HONOLULU — When Kumu Kahua Theatre first commissioned playwright Alani Apio to write “Kāmau,” he didn’t intend for it to turn into a trilogy.
“When I first started ‘Kāmau,’ I didn’t have a trilogy in mind. But I had been a part of a trilogy as an actor at UH, directed by Dennis Caroll, ‘The Oresteia.’ And I really loved the totality of it. The breadth of storytelling that I saw happening back several thousands years ago. There’s something very primal and satisfying about it. So, I wrote ‘Kāmau,’ we produced it. It was very well received, and that’s when I started thinking, ‘do I have something else to say?’ And I then started writing ‘Kāmau A‘e.’ And that’s when really when I had the idea, ‘oh I’d like to produce a trilogy of plays.”
He went on to complete that trilogy, with “Ua Pau.” Now, through June 30, the trilogy of plays is back at Kumu Kahua by popular demand and in a first, they are all in production at the same time.
The production reunites Apio with his longtime collaborator, director Harry Wong III. The special offering of the trilogy will allow audiences to experience the full story of these plays that examine life in Hawai‘i, tackling issues such as land sovereignty, kuleana and ‘ohana.
“Thirty years of life in Hawai‘i has passed, a generation, from the first production of ‘Kāmau’ in 1994, and it has weighed on me deeply what these islands have become, who we have become,” shares Apio. “When I look at where 'Ua Pau' ends, there’s hope, but there’s also a big question mark for Stevie — what is the Hawaiʻi you are inheriting and what are you going to do about it? The best of theater strikes up introspection and dialogue, and I’m very interested in seeing how these plays are going to hit audiences today.”
“Although the trilogy circles around a lot of heavy themes and there’s emotionally draining things that are happening to these characters, it's very real, said Joshua “Baba” Tavares, who appears in all three plays. "I ask myself, 'where [do] these characters carry their anger? And where do they carry their aloha? Where does it live in them, and when does one overtake the other?' which I think is the human condition.”
The trilogy concludes Kumu Kahua’s 53rd season. “Kāmau” will be on stage on Thursdays; “Kāmau A‘e” will be presented on Fridays; “Ua Pau” will be staged on Saturdays; and a marathon production of the entire trilogy is set for Sundays. On Sundays, when the first seating is at 1 p.m., and the last play lets out at 8 p.m., food from Happy Belly Eatery and a variety of snacks will be available for purchase.
Along with this production, "The Kāmau Trilogy" will also be published as a book from Kamehameha Publishing. Books will be available for purchase at the theater during the trilogy’s run.
“Ideally, people will see all three plays,” said Wong. “Maybe not on Sunday, when they can see all three plays in a row; but if they come on Thursday, then they come on Friday and they come on Saturday, they’ll be able to see a greater arc.”
Tickets ($25 for individual shows, $60 for Sunday showings of the full trilogy) are on sale at kumukahua.org or by contacting the theater’s box office at 808-536-4441.
Lianne Bidal Thompson is the digital producer for Spectrum News Hawaii. She writes about community and general news.