The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补’s Department of and will debut from April 17–26, a large-scale Balinese shadow puppetry performance that blends tradition with innovation. The show features towering shadow figures, live actors and dancers, and a full gamelan orchestra, an Indonesian ensemble known for its layered, rhythmic sound.

At the center is a love story that has traveled across centuries. The Panji tales, rooted in 13th-century Java and later embraced in Bali, follow a prince and princess separated again and again by misfortune and disguise. Their journey unfolds through “electric shadows,” a modern Balinese style that uses giant screens, dramatic lighting and performers moving both in front of and behind the stage.

“Everything you see on the screen is created live, in the moment,” said co-director Kirstin Pauka, a professor in theatre and dance. “This type of theatre is as complex as shooting a movie, and we do it all in one take.”

The production is co-directed by Balinese master artist I Madé Moja, who returns to Kennedy Theatre after staging two earlier works. The team leans fully into handmade design. No digital projections. No computer effects. Instead, simple materials are transformed into moving shadows, music and motion.

“The level of teamwork required goes far beyond most theatre productions,” Pauka said.

That collaboration stretches across campus and community. The cast includes 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 students, local performers, and keiki learning the art form. The live music is led by master musician I Madé Widana.

Ticket information

. Performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday evenings, with a Sunday matinee on April 26. Pre-show talks will be held before select performances.

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Voices, movement and moments of reflection filled at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补 in early February as , a biennial conference brought together scholars, artists and community members for two days of exchange. Hosted by the (ANNO), the conference explored how Indigenous performance sustains knowledge, language and relationships across generations.

The second biennial conference featured panels, workshops and special events that emphasized learning through practice.

Participants took part in everything from hula workshops led by 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 instructor and Kumu Hula Tracie Kaʻōnohilani Farias Lopes to kapa making, puppet making, carving and a movement-based session by Sami L.A. Akuna that invited reflection on storytelling and the body.

“We hope that the conference delegates engaged in the many offerings of the two-day event and see the importance of Indigenous performance as a site of knowledge production, cultural preservation, and collective imagination,” said Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker, who co-founded ANNO and is a director of 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补’s award-winning .

One panel, Aloha ʻĀina Embodied: The Praxis of ʻAha, was conducted entirely in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The session featured several kumu, including Kaliko Baker, an associate professor at ; Kaipu Keala, an assistant professor at , Kaulu Luuwai, an attorney with at William S. Richardson School of Law, and Snowbird Bento, kumu hula of Ka Pā Hula O Ka Lei Lehua.

Panelists discussed how is expressed through performance and community practice, reflecting on the ways language and movement inform artistic and community-based work.

Celebration and story

The conference concluded with a hoʻolauleʻa, a celebration that combined conversation and creative sharing. Events included a film screening of , directed by Lisette Flanary, professor at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 and a preview of a new hana keaka (theatre work) by 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 Hawaiian theatre graduate student Ikaika Mendez. The production, Lele Wale, reflects on community rebuilding after the Lahaina wildfires, honoring those who were lost, those who survived, and those continuing the work of rebuilding on Maui. Performances run March 4–8 at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at Kennedy Theatre.

• Related 东精影业 News story: Lahaina’s story lives in new hana keaka production, February 5, 2026

Established in 2022 through the 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 Provost’s Strategic Investment Initiative, ANNO advances Hawaiian and Indigenous performance through scholarship, curriculum and outreach, supporting ongoing research and creative practice at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补.

The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补 will debut , a new hana keaka (Hawaiian theatre work) that takes audiences on a journey of community rebuilding in the wake of the Lahaina wildfires. The production honors those who were lost, those who survived, and those who still carry the weight of rebuilding on Maui. Performances run March 4–8 in the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at Kennedy Theatre.

Created by 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 master of fine arts (MFA) candidate Ikaika Mendez, Lele Wale does not seek to recreate the tragic wildfires. Instead, the work moves through memory, music and movement to create space to remember, grieve and reflect on what comes next for both people and place. For Mendez, a Maui native, Lahaina holds deep personal meaning.

“Although I am from Kanaio, Lahaina became the place where I learned what it meant to be a performer in service to people and place…working at the Feast at Lele Lūʻau at just 15 years old,” said Mendez. “I learned discipline, responsibility and the power of storytelling through music and movement. That experience deeply influenced my path, leading me to pursue education in music, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), and ultimately my MFA in hana keaka.”

Voices of place

Lele is the traditional place name for Lahaina. In ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, lele wale evokes prayer and speaks to motion, as well as the act of releasing. The hana keaka is performed in a combination of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin) and English intertwined with live music, hula and imagery.

“There are experiences, emotions and understandings that cannot be fully expressed in English, so we speak them, sing them and chant them in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi,” said Mendez. “At the same time, Pidgin and English reflect the lived reality of Lahaina today: the sounds of home, work, family and community.”

Ticket information

Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

A free post-show Q&A with the director and cast will follow the Friday, March 6th performance for ticket holders.

Content advisories: Covers themes connected to wildfire, loss of life, strong language, haze effects and flashing lights. Questions about tickets or accessibility can be directed to ktbox@hawaii.edu or (808) 956-7655.

A new production is shining a light on the lives and journeys of Filipinos in Hawaiʻi. “,” directed by J. Lorenzo Perillo, blends movement, music and history into a fast-moving tribute to identity and community. Performances run through November 23, on the Mainstage at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补.

Perillo serves as co-director of the (CPS) and is also an associate professor in the Department of . He created the show in honor of CPS’s 50th anniversary.

“‘Dancing in the Diaspora’ delves into the interconnected lives of Filipinos maneuvering the waters of belonging and exclusion in Hawaiʻi and beyond,” said Perillo.

Stories through dance

The performance moves between hip-hop, street dance, contemporary, Filipino Indigenous styles and ʻori Tahiti (Tahitian dance). Live kulintang (traditional Filipino gong instrument) and Tahitian music set the tone. The dances explore home, identity and the journey of carrying culture across oceans.

for the in-person production at Kennedy Theatre. The production features international and local collaborators such as Mary Chris (Mycs) Villoso, Von Ace Asilo, Angela Sebastian, Ron and Lydia Querian (House of Gongs), Manarii and Nalini Gauthier (Tahiti Mana), Irisgil Viacrusis, Michelle Bisbee, Tyler Kanemori and Evan McCarty.

One of the most meaningful collaborative elements grew out of Villoso’s artist residency at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 earlier this year, which included workshops with local high schools such as Maryknoll, Farrington and Waipahu. Building on that work, the production features Farrington High School students who have been rehearsing since September with their teacher Michelle Levine Aquino, a recent 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 graduate, to perform a piece rooted in Philippine games and street dance. Aquino also contributes an Ilokano chant that helps open the show.

“If you dig beneath the deep layers of colonization, you find the ways the people of the Pacific are connected through language, food, stories and beliefs,” said Nalini Gauthier. “Dance has been a steady vessel carrying me through this journey of rediscovery and empowerment.”

The production also features a heartfelt dance film showcasing 东精影业’s custodial staff.

Perillo expressed that the staging is deeply connected to Hawaiʻi’s social and cultural landscape.

“Filipinos make up one-fourth of Hawaiʻi’s population, yet there is a clear lack of Filipino representation in education. Representation matters. It’s critical in strengthening students’ self-worth, identities and success.”

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This week’s 东精影业 News Image of the Week is from 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补’s Christine Lamborn Fernandez, operations coordinator for Kennedy Theatre.

Fernandez shared: “Olivia Akina as MOTHER and Klaus Bluhen as BENJAMIN from the upcoming performance at Kennedy Theatre of The Yellow Boat—Opens September 24!”

The Yellow Boat, a Theatre for Young Audiences production directed by MFA candidate Emmanuel Mante, shares the true story of Benjamin, a boy born with hemophilia whose boundless creativity helps him navigate illness, loss, and ultimately, an HIV diagnosis.

Learn more about the production.

Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

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This September, the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补’s and invite audiences into a world where imagination becomes survival. , a Theatre for Young Audiences production directed by MFA candidate Emmanuel Mante, shares the true story of Benjamin, a boy born with hemophilia whose boundless creativity helps him navigate illness, loss, and ultimately, an HIV diagnosis.

“This isn’t just a children’s show—it’s a heartfelt experience for all ages,” said Mante. “It celebrates how the human spirit turns pain into art and illness into beauty. It’s imaginative uplifting, and transformative.”

The production runs September 24–28, at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre.

While Benjamin’s life is shaped by hospital visits, isolation, and loss, his imagination offers him freedom. He turns to drawing, coloring, and storytelling to express what words cannot. In one poignant scene, he colors with his doctor as the only way to explain his pain.

Imaginative staging

The production’s artistic team help transform the story for the stage. Set designer and theatre major Juliana Damrow uses reconfigurable pieces and everyday objects to reflect how children reshape their world through play. Lighting designer Kelli Finnegan adds expressive colors and projections that mirror Benjamin’s sketches, including the symbolic yellow boat he draws.

The production also weaves in cultural elements. Costumes by Amber Baker feature handwoven Filipino textiles. Choreographers Nani Marcos and Gwen Arbaugh layer movement into the story, while music director Paul Gabriel Cosme provides live accompaniment.

“Each costume is a celebration of Filipino artistry and heritage,” Mante said. “Hawaiʻi’s multicultural environment makes this kind of storytelling feel especially resonant.”

Although filled with joy and imagination, The Yellow Boat also faces difficult truths of illness, isolation and loss. Benjamin’s story ends with his passing, portrayed by the cast with care and sensitivity. Families are encouraged to reflect on these themes and join the post-show discussion on Friday, September 26, with the director and cast.

Ticket information

Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

Content Advisories: Covers health issues and suffering, such as hemophilia and HIV.

After completing an intensive kabuki workshop at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补 this summer, students stepped into the spotlight on Monday, August 18 at the Earle Ernst Laboratory Theatre. Their performance brought to life the movement, music and artistry passed down to them by a world-renowned, eighth-generation kabuki master.

This August, Ichikawa Monnosuke VIII led a kabuki masterclass at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补, offering rare, hands-on training in this vibrant classical Japanese art form.

“This opportunity to train in kabuki with a professional is truly unique,” said 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 theatre professor Julie Iezzi. “Nowhere else in the world, not even in Japan, can those outside of the tradition train under a kabuki actor.”

Spirit of kabuki

The two-week workshop, offered Mondays through Fridays through 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补’s and , was filled with students, alumni and community members, and focuses on kabuki movement and vocal training.

“In thinking about the future, I feel that this is a really good opportunity to help spread knowledge about kabuki to more and more people around the world,” Monnosuke said through a translator.

Among the students who studied under Monnosuke is Karese Kaw-uh, who earned an MFA in at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 and starred in the university’s kabuki production in 2024.

“What I love about kabuki is that you have to hear the rhythm and the sound. And so the pieces that we’re working on really deal with music and movement. So we have to listen to cues and say the words in a rhythmic pattern,” Kaw-东精影业 said.

For 19-year-old Zumi Guillermo-Togawa, a student at Kapiʻolani Community College, the best part was exploring the different ways kabuki characters can move and express themselves.

“My most favorite part is learning about the different characteristics and personality for just the walks, not even just the voices, the walks, the mie and how it differs depending on the character and character type,” said Guillermo-Togawa.

Eighth-generation master

Monnosuke, whose family’s kabuki lineage dates back to 1713, is no stranger to 东精影业. In spring 2024, he and his apprentices trained student actors for 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补’s English-language kabuki production, The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves. That production not only sold out performances but also received a first-ever invitation to perform in Japan, where it was enthusiastically received.

Kabuki has deep roots in Hawaiʻi. In fact, the university staged the first known English-language kabuki production in the islands 100 years ago. Today, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 is helping keep that legacy alive.

Kabuki legacy

With guidance from Iezzi, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补’s Department of Theatre and Dance is breathing new life into English-language kabuki, an art form that flourished on the Kennedy Theatre stage under the leadership of late 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 Professor James R. Brandon and master kabuki actor Nakamura Matagorō II, with vital support from community artists Onoe Kikunobu (dance), Yamada Chie (music) and Joji Wago (wigs and makeup).

Monnosuke and his wife, Yukika, first met Iezzi in 2016, already aware of the university’s rich kabuki traditions and eager to support its continuation.

“They were wondering about future plans for kabuki, and actually came at the perfect time, since I, too, was searching for artists interested in helping to rebuild the complex infrastructure of knowledge necessary to continue doing kabuki productions,” Iezzi said.

Hamilton: Honoring kabuki

This fall, will open a new exhibit in the Asia Reading Room honoring kabuki. Crafted by Japan’s Shōchiku Company and gifted to 东精影业 in 1939, the intricate kabuki theatre model has been in storage for nearly 90 years in different places. In partnership with the theatre and dance department, a new exhibit case will allow the model to be permanently displayed, alongside other performing and exploring kabuki at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 exhibits.

The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补’s is taking its celebrated production of RENT to Kauaʻi. Following a sold-out run at Kennedy Theatre earlier this year, the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical will be performed at , August 8–10.

Directed by Joshua “Baba” Tavares, an assistant professor of acting at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 and former cast member in the 20th Anniversary National Tour of RENT, the production was praised for its raw emotional power, dynamic staging and local resonance.

“We are so excited to take our show to Kauaʻi and connect with our Kauaʻi ʻohana in this way,” said Tavares.

The touring team includes more than 40 cast and crew members, including 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 students, faculty, staff, musicians and technicians, representing a wide range of 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 programs, including theatre and dance, psychology, music, law, cinematic arts, Hawaiian language and more.

As part of the visit, the team will offer a free acting workshop to share and engage Kauaʻi’s community of storytellers and artists. The workshop will take place on Saturday, August 9—more information to come.

Related 东精影业 News story: No day but today: 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 theatre and dance brings award-winning RENT to life, February 11, 2025

The 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 production earned critical acclaim in March, with BroadwayWorld calling it “a soaring and heartfelt production” blending “aloha, heartbreak, queer joy…and unbridled energy of young people united for justice and love.”

Tavares emphasized the show’s continued relevance. “Even though the show is set in a specific time, its challenges feel just as relevant today, especially here in Hawaiʻi. Homelessness, gentrification, mental health struggles and finding a way forward after a devastating disease—are we talking about the ’80s and ’90s, or are we talking about today?”

He added, “RENT isn’t just about struggle—it’s about hope, tolerance, human rights and above all, aloha. It’s about love.”

The Kauaʻi performances mark the production’s first appearance outside of O?ahu, offering new audiences a chance to experience one of the most impactful works in modern musical theatre, through a uniquely ʻohana lens.

Performances will take place at the newly reopened Kauaʻi CC Performing Arts Center, which reopened in April 2024 after closing due to the pandemic and has major upgrades to its lighting, sound and backstage systems. The venue is once again a key cultural hub under new manager Gregory von Hausch.

Loosely inspired by Puccini’s La Bohème, RENT follows a group of struggling young artists in 1990s New York City navigating love, loss, identity, and survival during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Since its 1996 Broadway debut, Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking musical has become a global cultural phenomenon.

Performance and ticket information

Performance dates: August 8–10, 2025
Time: 7–9 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 1:30–3:30 p.m. Sunday
Location: Kauaʻi CC Performing Arts Center
Tickets: Prices range from $15–$60. .

For general inquiries, email .edu or call (808) 245-8352.

Support and sponsorship opportunities

This partnership between 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 and Kauaʻi CC aims to build a lasting bridge through the performing arts. Financial support is welcome to offset travel and production costs. To support the tour or inquire about sponsorships, contact Joshua Tavares at tavares8@hawaii.edu.

alumnus Brutus La Benz has long been a familiar face on Hawaiʻi television screens appearing in commercials for everything from Texaco and 7-Eleven to Kona Brewing Company and the Hawaiʻi Quit Tobacco campaign. But his big break came this spring, when he debuted as Lilo’s kumu hula (hula teacher) in Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, a box office hit that soared past the $1 billion mark this July.

Before landing a role in the major Disney film, La Benz’s earliest acting stage was his family’s living room in Kailua. As a kid, he and his brother would spend hours performing scenes from hit flicks Wayne’s World and Tommy Boy after summer fun.

“A lot of times we would just kind of memorize lines and reenact them. And I always thought that was fun,” he said.

That early love for performance stuck. The Olomana native can still recite skits from the late, beloved Hawaiʻi comedian Rap Replinger—classic jokes he proudly calls “scripture.”

La Benz, a Punahou School graduate, earned degrees in (Hawaiian language) and from the 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 . It was in those ʻō濒别濒辞 classes he says a passion for acting truly began to grow.

“In order to help us learn the sentence structures and the new vocabulary, some of them would ask us to do a lot of mini skits, just so that we could memorize the lines and patterns,” La Benz added. “Once I figured out we can make these funny skits and still learn, that was really cool.”

That energy led him to the stage in 2004, when he starred in Kamapuaʻa, a Hawaiian-language stage production directed by Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker, founder of 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补’s . It’s there he learned how to tell stories through action, not just words.

“Because many didn’t understand Hawaiian language, the words needed to come across in the way we acted. And so that was challenging, but also I think that’s what made us all really, really fun and decent actors,” La Benz said.

Seeking permission

In 2023, when Disney offered him the “kumu hula” role, La Benz actually hesitated. A trained ʻōlapa hula (hula dancer) under Kumu Hula Snowbird Bento, he wasn’t sure if taking the role of a kumu hula on screen was appropriate.

“My initial reaction was I better call my kumu first to make sure that it’s okay to portray a kumu,” La Benz said.

With her blessing, he stepped into it.

“He Mele No Lilo” (A song for the lost)

Filming for the lively scene took place at the Kokokahi YMCA in Kailua, and La Benz, who has a 9-year-old daughter, said it felt natural.

“It was just like having a bunch of my daughters there. They were super goofy. I felt more like I was being a parent and modeling after how I see my kumu interact with her students at those ages,” he said.

In addition to his role as Lilo’s kumu hula, La Benz also served as the body double for the alien character Jumba, performing the character’s physical movements on set.

His daughter, Kealaleihōkū lit up at the film’s Hawaiʻi premiere.

“She was just staring into the screen, but when I came on she said, ‘Oooh! Daddy!!’”

Guiding life moments

Outside of acting, La Benz pours his heart into work as a kahu (officiant). He’s spent more than a decade overseeing weddings, blessings and farewells.

“Honored to be a part of different celebrations…making people feel safe and comfortable enough to celebrate or grieve in a way that they need to,” said La Benz.

He expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to serve as a kahu and looks forward to taking on new acting roles but says above all, being a dad is the role he cherishes most.

—By Moanikeʻala Nabarro