Local auditions for an upcoming Cirque du Soleil show were winding up Thursday with musicians hoping to join the Outrigger production. The first day of tryouts earlier this week drew close to a hundred hula dancers.
Aaron Salā, one of the creative forces behind the theatrical endeavor, said the production is planning for about 35 onstage performers.
"We do have a series of really incredible acts that will be gracing the stage," Salā said. "It's really a feast for the eyes, for the ears. It's a feast for the senses to partake in the production."
Hawaiʻi musicians, performers and dancers could find themselves part of the global Cirque brand, which Salā said opens up future job opportunities around the world.
"The back of house and production team, we're not quite sure what that takes yet, but the vast majority of production will be local talent," he said.
The unnamed show hopes to debut in December 2024 at the 20,000-square-foot theater at the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber. The hotel is remodeling its 800-seat space to host the Canada-based company for a multi-year run. The project was first announced in April.
"[We are] really being keen on telling the story of Queen Emma, telling the story of Waikīkī, telling the story of Oʻahu, and then telling the story of Hawaiʻi. So we're being honorific of place and of people connected to this piece of ʻāina," Salā told HPR.
The production is considering holding auditions on the West Coast to find more Hawaiian and Pacific Islander talent, Salā said.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Nov. 9, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Sophia McCullough adapted this story for the web.
