The University of Hawaii at Hilo Performing Arts Center is preparing for its upcoming season with returning and new performances.
The Dance Collective is back for its seventh year, kicking off the season with some of the best and brightest performers and choreographers from across the island. There will be a variety of dance styles and a mix of seasoned and new choreographers ready to showcase their skills.
Center Stage Dance Alliance, Island Dance Academy, N2 Dance, UH-Hilo’s dance department and independently working choreographers will be featured in the show.
“Something I enjoy about the Dance Collective is seeing all these participants that want to be on stage and have passion for it,” said Dori Yamada, associate manager of UH-Hilo PAC. “It’s evident when you watch each piece. Even the desire of beginner dancers is evident and it resonates with audiences.”
The Dance Collective will start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 15). Tickets are on sale online for $20 for general audiences and $10 for UH-Hilo and Hawaii Community College students with valid identification.
The next event will be the long-awaited Big Island Taiko Festival, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15.
The festival, which is usually a bi-annual event, is coming back for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The exciting weekend of drumming and choreography will bring together the best of Big Island taiko with performances from Taishoji Taiko from Hilo, Puna Hongwanji Taiko Club, Kona Daifukuji Taiko and Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko from Kohala.
“The last time any taiko groups performed here was pre-pandemic and they were supposed to have the festival in 2020. It will be so exciting to finally host these great performers after so long,” Yamada said. “This event is so popular and so fun and I’m excited to have people back in seats to see them.”
One week later will be the Hawaii Opera Theatre’s production of “An American Dream,” which will be co-presented by UH-Hilo PAC and the Hawaii Concert Society.
The 65-minute intimate chamber opera is inspired by stories from America’s history set during the World War II.
Accompanied by a four-piece chamber ensemble, the opera explores the lives of two fictional women — a Japanese American forced to leave her home and a German Jewish immigrant preoccupied by those she left behind.
The Hawaii Opera Theatre is honored to have partnered with the Honouliuli National Historic Site, which is not yet open on Oahu, to provide information and share the history of prisoners of war in Hawaii during World War II.
“An American Dream” will play at UH-Hilo PAC at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20. A post-performance panel discussion will follow the opera.
The next performance will be “Imperfect Gentlemen,” a one-man show about gender and family dynamics.
The show was created by Ben Moffat and Bradley Wayne Smith and is performed by Moffat. The work is based on events from his life and how his father decided to live as a woman in the early 1980s.
The show will be at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8. The performance is recommended for ages 14 and up due to strong language and adult themes.
Next up is a performance by Maestro Kala Ramnath with her “singing violin.”
Ramnath stands among the world’s finest, and has been featured on the Grammy-nominated projects. She incorporates elements of genres from around the world like western classical, jazz, flamenco and traditional African music into her repertoire. Ramnath is the first Indian violinist to be featured in the classical music magazine, “The Strad.”
Those interested can attend her performance at UH-Hilo PAC at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 7.
To round out the season will be the annual spring musical, “Happily Eva Afta.” This year will be unique with the entire show spoken in pidgin.
“Happily Eva Afta,” is a musical comedy written by Lisa Matsumoto with lyrics and music by Roslyn Catracchia. Dr. Justina Mattos will direct the show with music direction by Rachel Edwards and choreography by Kea Kapahua.
This final segment of the ‘Once Upon One Time’ trilogy transforms traditional fairy tales into a comedic local fantasy full of memorable songs and colorful characters.
Audiences can be excited to meet Da Six Menehune, Da Dancing Princesses, Da Tree Fairies, Da Filipino Shoe Makers, Da Wicked Queen and a menagerie of delightful local-style fairy tale characters.
The show will take place over two weekends, Friday, April 12 to Sunday April 14 and Friday, April 19 to Sunday, April 21. Performances will begin at 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.
“I think closing for three years was really hard for theater lovers, so I’m so excited to be back doing full seasons,” Yamada said. “We hope people who haven’t been to the theater are ready to come back for this great variety of performances we have coming.”
More information on the upcoming season at UH-Hilo PAC can be found at artscenter.uhh.hawaii.edu.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com