Kahilu hosts pair of solo shows
Kahilu Exhibits will present two solo exhibitions, “Half Court – Full Court” by Craig Schwanfelder and Ka Lae and “Beyond” by Michelle Schwengel-Regala.
The shows begin Jan. 30 and run through March 8. An opening reception and walk-through with both artists in the Kahilu Theatre galleries will be 5-7 p.m. Jan. 31. A no-host bar and light pupu will be on offer.
The Kahilu Galleries are free and open to the public Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and during all Kahilu Theatre Performances.
Info about these exhibits or are interested in other opportunities in the Kahilu Galleries please feel free to contact the Kahilu Exhibits coordinator, Margo Ray, at gallery@kahilutheatre.org
KCS presents ‘Peace Like a River’
In celebration of Black History Month, the Kona Choral Society will present its fourth annual “Peace Like a River: A Celebration of African-American Gospel and Spirituals.” 7-8:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Kailua-Kona
The concert features soloists Binti Bailey and Dan Garrett, conductor and KCS artistic director Susan McCreary Duprey, accompanist Gloria Juan, percussionist Sharon Cannon, and includes an audience sing-along.
Admission is by donation and no tickets are required. A freewill offering will be taken to offset the costs of the performance.
Info: konachoralsociety.org or contact: konachoralsociety@gmail.com.
Cast set for ‘Into the Woods’
Well known local jazz vocalist Binti Baily has been cast as the Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical Into the Woods, the next mainstage production at Aloha Theatre.
“I feel beyond blessed,” Bailey said. “I have been longing to get back to the theatre for some time now, but rarely get to perform at the Aloha due to my gig schedule.”
The role of the Witch was popularized by Bernadette Peters on Broadway and by Meryl Streep in the movie adaptation.
Bailey will be joined on stage by a group of 22 performers, many of whom regular Aloha Theatre patrons will recognize, and some new faces as well. The pivotal roles of the Baker and the Baker’s wife will be played by Winton Nicholson and Amanda Trusty, respectively.
Kira Kane will appear as Cinderella, Christian Aragon as Jack, and Pamela Hicks as his mother. Cinderella’s father is Hal Snyder, her mother is Erin Deskin, and her stepmother is Tori Sanford. Her two stepsisters, Florinda and Lucinda, are Alicia Hicks and Katie Wickersham.
Little Red Riding Hood is played by Tiffany Kutsunai, her Granny is Josey Mae and the Wolf is Topher Mann. Rapunzel is Rachel Carr, the Giant is Jackie Baldwin, the Steward is Joe Savarese, Snow White is Jayden Hall, Sleeping Beauty is Ariel Cohen, and the Mysterious Man is Joel Carr. The two handsome princes, Cinderella’s and Rapunzel’s, are Miguel Montez and Riley Saito. Keeping the story moving along as the Narrator is John Holliday.
Into the Woods is a magical, imaginative adventure with a moral and political point of view. In 1988, it won Tony Awards for Stephen Sondheim for best score and for James Lapine for best book.
The show will be performed at the Aloha Theatre Feb. 7 through March 8, with Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets range from $12 to $30, and are available by phone at 731-7437 Tuesday through Friday or online at AlohaTheatre.com.
Info: 322-9924.
Made in Hawaii Film Festival open for submissions
Submissions are officially open for the third annual Made in Hawaii Film Festival, happening on Hawaii Island in late May.
The independent film festival brings a weekend long lineup of Hawaii-made content to the Hilo Palace Theater on May 30-31, with a kick-off sneak peek evening at Kona’s Aloha Theatre on May 23. In 2019, the festival played 35 films with 46 filmmakers in attendance over the main Hilo weekend.
Submissions run through March 15, and categories include feature-length and short narrative films, documentaries, music videos and web series. Filmmakers will be notified about their acceptance by April 1. To qualify, projects must have at least 50 percent of principal photography shot within the state of Hawaii, completed no earlier than January, 2018.
All selected films are eligible for award nominations. This year’s award categories are: Best Short, Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Music Video and the Ka Mo’omeheu o Hawai’i Award. The latter award is part of the festival’s recent refocus on Native Hawaiian content, spearheaded by the festival’s Director of Native Hawaiian Programming, Vincent Keala Lucero, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker himself.
“I’m excited to help develop this new Native Hawaiian Initiative,” Lucero said. “Our people were natural storytellers who shared their ‘ike, knowledge, through oli and hula, keeping a record of important events and information. Today, as Hawaiian cinema shares the stories of our time, it can be seen as a familiar evolution of this poetic narrative.”
Submissions must go through Film Freeway, and filmmakers can find more information on www.MIHFF.org or on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/MadeInHawaiiFilmFestival.
Direct Film Freeway submission can be found at: https://filmfreeway.com/MadeinHawaiiFilmFestival