by Maya McGarry

November 21, 2019

I first met Resident Designer and Technician Ariana Bassett when I took the Basic Stagecraft class at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, where I learned about backstage work, building and designing scenery, and working with lighting and sound equipment. Because I learned so much and really enjoyed it, I applied and got a job as a backstage assistant and stagehand with the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Performing Arts Center, and now work under Arie’s supervision. Training to be a lighting designer for the theatre, I have learned so much valuable knowledge from Arie and I am lucky to have a mentor like her to teach me...

by Juliann Wood

June 05, 2017

Justina Taft is the playwright and director of Kakahiaka, a children’s musical written and performed entirely in Hawaiian. She has had years of experience in the realm of theatre, directing numerous performances. . . . Along with her knowledge of theatre and of various languages, she has also written several plays, two of which are in Hawaiian and one of which, Kakahiaka, is the topic of this interview...

by Heather Bartlett

April 11, 2016

Jacquelyn Pualani Johnson is a performing artist with a passion for theatrical arts, acting, directing, writing, and stagecraft. With over 30 years of experience in performing arts, she uses her talents to touch the hearts and lives of her audiences. As a professor at UH Hilo, she also works to pass on her expertise to students. Much of her focus is on the power of oral history and storytelling which is a powerful tool for shaping our perspectives and touching the hearts of people from all walks of life. Jackie has a long repertoire of shows and whether she is writing, acting, or directing, she is always working on new pieces for people in the community. Queen Lili’uokalani at Washington Place is a historically accurate account shared through the perspective of the queen herself. The one-woman show was written and performed by Jackie herself with help from colleagues including UHH  professor Justina Mattos...

by Danielle Dodge

April 11, 2016

Coming from a large family, Doodie Cruz is well versed in the school of family dynamics in Hawai‘i. Drawing from rich life experience and deep family bonds, her one act play, “Whose Nose Dat?” follows a local family and one daughter keeping to the Hawaiian tradition of molding the ‘ūpepe, or flat, noses of babies. It’s a play about the continuance of tradition and an acknowledgement of the deep bond of mother and child, family and culture. Its unique play format carries readers along as this growing and evolving Hawaiian family carries on cultural traditions.

by Kailey Lapenia

March 15, 2016

Lee Cataluna, born and raised on the island of Maui, has been a writer at Honolulu Star Advertiser since 2000, but she is also a dramatist, playwright, novelist, and a short story writer. Lee Cataluna is known for her work that is based on the island life that shares the culture, hardships and comedy that is present in everyday life in Hawaiʻi. She is known for her two books, Three Years on Doreenʻs Sofa and Folks You Meet in Longs and Other Stories, and also her plays entitled Ulua: The Musical, Half Dozen Long Stem, and more that have been produced at Kumu Kahua Theatre. Lee Cataluna’s first play, Da Mayah, takes place in Hilo and portrays the local lifestyles and attitudes of the people of Hawaiʻi through pidgin and comedy.

Q: What was your purpose for writing this play?

A: My purpose was to complete a class assignment.  I was taking my first playwriting class.  It was at Kumu Kahua Theatre and my teacher was Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, who is still one of my favorite teachers of all time...   

by Andrea Stroescu

March 17, 2015

Troy Rimel moved to Hawaiʻi in 1989, started working at Christian Liberty Academy as a teacher in 1991, and became the principal while remaining a history teacher in 1995. One of his most well known plays, “Sovereignty” is about the quest for the restoration of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi...