Kahahawai/Massie and Aloha Attire at Palikū Theatre

Kahahawai/Massie (clockwise from top) Hio Pelesasa, Alakaʻi Cunnigham, Aidan Morrow. (Photo credit: Brad Goda)

Kahahawai/Massie from left: Harrison Terstegge, Claire de Lune, Violette Skilling (Photo credit: Brad Goda)

Aloha Attire Jake Escoto, Jewel Perez, Kekoa Shope (Photo credit: Brad Goda)

Aloha Attire, Lala Kealaulapoʻiuonalani Faifili, Maya Berengue, Kevin J. Molina (Photo credit: Brad Goda)

Windward Community Collegeʻs Hawaiʻi Conservatory of Performing Arts presents Kahahawai/Masssie and Aloha Attire directed by Taurie Kinoshita, at Palikū Theatre November 10–19, 2023. Both casts feature the first Academy for Creative Media (ACM) cohort of the Hawaiʻi Conservatory of Performing Arts.

Show dates and times:

Friday, November 10, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 11, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 12, 3 p.m.
Thursday, November 16, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 17, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 18, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 19, 3 p.m.

Ticket information:

$25 General
$20 Senior, UH faculty/staff and active Military with ID
$15 Youth and college students with ID
(Suitable for ages 14+; running time is approximately 2.5 hours)

For tickets and more information, visit palikutheatre.com or call (808) 235-7315.

Kahahawai/Massie, adapted by WCC theatre instructor Taurie Kinoshita from Dennis Carroll’s original play Massie/Kahahawai, is based on the most infamous criminal court case in the history of Hawai'i. This gripping docu-drama uses court documents, newspaper articles, and witness accounts to recount the series of sensational, shocking, and tragic events in a still segregated early 1930s Honolulu, culminating in the murder of Joseph Kahahawai, a Hawaiian, by four Caucasian people who were subsequently set free after only one hour in the Governor's office. 

Political scientists, historians, and anyone with an interest in the history of Hawai'i should not miss this unique and astonishing play. The discriminatory events surrounding the Massie case influenced the new state of Hawai‘i and indelibly changed Hawai‘i politics.

“It is a story of race, poverty, a justice system which favors the wealthy—and the unsung heroes,” Kinoshita says, “I chose this play to honor Dr. Carroll, using his original play as a starting point. He was a legend.”

Also playing will be Aloha Attire by renowned author Lee Cataluna (Folks You Meet At Longs, Flowers of Hawai'i), the HCPA Established Island Artist for the ‘23-’24 season. First performed online in 2020, it has been revised and adapted for the stage. Two sisters rummage through their mother's old boxes of memories, each item telling a different story of their family. This local comedy is full of drama, humor, and nostalgia about growing up on Oahu in the 1980s, from Liberty House to wonder phone.

Director Kinoshita says, “Lee Cataluna's characters are like old friends--familiar, endearing--her plays comfort and move us with how true to life they are.”

To learn about theatre classes offered at Windward CC and the new ACM Hawaiʻi Conservatory of Performing Arts, visit conservatory.windward.hawaii.edu or contact Associate Professor Nicolas Logue at logue@hawaii.edu.

Photos by Brad Goda 

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