The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ continue to celebrate the expansion of hana keaka (Hawaiian theatre), which are plays performed primarily in ʻ¨lelo Â鶹´«Ã½ (Hawaiian language). The Hawaiian storytelling genre is flourishing rapidly and inspired UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ graduate student ?kea Kahikina, a Hawaiian theatre MFA candidate, to write and direct a comedic hana keaka, Hoʻoilina, which will close out the 2021–22 mainstage season.
“Things are happening…I¡¯m glad to be a part of this movement that is growing exponentially and creating more new works on a grand scale,” said Kahikina, who teaches ʻ¨lelo Â鶹´«Ã½ courses at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹. “I couldn¡¯t be more thankful to be doing this at this level.”
Hoʻoilina, which means legacy or inheritance, is set in pre-pandemic Â鶹´«Ã½ upon the luxurious slopes of Lēʻahi and hones in on a Kanaka Maoli (Hawaiian) 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 them to question their own relationships, identity and future as K¨¡naka, while being insidiously constricted by the pressures of capitalism and cultural loss. The characters explore real-time issues such as what it takes to be considered Hawaiian.
Spotlighting ʻ¨lelo m¨¡h¨±
Most of the play is performed in Hawaiian, however audiences will also hear performers speak in a multitude of languages such as Pidgin, English and what Kahikina dubs ʻ¨lelo m¨¡h¨± (Queer creole). His concept of the m¨¡h¨± dialect is one that he claims is a descendant of ʻ¨lelo kake, a long-standing traditional form of garbling language to conceal information. Today, ʻ¨lelo m¨¡h¨± incorporates Pig Latin and is delivered in a style similar to the cadence of Pidgin.
“Putting that language in there is a way to honor my queer community, my m¨¡h¨± brothers and sisters that I¡¯ve learned from,” Kahikina explained. “My partner, Kaʻiminaʻauao Cambern, he¡¯s taught me everything that I put into the script.”
range $5–$25 for the production set to premiere April 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and April 24 at 2 p.m. Helping Kahikina bring the production to life are award-winning UH alumnus Jonah Bobilin (lighting design), Rick Greaver (sound design), Kara Nabarrete (scenic design, MFA candidate), Kaneikoliakawahineikaʻiukapuomua Baker (costume design, incoming MFA student), I¨¡sona Kaper (Assistant Director, MFA candidate), Kaipulaumakaniolono (dramaturge, MFA candidate) and UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ program founder Kumu Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker.
In 2014, Baker established Hawaiian Theatre at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹. Lāʻieikawai, an inaugural hana keaka production she wrote and directed, played to sold out audiences on the Kennedy Theatre mainstage in 2014 before touring to Â鶹´«Ã½ Island, Molokaʻi, Kauaʻi and Aotearoa (New Zealand). In 2019, Kennedy Theatre premiered Baker¡¯s production ʻAuʻa ʻIa: Holding On. It was remounted by invitation off-Broadway in New York City in January 2020.
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This work is an example of UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯s goal of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.