Kumu Kahua Theatre celebrates its full return to the stage since the pandemic with a Hana Hou season, featuring the stories of Hilo.
Lois-Ann Yamanaka's classic book of tales is told local style. Her book "Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers" was adapted for the stage and first debuted in the 1990s. The production opened last month and runs for the next three weekends.
The story is about growing up on Hawai'i Island in the 70s. Two middle schoolers navigate their sense of identity shaped by pop culture and media.
The Conversation's Catherine Cruz spoke to Harry Wong, the production's artistic director.
"It's the coming-of-age story of a local girl growing up on Hawaiʻi Island. And I think that's a universal aspect," Wong said.
"Lois-Ann is like one of our best writers, and it's really interesting to have her in the audience because she'll always come back with, like, with a different memory that she's written about or engaged with the cast about how to tell the stories that she had when she was growing up," he said.
To purchase tickets to the show, click here.
This interview aired on The Conversation on April 7, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.