Q&A WITH WIL KAHELE (BLUE)

DANIEL AKIYAMA: Why do you write plays?

WIL KAHELE: Wow, good question. I write plays because I want to reflect the people in our community with the characters in my stories. We all have a story. It’s cool when I see people at Kumu laugh and nod their heads in recognition or even shed tears. I write plays because it connects my theatrical life to my everyday life. For me, playwriting is a conduit for creativity and love for our island community.

AKIYAMA: Where did the idea for Blue come from?

KAHELE: Blue was originally an entry into KKT’s first 24 hour playwriting festival back in 2018. The story was only 10 pages long and written in about 10 hours or so. So basically it was a short scene. After the festival, Harry [Wong] asked if I could expand it to a full length play. It was originally slated for 2020-2021 season. Blue was cast and we even had a first read through. But a few days later the pandemic happened and Hawai‘i was on lockdown. So now, two seasons later, Blue gets a turn. Most of the parts were recast because, well, a lot happens in two years. This is only my second full length play. I want to say in some ways it seemed easier than writing my first play, but in other ways (revisions) it was difficult (but necessary). I have other ideas on the back burners that I’m excited to get started on and I hope that in the next year or two I will have play number three...1st revision.

AKIYAMA: Tell me more about the experience of writing Blue compared with the experience of writing Living Room (apart from the delay due to COVID). Was it easier? Harder?

KAHELE: Blue was a lot easier but also a lot more work. This will be the sixth revision of Blue. I don’t think I had as much for Living Room. I’ve never had formal training or went to college for playwriting or acting. Everything I learned (and am still learning), I learned through watching and listening to directors, actors and playwrights. So I’m like the guy that doesn’t know, really, the rules but even if I make mistakes along the way, I’m learning a lot through the support of fellow playwrights and community theatre ‘ohana.

AKIYAMA: Since you mentioned that you didn't have formal training in acting or playwriting, how did you get started in theatre?

KAHELE: O geez...So, its the early 90’s and karaoke was taking Hawai‘i by storm. My friend, Kevin, is like a natural vocalist. So I started voice lessons to learn how to become a better singer. After a few lessons, my voice teacher, Nanilisa Pascua, asked if I wanted to audition for this musical that she was a part of at DHT [Diamond Head Theatre]. I auditioned and was cast in the ensemble. From then on I was hooked. Bit by the acting bug. The show was The Pirates of Penzance. I became more involved and more interested in this craft, so I started looking into other areas of theatre, which is how I was led to writing plays.

AKIYAMA: You wear a lot of hats—actor, director, and most recently, playwright. Which do you find is easiest? Which is most challenging?

KAHELE: Wow, apples to oranges. They all have their own specific, unique challenges for sure, so I don’t know if I could say one is more (or less) challenging than the other. I do know that they all share the same demands; dedication, commitment, patience, imagination and honest friends whose opinions (or critiques) you can listen to.

AKIYAMA: Are there plays or playwrights that influence you? Playwrights you emulate?

KAHELE: I like to read the plays of Ed Sakamoto, Chay Yew, Victor Rodger, David Henry Hwang, Yilong Liu, Terrence McNally, Lee Cataluna, Lee Tonouchi and although she’s not a playwright, she’s a great storyteller and poet, Lois Ann Yamanaka. For sure these authors are very influential for me and there’s maybe others that I’ve failed to mention.