The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's Department of Theatre and Dance and Kennedy Theatre Present HOʻOILINA Streaming On Demand

The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's Department of Theatre and Dance and Kennedy Theatre present a virtual Hana Hou production of Hoʻoilina, a hana keaka (Hawaiian Theatre) production performed in 'ōlelo Hawai'i (Hawaiian language), Pidgin, ʻōlelo māhū (Māhū language), and English.

Written and directed by recent Hawaiian Theatre M.F.A. graduate Ākea Kahikina, it is set in pre-pandemic Hawai'i upon the luxurious slopes of L?"ʻahi. Hoʻoilina is a farcical hana keaka that knocks on the door of a Kanaka Maoli family anxiously poised for a will reading that will determine the fate of a huge inheritance from their beloved matriarch. Just as the will is about to be read, a quirky stranger appears at the door, claiming her right to the hefty endowment. As chaos ensues, family secrets are revealed, causing the family to question their own relationships, identity, and future as Kānaka while being insidiously constricted by the pressures of capitalism and cultural loss.

Hoʻoilina will be available as video-on-demand from May 29 through June 11, 2022. Streaming Ticket prices range from $5-$15 and can be purchased at www.ShowTix4U.com/events/kennedytheatre.

Audiences will be digitally transported to the grand two-story hale of the late Mrs. Ellis, where the nostalgic notes of Hawaiian songs from the 1920s to 1950s permeate every space. This eclectic and zany farce involves mistaken identities, spooky specters, and laugh-out-loud physical comedy in the unfolding of the action, but Hoʻoilina also concurrently tackles important themes and topics. It explores the diversity of Kānaka Maoli, the issues that are being faced in the community right now in the beginning of the 21st century and the question "What does it take to be considered Hawaiian?"

The Hawaiian Theatre program was formally established at U.H.M. by Dr. Haili'ōpua Baker in 2014. Lā'ieikawai, its inaugural hana keaka production (written and directed by Baker), played on the Kennedy Theatre mainstage in 2015 to sold out audiences before touring to Hilo, Hawai'i, Moloka'i, Kaua'i, and Aotearoa/New Zealand and was showcased at the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Subsequently, the program's first M.F.A. graduate, Puakahiki Kau'i Kaina wrote and directed Nā Kau a Hi'iaka. It was performed in the David O. McKay Auditorium at Brigham Young University in Lā'ie in 2017. In fall of 2019, Kennedy Theatre premiered 'Au'a 'Ia: Holding On, written and directed by Baker. It was remounted by invitation off-Broadway in January 2020. He Leo Aloha, written and directed by Kaipulaumakaniolono premiered on the Kennedy Theatre Mainstage in the fall of 2021 as a pre-recorded and streamed production, due to the Covid19 pandemic. Hoʻoilina continued the program's legacy of premiering new hana keaka productions that celebrate the Hawaiian Language and storytelling.

For more information about the show, past media coverage, access to the virtual play guide, and more visit manoa.hawaii.edu/liveonstage/hooilina. Streaming tickets to Hoʻoilina are available for purchase online 24/7 at showtix4u.com/events/kennedytheatre. For ticketing or accessibility questions please email the box office at ktbox@hawaii.edu.

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