Local Artists Receive $10,000 Award to Build Creative Bridges Between Local Populations

Local artists have been granted funds to create ANA LULU: VOICING THE ISLANDS, a theatre project aimed at creating conversation and camaraderie among local populations, with a special focus on women, to explore the connections and conflicts of multiple cultures sharing an island home, particularly concerning the Micronesian Diaspora. The project is funded by a grant from Partners of the Americas and the U.S. Department of State.

ANA LULU: VOICING THE ISLANDS will engage the general local community and artists throughout, giving voice to people and populations that are the backbone of contemporary life in Hawaii to stimulate dialogue about ongoing challenges facing our shared communal space and shape the resulting theatre production.

Stage One

The project begins by collecting stories of local life experiences, cultural knowledge and perspectives on the issues faced by targeted populations. Appropriate cultural leaders will be engaged to collect recounted tales, anecdotes, and experiences.

Stage Two

Artists and select community members will collaborate to disseminate collected material, identify themes, and structure methods for the performance.

Stage Three

The project team and artistic and cultural specialists will conduct a training workshop for a culturally diverse group of young artists on performance techniques, cultural protocols and traditions and discourse techniques to develop a theatrical presentation from the collected materials.

Stage Three will include a test performance for an invited audience to engage them in discussions about the presentation and its effectiveness as a vehicle for stimulating dialogue with local audiences. The project, then, will result in a theatre piece ready to be presented to local youth, social, cultural and educational organizations, ensuring an audience that is directly affected by the identified intercultural issue.

Utilizing feedback to further development, the project will evolve to a final workshop performance at The ARTS at Marks Garage in Downtown/Chinatown Honolulu. All performances will be open to the public, free of charge.

"The project will help us build creative bridges between our local populations," says Makiilei Ishihara, one of the artists involved. "We look forward to engaging in conversations with a wide range of people that share our island home."

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