World Premiere Musical and More Set for UHM Kennedy Theatre 62nd Season

UHM Department of Theatre & Dance and Kennedy Theatre will present the 2025-2026 Production Season. Kennedy Theatre's 62nd production season brings new and original works to the forefront while celebrating various cultural heritages and powerful works of the past.

MAINSTAGE SEASON

The Mainstage Season features two exciting and culturally rich productions designed to captivate and inspire. Dancing in the Diaspora (November 14-23, 2025) blends hip-hop, Filipino Indigenous dance, and 'Ori Tahiti to explore themes of identity, belonging, and community healing. The production is a collaboration with and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Center for Philippine Studies at UHM. In the spring, Panji and the Lost Princess (April 17-26, 2026) dazzles with the stunning art of Balinese wayang listrik giant shadow puppetry, combining intricate lighting, live gamelan music, and dynamic performances to tell a captivating Javanese tale suitable for all ages. These performances offer a deep dive into global cultural expressions, showcasing the power of storytelling through movement and music.

PRIME TIME SERIES

The Prime Time Series showcases the culminating works of MFA candidates in directing, choreography, design, playwriting, and live performance. This year's season opens in September with The Yellow Boat by David Saar, directed by MFA candidate Emmanuel Mante. A heartwarming production suitable for youth and audiences of all ages, this imaginative and moving play transforms life's deepest challenges into a sea of possibilities. October 2025 introduces the world premiere of Dolls: A Musical, written and directed by MFA candidate Alison Bruce-Maldonado. Set in a 1940s American toy store, this original musical tells a poignant tale of love, resilience, and societal change as characters navigate segregation, war, and the evolving landscape of history – all through the eyes of the dolls who silently witness it unfold. In January 2026, the MFA/BFA Dance Concert, directed by Sami L.A. Akuna, highlights new and original choreography created as apex creative projects for MFA and BFA students completing their degrees. This dynamic annual concert celebrates the creativity and artistic growth of UHM's undergraduate and graduate dancers through innovative works for both stage and screen. Closing the Prime Time Series, March 2026 features Lele Wale, a world premiere Hana Keaka (Hawaiian theatre) production written and directed by MFA candidate Ikaika Mendez. Inspired by true stories from the Lahaina wildfires of 2023, this powerful production blends mele and hula to explore loss, resilience, and the unbreakable bond between people and place. Performed in a combination of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin), and English, Lele Wale serves as both a tribute and a call to action for the future of a beloved community.

LATE NIGHT SERIES

Late Night Theatre Company strives to create relevant and innovative performance art-making that dismantles oppression, fosters skills in a pre-professional environment, and empowers our local, national, and global communities. Late Night productions are by, for, and about UHM students. The Late Night Theatre Company's 2025-2026 season will have its first offering in November 2025 and a second offering in April 2026. Please be sure to check online for updates and more information once production titles are announced.

Kennedy Theatre program and schedule are subject to change. Mainstage Season – on the Kennedy Theatre Mainstage

Dancing in the Diaspora

Celebrating 50 years of the Center for Philippine Studies

Created and Directed by Dr. J. Lorenzo Perillo
Assistant Director: Emmanuel Mante

Artistic Collaborators: Mary Chris (Mycs) Villoso, Von Ace Asilo, Angela Sebastian, Ron Querian, Lydia Querian, Manarii Gauthier and Nalini Gauther

November 14-23, 2025

Dancing in the Diaspora delves into the interconnected lives of Filipinos maneuvering the waters of belonging and exclusion in Hawaiʻi and beyond. This original Filipino cultural production is a collaboration between UHM's Dance Program and Center for Philippine Studies (CPS) to unearth the dynamic powers of dancing identity, healing, and mobilizing community. This compelling, high-energy live performance interweaves cultural storytelling with dynamic Hip-hop, street dance, contemporary, Filipino Indigenous, and ‘Ori Tahiti choreographies accompanied by live kulintang and soulful Tahitian music. This production celebrates the 50th anniversary of CPS, established in 1975 by an Act of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to recognize the contributions of Filipinos to Hawaiʻi, and is now the most developed center of its kind in the diaspora. Written and Directed by Dr. J. Lorenzo Perillo, Associate Professor and Co-Director of CPS, Dancing in the Diaspora assembles acclaimed international and local choreographers Mary Chris (Mycs) Villoso, Von Ace Asilo, Angela Sebastian, Ron Querian and Lydia Querian of House of Gongs, and Manarii Gauthier and Nalini Gauthier, founders of award-winning Tahiti Mana. This production will be performed in a combination of Filipino, Ilokano, and English languages.

Content Advisories: Profane language, mental health issues, colonization and cultural struggles, loss and grief

High School Educators interested in School Show Performance dates and costs please contact ktbox@hawaii.edu for more information.

Panji and the Lost Princess

Balinese Wayang Listrik (giant shadow puppets in combination with live action and gamelan orchestra)

Adapted from a traditional Balinese folktale by Ketut Wirtawan and Madé Moja

Co-Directed by Kirstin Pauka and I Madé Moja

April 17-26, 2026

Panji and the Lost Princess is a large-scale Balinese shadow puppetry performance in the tradition of wayang listrik. The story is based on the Balinese interpretation of a traditional Javanese story, and adapted to the genre of wayang listrik by Balinese master artists I Ketut Wirtawan and I Madé Moja. The show is dynamically staged with giant shadow puppetry, actors, dancers, special lighting effects, and is accompanied by a live gamelan ensemble, led by master musician I Madé Widana. The style of the production, wayang listrik (Indonesian for “electric shadows”), is a recent development in Balinese shadow puppetry that emerged in the late 1990s. What distinguishes this art form from others is the inclusion of giant screens, paintings, complex lighting, 3-dimensional effects, and dancers, as well as actors behind the screen, wearing shadow masks carved in a similar manner as traditional kulit (“leather”) puppets. Moja has staged two previous wayang listrik productions at Kennedy Theatre: Subali-Sugriwa – Battle of the Monkey Kings and The Last King of Bali. We are thrilled that he will return this season to serve as the master designer and co-director of this production.

Educators interested in School Show Performance dates and costs please contact ktbox@hawaii.edu for more information.

Prime time Series – in the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre

The Yellow Boat

Written by David Saar
Directed by MFA candidate Emmanuel Mante
September 24-28, 2025

A heartwarming journey for audiences of all ages, The Yellow Boat by David Saar is a powerful piece of theatre for youth and family audiences that celebrates imagination, escape, and resilience. Inspired by a true story, this moving play follows a young boy whose boundless creativity transforms his world, turning life's deepest challenges into a sea of possibilities. Through vibrant storytelling and evocative imagery, this production invites children and adults alike to embark on an unforgettable adventure – one where even the smallest boat can carry the biggest ride of the imagination. Patrons are invited to set sail and experience the magic of The Yellow Boat. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Content Advisories: covers health issues and suffering such as hemophilia and HIV

Educators interested in School Show Performance dates and costs please contact ktbox@hawaii.edu for more information.

Dolls: A Musical

World Premiere
Written and Directed by MFA candidate Alison Bruce-Maldonado
October 22-26, 2025

Set in a 1940s American toy store, Dolls: A Musical is a moving tale of love, loss, and societal change. As segregation and war shape the world around them, Lena, a radiant Black teen with dreams of becoming a music teacher, and Timothy, a soft-spoken White teen who is an aspiring engineer, find their love challenged by miscegenation laws that threaten to keep them apart. Meanwhile, the store's dolls watch in quiet wonder as history unfolds and war leaves its mark on those who return including a desperate former storehand and a once-powerful store manager carrying unspoken regrets. As the nation stands on the brink of change; Lena, after the war, must reckon with the sacrifices she has made for her family and the dreams that she left behind. With heartfelt music, historical depth, and a bittersweet love story, Dolls: A Musical reminds us that despite injustice, hope endures, and change is always on the horizon. Viewer discretion is advised.

Content Advisories: Segregation, racism, prejudice and harmful ideologies, war and its impacts, loss and grief, tense moments and conflicts.

MFA/BFA Dance Concert

Program Director: Sami L.A. Akuna
January 28 - February 1, 2026

Original choreography from our talented Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Creative Projects and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Senior Project students. This production celebrates the boundless creativity and artistic growth of our undergraduate and graduate dancers. Featuring a mix of world premiere works for both the stage and screen.

Featuring Original Choreography created by:
Bayardo Rodriguez, MFA candidate
Mia Davis, BFA candidate
Tiare Reincke, BFA candidate
Tessa Rudig, BFA candidate

Content Advisories: TBD

Lele Wale

World Premiere Hana Keaka
Written and Directed by MFA candidate Ikaika Mendez
March 4-8, 2026

Lele Wale takes audiences on a poignant journey through the rebuilding of a community in the wake of the devastating Lahaina wildfires of August 2023. Inspired by true stories, this production serves as a tribute to the homes, businesses, landmarks, and, most importantly, the cherished lives lost. As leaders, first responders, displaced families, and cultural practitioners navigate the aftermath, they wrestle with difficult questions about identity, responsibility, and the future of their beloved homeland. Through their eyes, we witness the cycles of history repeating – how colonization, commerce, and displacement have shaped the town, yet how resilience and aloha remain steadfast. "I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope" (The future is found in the past). Blending mele and hula, Lele Wale explores themes of loss, healing, and the unbreakable bond between people and place. In the play, as the anniversary of the fire approaches, tensions and emotions rise, forcing the community to confront its grief, hope, and responsibility to future generations. This production is both a prayer and an offering, honoring Lahaina's enduring spirit and the unextinguished flame of its people, ke kukui pio ʻole i ka makani Kauaʻula. ʻĀmama, ua noa, lele wale. This production will be performed in a combination of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language), Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin), and English languages.

Content Advisories: Grief and trauma, colonization and cultural struggles, displacement and economic hardships, use of fire symbolism.

Late Night Series

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