HAOLELAND

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.

Anthony michael oliver,
PLAYWRIGHT

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Anthony Michael Oliver is the author of twenty-one plays, two of which have won the University of Hawaii Drama Department/Kumu Kahua Theatre playwriting contest's Hawaiʻi Prize. Originally from the Bronx, he wound up aboard a Pearl Harbor submarine in 1965, courtesy of the Vietnam War. On the G.I. Bill, he earned a BA in History and a Master of Library Studies at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. One of his UH professors told him "with a name like that he should be a writer” and so he promised that if that ever came to pass he’d use all three names. It was while working for the State for 25 years, and listening to tales from his wife and her family and neighbors, that Tony felt he had learned enough to write Haoleland.

PLAYWRIGHT'S NOTES

This play began quite differently and in a very spooky way. I started writing and every day when I went back to it, the previous day’s work had disappeared. This happened again and again. The problem was only with this work and not with any other documents. Finally I realized that I had to abandon the original concept, which I'd developed after reading a brilliant scholarly article by the late Dr. Haunani Kay Trask. Once I changed the original idea there were no further problems. Later, after losing an argument with Harry, our director for this production, I agreed to change the title.

Plays are written by people sitting alone in a room, hearing voices and responding to those voices. This is also known as mental illness. You get to create characters and make them do what you want. You manufacture a small world and you get to run it. The first challenge to this neat little notion comes when these fictional characters start to take over, and they do. In some mystical way, they start to run things. The playwright becomes their transcriber. Once you hear your words spoken by the actors and suddenly it’s a living thing. And then, the actors begin to work their magic and along with sound and light and costumes and a set and a stage manager who make it all work, Haoleland finally became a play. The word “playwright” is related to other terms describing  craftsmen such as “shipwright”, “wheelwright”, and “millwright.” I find that very appropriate. None of those workmen does the job alone, and neither did I. I must thank my wife Franny and daughter Malia and our very extended and extensive family, who taught me so much.

harry wong III,
DIRECTOR

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Harry Wong III has directed over 100 plays in his career, 52 of those plays were directed at KKT in his capacity as Artistic Director. He just stepped off the KKT stage after performing in Aloha Las Vegas. Harry was the co-founder of HSF and a founding Board Member of the Lizard Loft. Awards he has received include the 2015 Hoʻokele Award recipient; second recipient in the non-profit art industry. Given to sustain quality service in the non-profit sector. 2010 recipient Outstanding Alumni of Honolulu Community College, 1999 recipient of the SFCA Individual Artist Fellowship Grant for Theatre Directing; first non-playwright to be honored, 1996 Princess Grace Award for Theatre Directing Recipient; recommended by Honolulu Theatre for Youth for outstanding work in directing, 1996 Lincoln Center Theatre Director's Lab participant; result of a national search of young directors, 1995-1996 Allan Lee Hughes Fellow at Arena Stage Washington DC; result of a national search of postgraduate people of color entering the regional theatre scene and the 1991 & 1993 Masako Sakamoto Scholarship for Acting; given to Hawaiʻi High School graduates studying acting or playwriting.

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

I’ve known Tony since at least 2007 when I directed his play Teacher Teacher. We started working in earnest on Haoleland that year. That’s 16 years ago; 16. It doesn’t always take that long to get a play up.

At that time, a committee recommended a slate of plays to the board of Kumu Kahua, and the board voted on the plays. I couldn’t convince the committee to produce Tony’s play after I told him we’d produce it. Kumu Kahua no longer chooses plays this way; I pick the plays as Artistic Director. I’ve done so since the 2009-2010 season. I’m ashamed to say that I forgot about the play, and my promise. Worst is that I lost touch with Tony and his wife. Though he may bristle to hear it, Tony is an old school gentleman, and cultured intellectual. With grace he forgave me and allowed us to produce his play.

For 16 years I thought that Haoleland was about the breakdown of a coalition that kept the Democrats in power here in Hawaiʻi. The thoughts and emotions brought up by a place like Haoleland could lead to a politics of contention, where conviction is replaced by obstinance, where listening is a sign of weakness, where respecting others means you’re allowing yourself to be victimized. Now I see Haoleland is more about how the system should work to avoid the politics of contention now firmly established in our world. Let us know what you think.

Jim Aina has been in productions at several of our community theatres. A few of his favorites were, Rabbit Hole (HPU), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (MVT), Shoyu on Rice (KKT), Joker (KKT), & The Laramie Project (MVT). Jim has Directed at TAG Theatre in 2017 with Boy & in 2019 with The Gravedigger's Lullaby.

Carolyn Grace Corley was last seen in Measure for Measure (HSF). Her previous acting credits include Office Hours (Theatre Knoxville Downtown), Venus in Fur (Flying Anvil Theatre), The Deadline (Flying Anvil Theatre) and Henry IV Part One (Shakespeare on the Square). Her fight choreographer credits include Julius Caesar (Knoxville Childrenʻs Theatre) and Henry IV Part One (Shakespeare on the Square).

Keith Ordonez was last seen in Cinderella Pantoland at Centerstage Theatre in Washington State. Previous credits include Clue (Tacoma Little Theatre), Yellow Fever (Centerstage Theatre), The Seagull (Dukesbay Productions) and Measure for Measure (Seattle Shakespeare in the Park). His Film and TV credits include background in Magnum PI, NCIS, and Lilo and Stitch.

Darryl Soriano was last seen as Nadine in Folks You Meet at Longs (KKT). Her previous acting credits include Chinee, Japanee, All Mix Up (UHM), The Watcher of Waipuna (KKT), and 38 Minutes (KKT).

Kirstyn Trombetta was last seen in Waitress (DHT). Previous credits include Lady MacDuff in Macbeth (HSF) for which she received a Poʻokela Award , Hedda Gabler (HSF), #iambadatthis (KKT) and Harold and Maude (MVT).

John Wat is a local actor, director, writer, dancer and educator. He taught Theatre, Speech and English at the Mid-Pacific School of the Arts for almost three decades and more recently, English at Kamehameha Schools, Kapalama. He has acted for film and television and in productions for KKT, DHT, HSF, the Hawaii State Libraries, the Hawaii Mission Houses Museum, the University of North Carolina, Northwestern University and the University of Hawaii. He danced with Dances We Dance in productions of José Limón’s Missa Brevis and Fritz Ludin’s Fish in the Garden, and for twenty seasons appeared as Drosselmeyer in the Hawaii State Ballet production of The Nutcracker. He co-edited He Leo Hou: A New Voice, a collection of plays by Native Hawaiian playwrights published by Bamboo Ridge Press and recently wrote the introduction to Lee Cataluna’s new collection, Flowers of Hawaii and Other Plays. He holds an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed coursework for the Doctorate in Performance Studies at Northwestern University. He has been the president of the boards of directors of the Hawaii Literary Arts Council, Bamboo Ridge Press and Kumu Kahua Theatre. He continues to serve on the board of Kumu Kahua and has also served on the board of the Hawaii State Theatre Council.

Julia Frazier (Assistant Director/ Stage Manager) has been involved in theatre since age 8. She acted in numerous productions, including 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, with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Shakespearean Studies. She is excited to be doing her first show with Kumu Kahua Theatre.

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.

Kahana Ho (Sound Designer) has created sound designs for many community theatres in Hawaiʻi. Sound design credits include,  King Henry IV pt 1 (HSF) and Nā Mele o Nā Lani Eha series. Light Design credits include Rolling the R’s (KOA). She is a multiple Poʻokela award winner and has worked in various productions as an actor, set build crew member, dresser, light and sound designer and operator, stage manager, technical director, and assistant director.

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
2022-2023

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