Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 6, 1 June 1994 — "'Umi-a-Līloa" hula drama onstage at UH June 30-July 3 [ARTICLE]

"'Umi-a-Līloa" hula drama onstage at UH June 30-July 3

"'Umi-a-Līloa," an original drama featuring dance, chant and music, spans 500 years of Hawaiian history. It begins with a hula drama based on the history of King 'Umi, son of the High Chief Līloa, then continues on to the present with a contemporary musieal drama of Hawai'i's youth. It will be performed June 30 and July 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. and July 3 at 2 p.m. at the University of Hawai'i-Mānoa Kennedy Laboratory Theater. Tickets are $5, available through the Kennedy Theater box office. Phone 9567655 for information. 'Umi reigned during the Golden Age of Hawai'i and organized the first network of highway and immigration systems on Hawai'i island. He also introduced a new division of labor by according a higher social status to artisans and craftspeople. The halanee and harmony he engendered fostered a climate of prosperity for his entire kingdom. Because of this, 'Umi is considered by many Hawaiian historians to be the model of an exemplary mler. The play is directed by Raplee K. Nobori, a graduate theater student at UH-Mānoa. Kumu hula John Keola Lake is the hula choreographer. The play is written by Raplee K. Nobori and Moses Ka'apana with new chants written by Kamana'olana Mills and chanter Dana Kauai'iki 01ores.

The first part of "'Umi-a-Līloa," a hula drama, borrows dramatic elements from the Noh dance drama tradition of Japan. Nobori, a master's degree in fine arts candidate, wrote the drama as a class project. He said he noted striking similarities in the elements of Noh theater to Hawaiian traditions — ghosts, warriors, ancient legends. He is using elements of Hawaiian religion, chant, chanters and dancers to create a uniquely Hawaiian drama. Characters will speak in Hawaiian, with a chorus and narrators providing English translation and dialogue. Nobori also used this dramatic format in his earlier drama, "Death of Keoua," whieh will be performed in August at Pu'ukoholā Heiau on the island of Hawai'i, by torchlight. The second part of "'Umi-a-Līloa" is set in 1994 and follows the lives of Hawai'i teenagers searching for their identity in a Westemized culture. It examines issues of alcoholism, teen pregnancy, death, gang violence and love through the character of Mikey Liloa as he searches for his connection back to his native Hawaiian heritage. The music composed for the play is a crosssection of the contemporary loeal scene: reggae, rap, pop, soul, rock and contemporary Hawaiian music. "'Umi-a-Līloa" is presented by the UH-Mānoa Department of Theater and Dance and the Center for Hawaiian Studies.