Honolulu Theatre for Youth Opens 68th Season with World Premiere of THE PA'AKAI WE BRING

Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) opens its 68th season this month with the world premiere of The Paʻakai We Bring by Moses Goods and The HTY Ensemble. The 2022-2023 season titled E Hoʻi Hou- Return Anew. includes a lineup of five original shows and marks HTYʻs post-pandemic return to a full season of offerings.

The show introduces young audiences to Native Hawaiian ideas of balance and healing by exploring our relationship to pa'akai (salt). The production was inspired by the real life stories of the twenty-six Hawaiian families who tend the Hanapēpē salt beds on the island of Kauaʻi. Traditionally, pa'akai is food, medicine, and sacrament. It is essential to our individual, communal and environmental well-being. The ensemble joyously celebrates ancient and modern ways we can restore and maintain balance through stories, songs, and audience participation.

"In Hawaiʻi we have a special relationship with paʻakai," shared creator, Moses Goods. "We live our lives surrounded by salt water, we use salt to cleanse and purify and we value salt as a treasured gift. Salt traditions are unique to every culture and we'd like to share a bit of ours with your family."

The production is directed by Eric Johnson and Moses Goods and features HTY Resident Ensemble members Hermenigildo (Junior) Tesoro, Poʻai Lincoln, Matt Mazzella, and Annie Lokomaikaʻi Lipscomb. Creator and Lead Artist is Moses Goods; Dramaturgy by Lee Cataluna; Set and Visual Design by Hanalei Marzan; Lighting Design by Stephen Pruitt, Costume Design by Iris Kim and Emily Wright; Prop Design by Eric West; and Haku Mele by Moses Goods, Pōʻai Lincoln, Lokomaika'i Lipscomb, Hanalei Marzan, and Ryan I. Kahaʻiʻōlelo Sueoka. The show also includes original music by Mattea Mazzella and the HTY Ensemble.

The Paʻakai We Bring opens to Hawaiʻi audiences on September 23rd at 7:00pm at Tenney Theatre followed by performances on September 25th at 2pm and October 1st at 4pm. After touring statewide for school audiences in October and November, the show will return to Tenney for performances on December 4th at 2pm and December 11th at 2pm.

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.

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.

Photo Credit: Stephen Pruitt, Courtesy of Honolulu Theatre for Youth

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