Theatre x Improv: Elevate Your Long-Form Through a Slept on Collab
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KUMU KAHUA THEATRE PARTNERS WITH HAWAIʻI PACIFIC UNIVERSITY TO PRESENT A FREE, FIVE-WEEK IMPROVISATION CLASS LED BY MICHAEL “DONUT” DONATO
HONOLULU – Kumu Kahua Theatre has partnered with Hawaiʻi Pacific University (HPU) to present a five-week improv class led by improvisation veteran Michael “Donut” Donato. Theatre x Improv: Elevate Your Long-Form Through a Slept on Collab will be held every Sunday from February 15 – March 15, 2026 at HPU Theatre (Aloha Tower Marketplace), with class time running 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Students are expected to attend each session of the class, learning to bring increased focus into their improv scenes through an emphasis on relationship building and scene work to foster more authentic storytelling. The space-limited class will be offered for free to applicants on a first- registered, first-served basis as part of Kumu Kahua’s STAGES (Supporting Theatre Arts - Guidance and Education Series), designed to help Hawaiʻi residents access more theatre arts instruction by
lifting cost barriers.
“Improv skills can play a vibrant role in any creative artist’s foundation by enabling them to better build off of an idea, collaborate, and convey a feeling rooted authentically in the moment,” said Kumu Kahua Theatre Managing Director, Donna Blanchard. “We look forward to seeing the growth of each participant through this next-level opportunity.”
About the Class:
By sitting in the silence, honoring the reality, and playing slower, students will discover another depth of improv that will be sure to add more layers to scenes they perform. This is not a class for short form. While there will undoubtedly be laughs, comedy is not something the students will be encouraged to specifically aim for. Instead, it will be for the truth in scenes, what actors communicate to the audience, and the confidence to perform with just one other person. Following the five workshop sessions, the class will culminate with a final performance.
Students registering for Theatre x Improv: Elevate Your Long-Form Through a Slept on Collab should already be comfortable playing and exploring on stage. The class is designed for students who have completed any beginning improvisation class—or intermediate-level improvisors who are interested in elevating their play and expanding their tool set to become reliable scene partners. It is meant to serve as a next step after taking a 100 and 200-level course, with subject matter equating to a 250-level course.
With limited spots available, those interested are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. To sign up or learn more, visit Kumu Kahua Theatres’ website at www.kumukahua.org and click on the Education button, or connect directly to this registration link.
About Kumu Kahua’s STAGES:
STAGES (Supporting Theatre Arts - Guidance and Education Series) is designed to uplift the ʻOahu theatre community by offering free classes and workshops to theatre artists, so that finance is not a barrier for residents to receive instruction and hone their theatre arts skills. STAGES is supported by the Kumu Kahua Theatre Board of Directors.
About Kumu Kahua Theater:
Kumu Kahua productions are supported in part by the NME Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Island Insurance Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 and the American Rescue Plan of 2021, McInerny Foundation (Bank of Hawaii, Trustee); The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaiʻi, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaiian Electric Company, Alexander & Baldwin, The John R Halligan Charitable Fund, Spectrum/Charter Communications, Vacations Hawaiʻi, ABC Stores, the Gloria Kosasa Gainsley Fund, Hawaiʻi Public Radio, The Kim Coco Fund for Justice of the
Iwamoto Family Foundation, Edric Sakamoto, Ron and Rachel Heller, and other foundations, businesses, and loyal patrons.