See PAIʻEA before the opera heads to Scotland

Hawaiʻi Island audiences will get to see PAIʻEA with three special performances before traveling to the Fringe in Scotland.

July 20, 2023

The traveling version of our glam rock opera will premiere for Hawaiʻi Island audiences with three special performances in July before the show heads to Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest performing arts festival in August. The first of these performances took place on Saturday, July 8 at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea. Mahalo to the Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi Island Community Strategies division for their kōkua in arranging for this special performance. Students also performed on Thursday, July 13 for Kula Kauwela students and on Friday, July 14 here at the William Charles Lunalilo Center.

Presented in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, PAIʻEA covers the early life, tests, and battles of Kamehameha I. The opera depicts his birth, his lifting of the sacred Naha stone, and the Battle of Moku'ōhai, which pitted Kamehameha against his cousin Kīwalaʻō, the heir to the kingdom.

There is one more performances available to see before the group heads to Scotland:

PAIʻEA at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Performing Arts Center
Friday, July 21, 2023
Located at 200 W. Kāwili St. Hilo, HI 96720-4091

Shows starts at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Runtime of the show is 75 minutes.

PAIʻEA was presented as this year's high school Hōʻike, as the tradition returned to an all-school production for three tremendous performances in March. Recording from the Thursday night and Friday night performances are now available on the Kamehameha Schools YouTube channel. But the best way to enjoy this show is live and in-person.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for youth (ages 17 and under) and can be purchased on the Kamehameha Hawaiʻi GoFan page (or using the GoFan app and search Kamehameha Hawaiʻi).

Funds raised from these performances will support sending 29 of our Hōʻike A Haʻi Performing Arts Club members to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August in Scotland. If you or anyone you know will be near Edinburgh, tickets are also available for their Fringe performances on August 4, 5, 8 and 9. Get more information on our website.

PURCHASE TICKETS FOR THE UHH SHOW

PAIʻEA is the third ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi opera, and first glam rock opera our kula will perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.