Windward Community College’s Hawaiʻi Conservatory of Performing Arts (HCPA) will showcase their production of Kahahawai/Massie and Aloha Attire, directed by Taurie Kinoshita at Palikū Theatre from November 10–19.
Both casts feature the first Academy for Creative Media (ACM) cohort of the Hawaiʻi Conservatory of Performing Arts.
Kahahawai/Massie is an adaptation of Dennis Carroll’s original Massie/Kahahawai, which is based on an infamous criminal court case in Hawaiʻi.
This docu-drama uses court documents, newspaper articles and witness accounts to recount the series of tragic events in a still segregated early 1930s Honolulu, culminating in the murder of Joseph Kahahawai, a Hawaiian, by four Caucasian people who were subsequently set free after only one hour in the governor’s office.
“It is a story of race, poverty, a justice system which favors the wealthy—and the unsung heroes,” Kinoshita said. “I chose this play to honor Dr. Carroll, using his original play as a starting point. He was a legend.”
Also playing will be Aloha Attire by author Lee Cataluna, the HCPA Established Island Artist for the 2023–2024 season. First performed online in 2020, it has been revised and adapted for the stage.
The play features two sisters rummaging through their mother’s old boxes of memories, each item telling a different story of their family. This local comedy is full of drama, humor and nostalgia about growing up on Oʻahu in the 1980s, from Liberty House to Wonderphone.
Kinoshita said, “Lee Cataluna’s characters are like old friends—familiar, endearing—her plays comfort and move us with how true to life they are.”
Show dates and times:
- November 10, 7:30 p.m.
- November 11, 7:30 p.m.
- November 12, 3 p.m.
- November 16, 7:30 p.m.
- November 17, 7:30 p.m.
- November 18, 7:30 p.m.
- November 19, 3 p.m.
Ticket information:
- $25 General
- $20 Senior, UH faculty/staff and active Military with ID
- $15 Youth and college students with ID
(Suitable for ages 14+; running time is approximately 2.5 hours)
For tickets and more information, visit palikutheatre.com or call (808) 235-7315.
To learn about theatre classes offered at Windward CC and the new ACM Hawaiʻi Conservatory of Performing Arts, visit conservatory.windward.hawaii.edu or contact Associate Professor Nicolas Logue at logue@hawaii.edu.
