Upcoming Shows
Gathering and sharing real stories that resonate with, empower, and connect the many culturally rich and diverse communities in Hawaiʻi.
It starts with just an idea and a desire to engage with a unique community here in Hawaiʻi. It takes time form partnerships, get folks involved, organize story circles, and conduct personal interviews. It also takes time to find the right theater-practitioners. We hire a director and commission a playwright who helps us gather the stories, and shapes them into a play. When the first draft of the play is completed, we hold a special invited reading so community members may offer feedback and grant us permission to go forward with the production.
Once we get the go-ahead, we get to the fun part. We hold auditions, inviting community members to participate in the telling of their own stories alongside our experienced actors, then rehearse for about 5 weeks and finally ta da! The set is built, the costumes are made, and the curtains are hung. We hold our breath as the first audience members arrive and cross our fingers that they understand and appreciate the love and care our communities have to share. This year we are very proud to two original world premieres. The first is being written for and with domestic violence survivors and the other is for and with Hawaiian missionary descendants.
Once we get the go-ahead, we get to the fun part. We hold auditions, inviting community members to participate in the telling of their own stories alongside our experienced actors, then rehearse for about 5 weeks and finally ta da! The set is built, the costumes are made, and the curtains are hung. We hold our breath as the first audience members arrive and cross our fingers that they understand and appreciate the love and care our communities have to share. This year we are very proud to two original world premieres. The first is being written for and with domestic violence survivors and the other is for and with Hawaiian missionary descendants.
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Bursting BubblesPlayBuilders of Hawaiʻi Theater Company in collaboration with
The Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, presents “Bursting Bubbles” next month, in time for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. PlayBuilders is very pleased to announce that we are presenting "Bursting Bubbles" in collaboration with the Hawaiʻi State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. We are releasing the first in series of four videos that comprises “The Bursting Bubbles Project” for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which begins October 1. “Bursting Bubbles: Jenny” will be presented on ʻOlelo Community Media during the month of October. Each video presentation will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by The Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The videos are the actual words of local survivors performed by either the survivors themselves, or professional actors. Directed by Deanna Espinas, in “Bursting Bubbles, Jenny.” Jenny Duhaylonsod Delos Santos, author of "Falling Perfectly Without Trying", tells her own story which is interpreted through movement by dancers Beck McGarvey and Spencer Agoston. Born and raised in Hawai’i, Jenny, a local Filipina woman whose life changed after marrying her high school friend. Violence became the norm throughout their marriage and although they moved to California to provide a better environment for the family, the abuse dominated every second of marriage and family life. After years of physical, psychological, and emotional torture, Jenny took her two children with help from a concerned neighbor and began her journey towards a better life. PlayBuilders is an award winning theater company that specializes in what is known as applied, community-based, or community-specific theater. Their mission is to gather and share real stories, that resonates with, empowers and connects the culturally rich and diverse communities of Hawaiʻi. PlayBuilders has been working on the “Bursting Bubbles” project for over two years and has interviewed more than a dozen survivors has transcribed many hours of interviews and story circles. For more information, please contact Terri Madden at 218-0103. Jenny Duhaylonsod Delos Santos is avialable for interviews. More information may be found at www.playbuilders.org. |
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Open Your Hearts Wide Invited Reading Report Production:
Playwright and Missionary Descendent Marion Lyman-Mersereau spent 2 years asking fellow descendants one simple question in preparation for the bicentennial of the arrival of the Thaddeus in 1820. That question was, "What is it like to be a descendant and what do you think of your ancestors?" She has written a community-based play on the answers she received called "Open Your Hearts Wide". A special invited recorded reading of the play took place for missionary descendants during the month of June on our website. Over 90 missionary descendants listened to the beautifully produced audio reading and 25 responded to our survey. Marion Lyman-Mersereau will spend the next several months rewriting the play based on their suggestions. We are very grateful to Elizabeth Lentz-Hill and Hawaiian Mission Houses for all their help and support with the project. Dates for live performances will be announced as soon as we have a clearer vision of the COVID-19 situation. NEA has suggested that we ask for an extension until June. Playwright: Marion Lyman-Mersereau Directors: Mark Branner, William Haʻo Producer/ Community Organizer Terri Madden |
