Honolulu Theatre for Youth Announces World Premiere of 'Imi Ā Loaʻa: Search and Find

Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) is excited to announce the world premiere of ʻImi Ā Loaʻa: Search and Find created by Moses Goods, Inamona Theatre Company, and the HTY Ensemble. The show is an all new multimedia theatrical experience featuring live actors, augmented reality technology, original music, and artwork by Native Hawaiian artist, Solomon Enos.

The production explores the Native Hawaiian ideas of "time" and "place." Audience members will meet at Tenney Theatre to start the experience. Each audience member will be provided an iPad in a protective case and headphones. Each device will act as a digital maka (eye) unlocking layer upon layer of music, images and stories. As an audience member scans an image of a painted kalo leaf on the wall of the theatre, they may find themselves inside a 360 degree video of an actual lo'i, surrounded by chanting and music. Live actors join the digital experience and guides will lead the audience in small groups on a short walking tour to nearby destinations including the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. At the museum, they will interact with multimedia installations, unlocking portals to different time periods, creating their own digital sculptures and experiencing a unique theatrical journey that is part play and part Pokemon Go! ʻImi Ā Loaʻa is unlike anything HTY has produced before.

"The ambitious vision of Moses Goods and his team of collaborators brings together cutting edge technology and traditional indigenous thought in an entirely new format. It is just the kind of project we hope will inspire young people and their families as we return to live performance," shared Artistic Director, Eric Johnson. "It has the added benefit of being extremely Covid friendly, with most of the performance taking place outside in small groups and the devices being sanitized between performances."

ʻImi Ā Loaʻa: Search and Find premieres on Saturday, April 30 @ 11:00am. Other performance dates are: May 7 @ 4:00pm, May 15 @ 2:00pm, and May 21 @ 4:00pm. Tickets may be purchased online at www.htyweb.org or by calling 808-839-9885 ext 720. HTY Members receive tickets for shows as part of their membership. More information on becoming a member of HTY can also be found on HTYʻs website: www.htyweb.org.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Native Arts and Culture Foundation and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Additional funding is provided by Kamehameha Schools and the Hawai'i Tourism Authority through the Kūkulu Ola Program, administered by the Hawai'i Community Foundation.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) is a theatre of place, deeply rooted in the cultures and people of the Pacific and dedicated to serving young people, families and educators across the Hawaiian Islands. Founded in 1955, HTY is one of the oldest professional TYA companies in the country and is recognized for its long history of innovative drama education programming and the creation of original theatrical works that celebrate the diverse cultures of Hawaiʻi.