FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4-8, 2026 | Kennedy Theatre – Earle Ernst Lab Theatre
(Honolulu, HI – January 25, 2026) The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Department of Theatre & Dance and Kennedy Theatre proudly present Lele Wale, a world-premiere hana keaka (Hawaiian theatre work) inspired by the 2023 Maui fires. Told through movement, music, chant, and visual storytelling, Lele Wale honors both the ʻāina and the people forever impacted by the tragedy, offering audiences a space for remembrance, reflection, and renewal. Performances will take place March 4-8, 2026, in the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at the Kennedy Theatre.Evening performances run Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m. An informal post show Q&A with the director and cast will follow the Friday, March 6 performance. Tickets range from $9-$18.
Written and directed by MFA candidate Ikaika Mendez, Lele Wale is shaped by mele, hula, and the elemental rhythms of the natural world. Wind carries stories forward, water holds what is remembered, and fire leaves behind both absence and responsibility. Beneath Ka Malu ʻUlu o Lele – a place of refuge, inheritance, and renewal – an ensemble gathers to ask how we carry grief, restore waters, rebuild homes, and remain rooted.
Created in response to the Lahaina fires of 2023, Lele Wale emerges as an offering: a prayer, a release, and a call to remember our kuleana to the land and to one another – ʻĀmama, ua noa — Lele Wale.
Intimate in scale yet expansive in emotional scope, the production invites audiences into a shared space of witnessing and healing. Whether drawn by live music and dance, immersive design elements, or the significance of a contemporary work rooted in Hawaiʻi’s recent history, audiences can expect a powerful and reflective theatrical experience grounded in resilience, remembrance, and hope.
Lele Wale is performed in a combination of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian), Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin), and English. Content Advisory: Sensitive material related to the Lahaina wildfires, loss of life, some strong language, haze/fog effects, and flashing lights.
For more information about the show and a direct link to purchase tickets online, please visit: manoa.hawaii.edu/liveonstage/lw. For ticketing or accessibility questions, please email the box office at ktbox@hawaii.edu or call 808-956-7655.
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