HOLDEN & ARTS ASSOCIATES
SHARING STORIES AND CREATING PARTNERSHIPS SINCE 1983
The Pa'akai We Bring
Written and Performed by Honolulu Theatre for Youth Ensemble
Produced by Honolulu Theatre for Youth
From Honolulu, HI
This original production introduces audiences to the Native Hawaiian relationship to pa‘akai (salt). Traditionally, pa‘akai is food, medicine, a sacrament and a treasured gift. The play follows a family with multiple generations of salt farmers on Kauai, mixing in ancient stories, hula, live music, original songs and plenty of audiences participation into a tasty potluck of performance, joyously served up with aloha.
Created in partnership with the Bishop Museum and cultural elders and leaders, the performance is intended for a multi-generational audience, so audience members young and old can have this restorative experience together.
This project was awarded the NEFA Theatre Project Creation Grant in 2021.
Additional performances also available from the company: (virtual) Stories of Oceania and Duke.
Curriculum Connections
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Fine Arts: Performance, Film, Puppetry, Multi-media design
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Language Arts: Oral History Interviews, traditional fables
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History/Social Studies: Native & Indigenous Cultures; Man’s relationship/connection to Nature; Hawaiian & Pacific Island culture & history
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Social/Emotional Learning Development: Bravery, Resilience, Community, Racism, Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Self Management, and Relationship Skills.
Outreach & Workshops
Please contact us if additional outreach or workshops is something you'd like to explore. A member of the creative team may be available to deliver pre or post show workshops or a live Q&A for participating audiences. Please connect with us about outreach activities that best engage your teachers and schools.
Minimum Tech Specs
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Load in: 4 hours
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Crew Needs: 4 minimum to load in (2 stagehands/ 1 lighting/ 1 sound), 1 lighting and 1 sound crew member to run the show,
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Min. Stage Size: 30 feet wide by 20 feet deep by 15 feet high (performance space can be adjusted slightly based on venue specifications)
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Sound: Please provide 4 wireless LAV mics & 2 wireless 1/4" instrument transmitters
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Load out: 1.5 hour
Artistic Team
This production will tour with 4 performers and 1 stage manager.
Led by HTY Artistic Associate Moses Goods, the HTY creative team traveled to the island of Kauai and spent time working and learning from traditional salt harvesters before creating this project. HTY would like to extend a special mahalo to the Nizo, Santos and Nobrega families and all the other salt-makers of Hanapēpē. Without their ʻike and aloha this project wouldn’t have been possible.
Devising Team:
Moses Goods (lead)
Lee Cataluna
Eric Johnson
Pōʻai Lincoln
Lokomaika’i Lipscomb
Mattea Mazzella
Junior Tessoro
HTY Ensemble/Designers
Original Performers:
Pōʻai Lincoln
Lokomaika’i Lipscomb
Mattea Mazzella
Junior Tessoro
Stage Manager: Sarah Danvers
Directors:
Moses Goods
Eric Johnson
Lead Artist/Creator: Moses Goods
Dramaturg: Lee Cataluna
Visual Designer: Hanalei Marzan
Composers: Mattea Mazzella and HTY Ensemble
Lighting Designer: Stephen Pruitt
Costume Designers: Emily Wright and Iris Kim
Technical Direction/Prop Design: Eric West
Design Consultants:
Chesley Cannon
Haku Mele (Hula)
Moses Goods
Pōʻai Lincoln
Lokomaika’i Lipscomb
Hanalei Marzan
Ryan I. Kahaʻiʻōlelo Sueoka
Critical Acclaim
HTY has been awarded the prestigious 2022 CTFA Corey Medallion presented by the Childrenʻs Theatre Foundation of America and honors recipients for their significant achievements for the enrichment of children in the US and Canada. To learn more about the award, please read the following Broadway World article here.
About the Company
Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) produces professional theatre and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of young people, families and educators in the state of Hawaii.
HTY believes that drama education and theatre are unique, socially-based education and art forms that help their participants and audiences walk in the shoes of others, allowing them to expand their imaginations, enrich their lives and discover the infinite possibilities in the world. HTY works towards a future for Hawaii in which people are culturally literate and imaginative, are critical thinkers and inventive problem solvers, with a respect for history and a sense of place in a complex world.
Founded in 1955, HTY is one of the oldest and most respected children’s theatres in the country. HTY has served over five million people through school and family performances and drama education programs. Over 300 new plays for young audiences have been commissioned by HTY.
HTY has used their talents in new ways during the Covid era and, with a partnership with NMG Network and Hawaii News Now, created a new type of children’s television program. Grounded in their geography and the many diverse cultures that make Hawaii special, the program is unlike anything currently available in children’s television and marks the beginning of a hybrid future for HTY as both theatre and digital media creator. Check out HTY's television show THE HI WAY as well as other information about the company and their work on their website here.
Other HTY Productions
