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KS Hawai‘i Hō‘ike 2013 - E Ho‘i I Ke Kumuwaena was the school's first opera performed entirely in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language).

KS Hawai'i selected for prestigious theatre festival in Scotland

May. 20, 2015

Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth

Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi High School has been invited to participate in the 2016 American High School Theatre Festival (AHSTF). 

Students and chaperones will have the opportunity to join an elite troupe of high school artists and perform as part of the AHSTF program at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the worldʻs largest performing arts festival held annually in Scotland. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe involves tens of thousands of performers from all over the world and attracts about 1 million visitors each year.

KS Hawaiʻi was first nominated to apply for the festival by two local theatre professionals this past fall.  The nominations were based on the high standard of excellence demonstrated by Kamehameha’s theatrical performances, ranging from well-known musicals to original works such as Hawaiian language operas.

The AHSTF Board of Advisors selected the KSH program for its commitment to theatre education, promotion of culture, level of administrative support and community involvement. KS Hawaiʻi will be the first Hawai‘i Island school (and the first Hawai‘i school outside of O‘ahu) to attend the AHSTF. The last Hawai‘i school to participate in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was Nānākuli High and Intermediate School in 2011.

Since its first Hōʻike presentation in 2004, KS Hawai‘i has taken steps toward building its performing arts program. In 2006, the school initiated its annual Fall Musical and will produce its eleventh musical this November (West Side Story). 

In 2011, the high school produced its first Hōʻike in the Hawaiian language. This was followed by entire operas in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in 2013 and 2014

For the AHSTF, the school plans to perform its third opera, an adaptation of an earlier Hō‘ike production based on the saga of Hina and Kapepeʻekauila.

The honor of attending the AHSTF is a great leap forward for KS Hawai‘i. The school plans to send 20 students with chaperones to perform on the world stage.

The group is currently planning a series of fundraising efforts between now and then to raise support for the large cost of traveling to and attending the two-week festival. If you are interested in assisting with fundraising activities, please contact theatre kumu Eric Stack at 808-982-0713 or choral director Herb Mahelona 808-982-0741 for information.

See photos from this year's Hō‘ike - E Paepae Hou ‘ia ka Pōhaku.



TAGS
keaau campus,ks hawaii,theatre

CATEGORIES
Kaipuolono Article, I Mua Kamehameha, Newsroom, Campus Programs, Hawaii

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