Two emerging directors are showcased in a competitive format whereby each of them is allowed a limited amount of time to stage the same prepared but unrehearsed scene, using the same actors, on the same night, one right after the other, in front of a live audience. Don't miss the Iron Chef of Hawai`i theatre.

The two directors for this night's challenge are Reb Beau Allen and Stephanie Conching. They will be directing a new short scene by playwright Jason Kanda, Monk to Monk.

OBSERVE THE SONS OF ULSTER MARCHING TOWARDS THE SOMME is the story of eight Protestant Irish soldiers who fight in World War I at the bloody battle of the Somme. The play is written in four parts. The first part, Remembrance, involves an older character trying to come to terms with the past. The other three parts of the play follow the eight men’s first tour of duty and their preparation to face the battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles in history. On the first day 6,000 of 7,000 men were slaughtered.

Director Taurie Kinoshita extends the play's themes to the present day, focusing on their relevance to the current situation in Iraq. The cast of OBSERVE THE SONS OF ULSTER MARCHING TOWARDS THE SOMME includes Brent Yoshikami, Alvin Chan, Derrick Browne and Nicolas Logue.

Tickets are only $5 at the door. The box office opens at 7:30pm, one half hour before the start of each performance. Call 536-4441 for information or reservations.

The two directors for this night's challenge are Troy M. Apostol and Demetrius Guerrero. They will be directing a short play by playwright Y. York, THE DICK PLAY.

Caricature by Alvin Chan of Sharon Adair and Wil Kahele beefing

The two directors for this night's challenge are Sharon Adair and Wil Kahele. They will be directing actors Taurie Kinoshita, Kathy Hunter, and Aito Steele in a new scene by local playwrights Monica and Squire Coldwell.

THE WORK will play at Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant Street in downtown Honolulu, on Tuesday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets for this event are $5. Seating is limited, so call and reserve your seat soon. For reservations call 536-4441 Monday through Friday 11-3 p.m.

Kumu Kahua productions are being supported by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, celebrating more than thirty years of culture and the arts in Hawai`i; the Mayor's Office of Culture and Arts, Mufi Hannemann, Mayor; The Hawai`i Community Foundation; and Foundations, Businesses, and Patrons.

The first Kumu Kahua Playreading of the 2004-2005 Season features The Last Outpost: A Play About Iraq by Nancy Moss. Tuesday, September 28 at 7:30pm at KKT. Admission Free, with complimentary refreshments and discussion following the reading. The Last Outpost won the Kumu Kahua Theatre/UHM Theatre Department Play Contest Resident Prize this past year.

WOYZECK, Buchner's scathing indictment of society and the story of a simple man driven to murder, finds itself under the cover of Kumu Kahua's Dark Night Series, September 20, 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5. Call 536-4441 to reserve a seat.

WOYZECK is considered a masterpiece, influencing everyone from Brecht to Beckett, from Artaud to Eugene O'Neill.  The first drama taking as its hero a man from the lowest rung of society, WOYZECK is one of the original examples of the open form of drama, where in a series of scenes the hero is acted upon, driving him to tragic ends.

WOYZECK tells the story of a simple soldier, Franz Woyzeck. To support his common-law wife Marie and their child, Franz works slavishly to earn a meager living as a soldier, a sometime barber, a woodcutter, and a medical test subject. Buchner's WOYZECK is actually based on a historical incident.  In Leipzig in 1824, a Johann Christian Woyzeck was decapitated for the murder of his mistress, Frau Woostin. His execution had been stayed a year before, due to the revelation that Johann Woyzeck had heard voices and consequently might not be responsible for his actions. Pure Theatre (formerly Cruel Theatre) draws on the strengths that theatre has over television and film.  Woyzeck will be directed by Pure Theatre Artistic Director Taurie Kinoshita; the cast includes HTY actor Reb Beau Allen, On the Spot's Shawn Thomsen, Po'okela nominated Cruel Theatre veteran Danel Verdugo, Po'okela award winner Brent Yoshikami, and stage combat choreographer Nicolas Logue.

KKT presents as part of its Dark Night Series THE WORK. The first of this season's challenges feature two choreographers competing for artistic bragging rights, which will play for one night at the KKT on Tuesday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Two emerging choreographers are showcased in a competitive format whereby each of them is allowed a limited amount of time to choreograph the same song, using the same dancers, on the same night, one right after the other, in front of a live audience.

The two choreographers for this night's challenge are University of Hawai'i professor Betsy Fisher and Ester Izuo. They will be choreographing Kumu Kahua acting veterans from Tonouchi's Gone Feeshing, Squire Coldwell and Malia Yamamoto, to a song by local playwright Lee Cataluna and Sean T.C. O'Malley, Opihi Girl.

DARE DEVILS BLUES consists of 12 monologues that feature characters with nothing left to lose, running the emotional gambit of humor, pathos, and the mundane. The play is also a one man show featuring local actor Jason Kanda. Jason previously performed in Eric Yokomori's PLEASURE at Mark's Garage. In 2003 he played Sir Andrew Aguecheek in TWELFTH NIGHT, and in 2004, Cornwall in KING LEAR for the Hawai`i Shakespeare Festival. His previous KKT appearances include SPUR in 2000 and last season's MASSIE/KAHAHAWAI. He will be a company actor at HTY this season.

Two Chicks, One Pake and a Popolo Theatre Collective is dedicated to rediscovering the societal relevance of contemporary drama.

KKT's Dark Night Series creates an opportunity for other theatre groups, playwrights, and performance artists to offer their work to the community. This series is presented during the evenings when Kumu Kahua's regular season shows are not being performed. Kumu Kahua sees this as another way to enhance and enrich the cultural diversity and artistic climate of Honolulu.

DARE DEVILS BLUES will play at Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant Street in downtown Honolulu, on consecutive Wednesdays, September 8 and 15 at 7:30 p.m.