I Madé Moja
April 17-26, 2026
Panji and the Lost Princess is a large-scale Balinese shadow puppetry performance in the tradition of wayang listrik. The story is based on the Balinese interpretation of a traditional Javanese story, and adapted to the genre of wayang listrik by Balinese master artists I Ketut Wirtawan and I Madé Moja. The show is dynamically staged with giant shadow puppetry, actors, dancers, special lighting effects, and is accompanied by a live gamelan ensemble, led by master musician I Madé Widana. The style of the production, wayang listrik (Indonesian for “electric shadows”), is a recent development in Balinese shadow puppetry that emerged in the late 1990s. What distinguishes this art form from others is the inclusion of giant screens, paintings, complex lighting, 3-dimensional effects, and dancers, as well as actors behind the screen, wearing shadow masks carved in a similar manner as traditional kulit (“leather”) puppets. Moja has staged two previous wayang listrik productions at Kennedy Theatre: Subali-Sugriwa – Battle of the Monkey Kings and The Last King of Bali. We are thrilled that he will return this season to serve as the master designer and co-director of this production.
Educators interested in School Show Performance dates and costs please contact ktbox@hawaii.edu for more information.
Prime Time Series – in the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre
The Yellow Boat
Written by David Saar
Directed by MFA candidate Emmanuel Mante
September 24-28, 2025
A heartwarming journey for audiences of all ages, The Yellow Boat by David Saar is a powerful piece of theatre for youth and family audiences that celebrates imagination, escape, and resilience. Inspired by a true story, this moving play follows a young boy whose boundless creativity transforms his world, turning life’s deepest challenges into a sea of possibilities. Through vibrant storytelling and evocative imagery, this production invites children and adults alike to embark on an unforgettable adventure – one where even the smallest boat can carry the biggest ride of the imagination. Patrons are invited to set sail and experience the magic of The Yellow Boat. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Content Advisories: covers health issues and suffering such as hemophilia and HIV
Educators interested in School Show Performance dates and costs please contact ktbox@hawaii.edu for more information.
Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois.
Dolls: A Toy Story
World Premiere Musical
Written and Directed by MFA candidate Alison Bruce-Maldonado
October 22-26, 2025
Set in a 1940s American toy store, Dolls: A Toy Story is a moving tale of love, loss, and societal change. As segregation and war shape the world around them, Lena, a radiant Black teen with dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and Timothy, a soft-spoken White teen who is an aspiring engineer, find their love challenged by miscegenation laws that threaten to keep them apart. Meanwhile, the store’s dolls watch in quiet wonder as history unfolds and war leaves its mark on those who return including a desperate former storehand and a once-powerful store manager carrying unspoken regrets. As the nation stands on the brink of change; Lena, after the war, must reckon with the sacrifices she has made for her family and the dreams that she left behind. With heartfelt music, historical depth, and a bittersweet love story, Dolls: A Toy Story reminds us that despite injustice, hope endures, and change is always on the horizon. Viewer discretion is advised.
Content Advisories: Segregation, racism, prejudice and harmful ideologies, war and its impacts, loss and grief, tense moments and conflicts.
MFA/BFA Dance Concert
Program Director: Sami L.A. Akuna
January 28 – February 1, 2026
Original choreography from our talented Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Creative Projects and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Senior Project students. This production celebrates the boundless creativity and artistic growth of our undergraduate and graduate dancers. Featuring a mix of world premiere works for both the stage and screen.
Featuring Original Choreography created by:
Bayardo Rodriguez, MFA candidate
Max Winig, MFA candidate
Mia Davis, BFA candidate
Tiare Reincke, BFA candidate
Tessa Rudig, BFA candidate
Content Advisories: TBD
Lele Wale
World Premiere Hana Keaka
Written and Directed by MFA candidate Ikaika Mendez
March 4-8, 2026
Lele Wale takes audiences on a poignant journey through the rebuilding of a community in the wake of the devastating Lahaina wildfires of August 2023. Inspired by true stories, this production serves as a tribute to the homes, businesses, landmarks, and, most importantly, the cherished lives lost. As leaders, first responders, displaced families, and cultural practitioners navigate the aftermath, they wrestle with difficult questions about identity, responsibility, and the future of their beloved homeland. Through their eyes, we witness the cycles of history repeating – how colonization, commerce, and displacement have shaped the town, yet how resilience and aloha remain steadfast. “I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope” (The future is found in the past). Blending mele and hula, Lele Wale explores themes of loss, healing, and the unbreakable bond between people and place. In the play, as the anniversary of the fire approaches, tensions and emotions rise, forcing the community to confront its grief, hope, and responsibility to future generations. This production is both a prayer and an offering, honoring Lahaina’s enduring spirit and the unextinguished flame of its people, ke kukui pio ʻole i ka makani Kauaʻula. ʻĀmama, ua noa, lele wale. This production will be performed in a combination of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language), Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin), and English languages.
Content Advisories: Grief and trauma, colonization and cultural struggles, displacement and economic hardships, use of fire symbolism.
Late Night Series – in the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre
友達「Friends」
Written by Abe Kōbō
Directed by MFA candidate Robert Morris III
November 15-22, 2025
Friends, an absurdist comedy by Abe Kōbō, asks the question “what do you do when nine eccentric strangers knock on your door, invite themselves in, and decide to make themselves at home?” 90 minutes of slapstick comedy, flirtatious dialogue, and misunderstandings make this the comedy event of the season. This new staging from Late Night Artistic Director Robert Morris reimagines the world of Abe’s play as a studio taping of a sitcom and features live jazz music from a studio band. With its unique mix of music, comedy, and modern themes…there is something here for everyone to enjoy! Bring your own friends and be part of our live studio audience!
Late Night Tech Takeover – A Night of One-Act Plays
Directed by MFA candidate Antonio Hernandez
April 18-25, 2025
After years of whispering ‘standby’ into a headset and fixing cues. Antonio Hernandez is making his directing debut here at UH, with two one-act plays centering on the people that REALLY make the plays happen. Don’t worry—what could possibly go wrong? Titles and synopses of the one acts provided below:
K*ll the Playwright by Reed Harvey
The Stage Manager falling apart during pre-show announcements; audience members interrupting the performance. Are the characters real? Is the audience real? This mind-bending, award-winning 15 minute play leads you to the only possible conclusion – K*ll the Playwright!
And The Crew Plays On by Lauren Grove
Everything goes wrong at the opening night production of Cinderella. Just as the director is introducing the play, she learns all the actors have fallen ill. They’ve even gone to the hospital in costume, but the show must go on! Chaos ensues as she’s forced to have the stage crew perform. They go onstage with improvised costumes, props, and lines, often breaking character – much to the director’s chagrin. And The Crew Plays On is a fast-paced comedy of errors that will delight any audience!
To Purchase Tickets
Tickets to all Mainstage and Primetime productions go on sale by late August 2025 and may be purchased online at www.etickethawaii.com, at the Stan Sheriff Box Office, or in person at the Kennedy Theatre Box Office (during performance week sale periods only). Please note that tickets to all Late Night Theatre Company performances will only be available at the Kennedy Theatre Box Office starting one hour before each performance.
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