Auditions Set for Kumu Kahua's Production of KUPUA by Hailiʻōpua Baker
AUDITIONS SET FOR KUMU KAHUA’S PRODUCTION OF
KUPUA
WRITTEN BY Hailiʻōpua Baker
Directed by W. Kealiʻinohopono Kahele & Reyn Afaga
Monday, September 7 at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, September 8 at 6 p.m.
at Kumu Kahua Theatre
46 Merchant Street Honolulu, HI 96813
Performances will be from October 29 to November 29, 2026, Thursdays to Saturdays at 7:00 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m. There is the possibility of added performances.
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Sides will be provided. Actors will be asked to dance hula, oli and play hula implements. Actors can prepare a monologue from the script if they desire to but it is not required. Dress comfortably-wear loose fitting clothing allowing you to move freely and without constraint.
Please note any conflicts on audition form.
Script Synopsis:
Kupua presents two traditional stories, “Ka ʻEnuhe” and “Ka Puhi a me Ka Loli,” which explore the perilous allure of hidden appetites that masquerade as love or comfort while quietly consuming the life of the ʻohana. In each story, kupua embody forces that drain sustenance and vitality under cover of night, and it is only through vigilance and decisive action that balance is restored. Together, the plays suggest that survival depends on seeing clearly, confronting deception, and protecting the bonds of family and community from what would quietly devour them.
Directors W. Kealiʻinohopono Kahele & Reyn Afaga are looking for 5 actors to play multiple characters. You can read the script by Clicking Here
Call the Kumu Kahua Theatre office at 808-536-4222 or email officemanager@kumukahua.org if you need more information.
ABOUT THE DIRECTORS
W. Kealiʻinohopono Kahele has directing credits including co-directing with Harry Wong the 2007 KKT revival of Alani Apio’s Kāmau, which also toured to the Pacific Arts Festival in Samoa in 2008. He also directed Māui the Demigod in 2010, Kāmau A'e in 2012 and Koi, Like the Fish in 2014, and Joker in 2015 at KKT.
Reyn Afaga (he/they) is a theatrical artist currently living in Kapahulu. Their KKT credits include actor, assistant director, costume designer, and hair/makeup artist. Reyn currently serves as the Artistic Director for the Hawai’i Shakespeare Festival, as well as the Chair of the Space Committee and member of the Board of Stakeholders at Kumu Kahua Theatre. Directing credits include Cymbeline (HSF, 2024), Outlandish (KKT, 2025) and The Queen's Will (KKT, 2026)
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker is a playwright, director, researcher, and educator from Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi whose work is dedicated to the revitalization of Kanaka Maoli moʻolelo (Native Hawaiian history and narratives) through Hawaiian-medium theatre, Hana Keaka. Hailiʻōpua oversees the Hawaiian Theatre and Playwriting Programs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where she is the co-director of ʻAhahui Noi‘i Noʻeau ‘Ōiwi-Research Institute of Indigenous Performance (ANNO)
Kumu Kahua productions are supported in part by The Kim Coco Fund for Justice of the Iwamoto Family Foundation, Timothy and Eddie, the NME Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Island Insurance Foundation, The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaiʻi, The AAPI Community Fund, The Richard Aadland Fund, The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, Spectrum/Charter Communications, ABC Stores, the Gloria Kosasa Gainsley Fund, Hawaiʻi Public Radio, H. Hawaii Media, Simply Storage, HUB Coworking, Vacations Hawaiʻi, Zippy’s Restaurants, Highway Inn, Generations Magazine, CVS/Longs Drugs, HMSA, Hawaiian Electric, MonkeyPod, and other foundations, businesses, and loyal patrons.