UHM Kennedy Theatre to Present I'M LOT LANE (A SOLO EFFORT)

The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's Department of Theatre + Dance and Kennedy Theatre present I'm Lot Lane (a solo effort), an original creation inspired by historical accounts of the last remaining royalist insurgent, Lot Lane, who turned himself into government forces by simply walking in and announcing "I'm Lot Lane." MFA candidate and project originator Keola Simpson describes this production as "a deconstruction of the American and Hawaiian theatres, examining our dependency on propaganda, hierarchy, and fear of truth on our stages." Online performances will take place December 4 & 5 at 7:30pm and Sunday December 6 at 2:00pm. Special Streaming Ticket prices range from $5-$15. This performance includes strong language and an on-screen costume change.

Simpson considers I'm Lot Lane to be a "blatantly aggressive in-your-face play showcasing performative masculinity and the weaponizing of manhood," but qualifies that the play is actually the opposite of all that too. He notes that the aggression is performative, demonstrating that one must "smash" in order to "replace" - mimicking the methods used to invade Hawai'i and overthrow the monarchy. "If somebody were to actually be offended by the end of the performance, I wouldn't be shocked," Simpson says.

Countless collaborators were part of the process of creation for I'm Lot Lane. Simpson cites inspiration from New York and the UHM Hawaiian Studies, Political Science, Women's Studies, and Ethnic Studies programs in addition to professors and students from within the UHM theatre program who helped in the devising and editing process.

The production begins with condemning the spread of Western Theatre ideologies, specifically in Hawai'i and the UHM Dept. of Theatre + Dance. Simpson revealed, "It's my reminder to audiences that this is not a biography of Lot Lane - it's the start of a non-linear, self-conscious journey through an ongoing process. This invites the voyeuristic audience to witness the pursuit of the man who I believe Lot Lane to be-not who the victors of history say he was." Ultimately, the production seeks to inspire the cultivation and re-education of what people in Hawai'i have experienced or have been taught about theatre, and to embolden the audience and theatre practitioners to take a closer look at what theatre is for and what it can accomplish.

Regarding the switch to online streamed performances, "The stage is different now and I've never looked at this virtual platform we're using as some sort of 'inferior, difficult to translate to, hiccup or speed-bump.' I don't look at it that way. I look at it as an opportunity. With these online stages we get to do things we couldn't do before. There are people we can reach that we couldn't reach before," states Simpson.

Tickets to I'm Lot Lane are $5-$15 and available online at showtix4u.com/events/kennedytheatre.

EVENT:
I'm Lot Lane (a solo effort)

PRESENTED BY:

UHM Department of Theatre + Dance / Kennedy Theatre ONLINE

WHEN:

December 4-6, 2020

FRI/SAT at 7:30pm
SUN at 2pm

STREAMING TICKETS:

$15 Regular

$10 Senior, Military, UH Faculty/Staff, Non-UHM Students

$5 Students with Valid UHM ID

Ticket prices include all service fees.

TICKET PURCHASE INFO:

Online at http://www.showtix4u.com/events/kennedytheatre

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