UPDATE:  Kū I Ka Mana sold out the final performance!  Mahalo to family, friends, and community members for outstanding support.  Read Vanessa-Lee Millerʻs review of Kū I Ka Mana for Hitting the Stage.

 

Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi High School is excited to present Hōʻike 2018:  Kū I Ka Mana.  March 15 & 16 at Koaiʻa Gymnasium.  Shows will begin at 6pm.  Total performance time: 2 hours – ACT I: 50 min, INTERMISSION: 15 min, ACT II: 40 min.

Tickets are $5.  Available at the door or at the high school office or Student Activities Center after school 3-4pm beginning February 12.

Kū I Ka Mana dramatizes in music and dance the events leading up to the election of 1874 after the death of William Charles Lunalilo left the Kingdom of Hawaii without an appointed successor to the throne.  In the running are Queen Emma, beloved by the people, and the charismatic David Kalākaua.  In this telling, Bernice Pauahi Bishop also considers being part of the election, having second thoughts about having refused the crown when offered to her by Lot (Kamehameha V) before his death.  The results of the election sparked a riot in downtown Honolulu and would have lasting repercussions on the Kingdom of Hawaii, setting the stage for many of the events that have shaped the modern 50th state of the United States.  The production will be presented in English and Hawaiian.

Kū I Ka Mana will be presented as a rock opera in two acts with libretto by theater kumu Eric Stack and music by choir director Herb Mahelona.  Modern dance choreography by guest choreographer Jenn Eng will compliment hula choreographed by Kilohana Hirano, Piilani Kaawaloa, Hanakahi Perreira, Kalehua Simeona and student choreographers Alexia Iwamoto, Mara-Jayde Brown, Kāʻeo Cachola, and Kuuhiapo Jeong.  Costumes are by Layne Richards and Iris Viacrusis.  Set and lighting design are also by Eric Stack and student Bethany Correia.  A stage band prepared by band kumu Willie Harris will accompany the show.  The entire production is designed around a Steampunk theme in keeping with the genre of music.  Poʻo Kumu Lehua Veincent and Hope Poʻo Kumu Phil Aganus are producers.

Kamehameha Schools Hawaii High School presents their Hōʻike annually in the spring as an all-school event.  All high school students participate in the production as actors, dancers, musicians, or crew.  This year the production will also feature the KSH Elementary School Keiki Choir under the direction of Cynthia Debus, and the Mamalahoe Chapter of the Kamehameha Alumni Chorus under the direction of Herb Mahelona.

All Hōʻike productions focus on some aspect of Hawaiian history or culture presented to the public with the goal to educate our haumāna and to share with the community.  It is a unique opportunity to celebrate Hawaiian culture, history and language, and to instill pride and appreciation for things Hawaiian.