{"id":118876,"date":"2020-05-19T12:09:21","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T22:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=118876"},"modified":"2020-08-07T12:51:45","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T22:51:45","slug":"theatre-production-catches-a-wave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/05\/19\/theatre-production-catches-a-wave\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> theatre production ‘catches a wave’ amid COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Artist: Emily Wright, MFA<\/abbr> candidate in theatre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Twenty people made history as they were cast for Eddie Wen\u2019 Go<\/em>, a University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa Kennedy Theatre<\/a> fall 2020 production.<\/p>\n

The audition process was far from normal. Eddie Wen\u2019 Go<\/em> Director and Associate Professor Mark Branner<\/strong> led the theatre\u2019s first fully virtual audition.<\/p>\n

“It worked remarkably well,” Branner said. “I have done some auditioning online before where I just schedule a time when people who are off-island to sing for me or do a monologue on the computer, but I\u2019ve never done the whole process online.”<\/p>\n

Audition process changes<\/h2>\n

Auditions were held via Zoom on May 8–9 and callbacks were on May 10. Those wanting a spot were required to act, sing and perform a movement.<\/p>\n

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Lily Kim-Dela Cruz auditions via Zoom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“It worked quite well,” Branner said. “We would do something similar in a live version where we have people stand outside a door and sign in and come in one at a time to audition for the creative team and so this was a similar thing. We had the playwright, the assistant director, the choreographer and myself, the director, sitting in a virtual Zoom room.”<\/p>\n

After the first audition, more than 20 people were invited to the callback, which involved a different format.<\/p>\n

“We set up these breakout rooms where we would have people read a scene together and I would assign them to read different roles,” Branner said.<\/p>\n

Plot and cast<\/h2>\n

The production is a tribute to big wave, championship waterman Eddie Aikau. It is based on the book Eddie Wen\u2019 Go: The Story of the Upside-Down Canoe<\/em> by Marion Lyman-Mersereau, who was on the H\u014dk\u016bleʻa<\/span> when it capsized in 1978 on its way from Oʻahu<\/span> to Tahiti. Aikau paddled on a surfboard looking for help. But, he was never seen again. Suitable for all ages, the production is told by the sea creatures who may have seen his heroic act.<\/p>\n

Eddie Wen\u2019 Go<\/em> cast:<\/p>\n

Sea creature characters<\/p>\n