AITU FAFINE

OUR PRODUCTIONS ARE SPONSORED IN PART BY THE FOLLOWING:

Kumu Kahua productions are supported in part by the NME Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Island Insurance Foundation, The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaiʻi, The AAPI Community Fund, The Richard Aadland Fund, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, Spectrum/Charter Communications, ABC Stores, the Gloria Kosasa Gainsley Fund, Hawaiʻi Public Radio, H. Hawaii Media, Simply Storage, The Kim Coco Fund for Justice of the Iwamoto Family Foundation, Vacations Hawaiʻi, Zippy’s Restaurants, Highway Inn, Generations Magazine, CVS/Longs Drugs, HMSA, Hawaiian Electric, Monkey Pod, Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, Edric Sakamoto, Ron and Rachel Heller, Leonard and Charlotte Chow, and other foundations, businesses, and loyal patrons.

VICTORIA NALANI KNEUBUHL,
PLAYWRIGHT

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

VICTORIA NALANI KNEUBUHL, playwright and author, was born in Honolulu and is of Hawaiian and Sāmoan ancestry. Many of her plays have been produced by Kumu Kahua, including Ola Na Iwi (twice) and Fanny and Belle. Her last production at Kumu Kahua, The Holiday of Rain, was specially commissioned. Several of her plays have toured Britain, America, the Pacific, and Asia. Ms. Kneubuhl has been actively involved in producing many community performance programs that reflect the unique history of her island home. She also served as producer/writer for the TV series Biography Hawai‘i. She was named one of the Extraordinary Women of Hawai‘i in 2001 by the Foundation for Hawai‘i Women’s History and the Native Hawaiian Library of

Alu Like, Inc. In1994 she was honored with the Hawaiˇi Award for Literature, the highest honor the State of Hawai‘i bestows on a writer. In 2006, she received the Elliot Cades Award for Literature. Hawai‘i Nei, a collection of three plays, was published in 2002 by the University of Hawai‘i Press, and this year the UH Press is publishing her new volume of plays, Navigating Islands.  Her three mysteries, Murder Casts a Shadow, Murder Leaves Its Mark, and Murder Frames the Scene, have also been published by the University of Hawai‘i Press.

PLAYWRIGHT'S NOTES

In 1968, I moved to American Sāmoa for seven years, before returning to Hawai‘i. Aitu Fafine was inspired by the stories I heard then and on many other visits to my family. Not only are there many ghost stories, but, without embarrassment, many Sāmoans still respect and fear aitu. As a young substitute teacher in Sāmoa, I also had to deal with a student who had ma‘i aitu, ghost sickness. She apparently went into the bush, made loud, inappropriate, disrespectful noises, and became possessed. I have never forgotten her or her story. Aitu Fafine draws on the traditional stories of female ghosts, in Sāmoa and in other cultures, using these stories to examine the demonization of women. The play also asks us to question the role of story creators/writers, and their responsibility in shaping ideas about various groups of people. I hope, too, that it suggests stories can sometimes heal, change our lives, and help us to move into new realms.

Lurana Donnels O’Malley,
DIRECTOR

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Lurana Donnels O’Malley serves as Director of Graduate Studies in Theatre at UHM, where she teaches Euro-American theatre history, research, and directing. She is a recipient of the UHM Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching. O’Malley is the author of The Dramatic Works of Catherine the Great: Theatre and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Russia; her book-in-progress (Routledge 2025) highlights the contributions of Mary Church Terrell for the 1932 George Washington Bicentennial. For KKT she has directed Island Skin Songs (S. O’Malley) and June is the First Fall (Liu). Other recent directing credits include The Spitfire Grill (KT), Indecent (Open Home Performance Network), and Flowers of Hawai‘i (KT).

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

“A change in how we all see each other.”—Vai

Great plays encourage us to make connections, to bridge distances. I personally have a lot in common with the Stevensons. I too come from an exuberant artistic family, everyone with a book or sketchpad in hand, everyone ready to jump up and perform. I too know that desire is not experienced only by the young. I too settled on Pacific land that is not mine. Like Stevenson and his family, I strive to understand its culture and its history; like them, I have blind spots.

As a teacher I am also a storyteller. I spend a lot of my time in my scholarly writing and in my classes calling attention to the women characters, to stories by and about women. I have had the privilege to direct plays by great women writers: Churchill, Fornés, Vogel, Cataluna. I’m honored to add Kneubuhl to that list.

As you view this production, perhaps your ancestors or guardian spirits will guide you to make your own connections, to see the people around you in new lights. As Louis learns, “there’s always another side, another way to look at something.”

Amy Sullivan (Fanny) this is Amy's first time performing at KKT. Her previous credits include You're Not Sick, Small Mouth Sounds and Mr. Burns at KOA, Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Qualities of Starlight at TAG, and Becky's New Car and Stage Kiss at MVT. 

Eleanor Svaton (Nanny) was last seen at KKT in Holiday of Rain by Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl. She is originally from Holyoke, MA. She holds a BA and an MA in English from UH, but has also studied acting in several performance courses at UHM. She was part of the 2010 UHM company who competed in Los Angeles at the American College Theatre Festival with the English language premiere of Brecht/ Wuolijoki’s The Judith of Shimoda. She has also appeared in Henry V, Henry VI, and  Henry VIII, as well as The Merry Wives of Windsor, King Lear, Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing at HSF and The Belle's Stratagem at TAG.

John D’Aversa (Lloyd) received a Bachelor Degree in Asian Studies and Theatre Arts from Augusta College. Since arriving in Hawai‘i he has performed in the workshop production of Higher! Higher! by Thomas Cooper, Sweeney Todd (MVT), Rotterdam (TAG) and The Play That Goes Wrong (MVT). Previous Credits include acting in Young Frankenstein (Theatre on the Hill) and technical direction on Golden Girls- Hell in a Handbag.

Kekoa Shope (Manu) is currently attending the WCC Conservatory. He had the honor of training in Shakespeare Level 2 certified theatrical combatant with Dueling Arts International. Acting credits include Machinal (WCC), Kahawai/Massie (WCC) and Aloha Attire (WCC).

Scott Robertson (Robert Louis Stevenson) Scott's acting career began when he was three years old with a Wheaties commercial. He subsequently appeared in several TV shows including the popular 1970s TV show The Brady Bunch, some commercials, and the 1962 film Period of Adjustment. After moving to Hawai‘i he continued to act in As You Like It (HSF), The Trial of the Queen (Hawi‘i Pono‘i), Cymbeline (HSF), It's a Wonderful Life: Radio Play (MVT) and Wilcox's Shot (KKT). His latest television credits include Hawaii Five-O on CBS.

Sorcha McCarrey (Belle) is from La‘ie and attended Kahuku High School. Most recently at KKT her piece Hulihia was featured in The Work. Acting credits include Kahahawai/Massie (WCC), Enough! (St. Andrews Priory and UHM), Henry VI (HSF), Way of a God (KKT) and Demigods Anonymous (KKT). Sorcha has been awarded both a Meritorious Achievement Award (Kennedy Festival) and an Excellence in Performance Award (WCC).

Thoren Lagaʻali Black (Vai) was last seen at KKT in Folks You Meet in Longs. They graduated from Wai‘anae High School and attended LCC. Their credits include Rotterdam (TAG), Fa‘alavelave “The Interruption” (KKT), Pakalolo Sweet (KKT), She Kills Monsters (LCC), Dark and Stormy Knight (LCC), and Richard III (LCC).

Kristen Labiano (Assistant Director) theatre credits include The Secret in the Wings, Nocturnal Emissions Burlesque, Shoot Get Treasure Repeat, Plantation Plays (LCC), and Puzzy and Aloha Fry-Day (KKT). Kristen has co-directed Monsters and Maidens, Assistant Directed Plantation Plays, and did musical composition for Merry Men (LCC).

Julia Frazier (Stage Manager) has been involved in theatre since age 8. She acted in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying, and Fefu and her Friends, before discovering her passion for directing. Julia graduated from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta (BA in Theatre and Shakespearean Studies minor).

Teia O’Malley (Scenic Design) This is Teia’s third KKT production—she has worked as scenic designer on The Conversion of Ka‘ahumanu and as props designer for June Is The First Fall. She is currently in her final year of Drama Design at the UW in Seattle where she has been the scenic designer for Fefu And Her Friends, Hookman, The Rocky Horror Show, and Good Person.

Scenic Designer’s Notes:

Villa Vailima was Robert Louis Stevenson’s final home on Sāmoa. A hundred years after his death, the building was completely restored and now stands as the Robert Louis Stevenson museum. Photographs from the museum gave us detailed looks at the rooms in the house, which made it possible for this set to portray “The Smoking Room” with an exact replication of its Siapo patterned wallpaper. The items displayed are inspired by the room as well, showing Robertʻs appreciation of both European and Sāmoan culture.

Given the existence of such detailed siapo in The Smoking Room, I also created the Āoa tree using strands of siapo in order to strengthen this connection between the two spaces. I designed a pattern based on traditional siapo design elements of faʻa lau ulu, or breadfruit leaves. The breadfruit is known as the tree of life and served as a perfect symbol with which to create our version of a tree standing between our world and the afterlife.

Brian Lee Sackett (Set and Lighting Design) has been involved in Hawaiʻi theatre for 20-plus years. He has worked in every facet of theatre, other than playwriting, which he is quick to admit is beyond his skill set.

Sean T.C. O’Malley (Sound Design) frequently collaborates with this director. Such projects include sound design for On the Verge (KT), music direction for Indecent (OHPN), composition for Vinegar Tom (KT) and A Lie of the Mind (KT). He has provided composition for Ulua: the Musical (KKT), The Slaying of Gavaka (KT), and The Trojan Women (UT Austin). His scripts have been produced at KKT (Island Skin Songs, To the Last Hawaiian Soldier, and Wilcox’s Shot) and HTY. He has performed regularly for 13 years in infamous rock’n’roll improvisational comedy band Oil in the Alley.

Sound Designer’s Notes:

Aitu Fafine’s sound design is all about birds. A significant portion of the play takes place in the bush, and we needed audio to help to distinguish indoor from outdoor scenes. Since the birdsong of Sāmoa is distinct from Hawaiʻi—and there would be plenty of audience members familiar with Sāmoa–finding audio of native birdsong was absolutely necessary.

Fortunately, the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and its searchable database of archival field recordings came through. I was able to find audio of the specific native birds that would have created the soundscape of Vailima in the late nineteenth century, and three contributors were kind enough to give permission to use their amazing recordings.

The song of the Aitu Fafine itself came from a serendipitous encounter with the unique and haunting melody of the Se’u bird, or Fantail. The call is difficult to discern in the wild, because it is very high pitched and on the quiet side. I might have missed it entirely; however, while I was exploring ways to distort the recordings in order to make more magical settings, I tried lowering a recording of the Sāmoan Triller an octave in pitch—and suddenly there was the Se’u popping up out of the background. The six-note tune with its chromatic descending slide became the signature melody for our Aitu Fafine; you’ll hear it throughout the production.

Finally, we couldn’t present a play featuring Robert Louis Stevenson without using his musical compositions. The musical family Stevenson plays two of his tunes: “My Shadow” and “The Land of Nod.” 

Birdsong and Endangered Native Bird Species.

There are only ten remaining native bird species in Sāmoa today. The recordings you hear contain the calls of at least five of these: the Se’u (Sāmoan Fantail, Rhipidura nebulosa); the Mao, or Maomao (Honeyeater, Gymnomyza samoensis); the Vasavasa (Sāmoan Whistler, Pachycephala falvifrons); the Miti Tae (Sāmoan Triller, Lalage sharpei); and the Iao (Wattled Honeyeater, Foulehaio carunculatus). 

When was the last time you stopped and listened to the birds singing, whether on the street, on the beach, or on a hike? Bird populations worldwide are in decline, and native pacific island birds are in much worse shape than most. Contact these organizations to find out more and see what you can do to help–or just go out and listen.

American Bird Conservancy:
https://abcbirds.org/
https://abcbirds.org/blog/five-rarest-hawaiian-birds/ 

The Sāmoa Conservation Society: 
https://samoaconservationsociety.wordpress.com/animal-profiles-2/birds/

The Hawaiʻi Audobon Society: 
https://hiaudubon.org/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2024/bird-population-decline-united-states-maps/?itid=hp_mv-latest_p001_f012

Maile Speetjens (Costume Design) is Professor of Costume Design and Technology at UHM. Originally from Kaua‘i, Maile received an MFA in Costume Design and Technology (U.Georgia, Athens) and a BFA in Musical Theatre (Emerson College). Her recent work includes Conversion of Ka'ahumanu (KKT), An American Dream (HOT), Clue: Onstage (MVT), and ‘Au‘a ‘Ia: Holding On (UHM).

Sara Ward (Properties Design)  has designed props for almost every theatre on Oʻahu. Her favorite shows she’s worked on include Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Jamarama), Fiddler on the Roof (HPU), Seussical (DHT), The King and I (ACT), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (MVT), The Rocky Horror Show (MVT),  Aloha Las Vegas (KKT), and Folks You Meet in Longs (KKT). Sara has received four Poʻokela awards for her prop work, and in  2019 she received the  Hawaiʻi State Theatre Council Pierre Bowman Award. Sara is a member of the full-time professional staff at Kumu Kahua Theatre as the Office Manager.

THEATRE ABBREVIATIONS

Army Community Theatre: ACT
The ARTS at Marks Garage: AMG
All the World's a Stage: ATWAS
Central Theatre Arts Academy: CTAA
Diamond Head Theatre: DHT
EVOLVE Theatre Company: ETC
Hawaiian Mission Houses: HMH
Hawai‘i Opera Theatre: HOT
Hawai‘i Pacific University: HPU
Hawai‘i Shakespeare Festival: HSF
Honolulu Theatre for Youth: HTY
Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre: IONA
Kaimukī High School: KHS
Kumu Kahua Theatre: KKT
KOA Theater: KOA
Kīlauea Military Camp Theater: KMC
Kīpuka Theatre: KT
Leeward Theatre: LCC
Mid-Pacific Institute: MPI
Mānoa Valley Theatre: MVT
‘Ohana Arts: OA
Open Home Performance Network: OHPN
‘Ōhi‘a Productions: OP
On the Spot: OTS
Performing Arts Center of Kapolei: PACK
PlayBuilders of Hawai‘i: PBH
Palikū Theatre: PTW
The Actors’ Group: TAG
University of Hawai‘i Mānoa: UHM
Windward Community College (Palikū): WCC

KUMU KAHUA THEATRE
2023-2024

Managing Director: Donna Blanchard
Artistic Director: Harry Wong III
Office Manager: Sara Ward
Box Office Associates: Alyson Wong, Kathy Dombrigues, Max Pennington & Victoria Amara

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Marcus Oshiro
Vice President: Dann Seki
Recording Secretary: Jason Kanda
Elizabeth Errico
Mark Kalahele
Karen Kaulana
Brook Lee
Annie Macapagal
Kathy Dombrigues Max 
Tony Pisculli
John H. Y. Wat
Victoria Wei