PUHI — “With the number of students we have, it would be easy for us to shut down,” said afternoon Program Director Marly Madayag while watching the set up for distance learning and the virtual classroom at the Hawai‘i Children’s Theatre warehouse in Puhi.
“But we must adapt,” Madayag said. “This is a golden opportunity. COVID-19 has so many valuable lessons to learn. We must adapt. This is the reason we (Dolly Kanekuni, Taj Gutierrez, Carol Culver, and Jacob Lester) are here.”
Registration for Summer Stars is currently open on a first-come, first served basis at www.HawaiiChildrensTheatre.org, and students are encouraged to register early because of limited space. Financial aid is available. Registration for the teen theater workshops under the MessEdge program is free of charge.
Rising Stars is a six-week morning program that brings together veteran instructors, staff and interns online for a dynamic and social environment where 36 students between ages 7 and 15 can experience all the elements of musical theater at a level appropriate to their age and experience, organizers said.
During the program, young performers participate online from 8:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. weekdays, with four lively and interactive, 35-minute segments each morning, learning singing, dancing and acting from experienced threater professionals including Kanekuni, Culver and Julia Benson.
Additionally, rotating weekly workshops provide skills such as improvisation, makeup, stage combat and costume design. These skills in acting for the camera and recording at home will be put to work in a final, professional video production showcasing what students have learned.
A variety of programs will start June 8 and continue through July 17, following the mandates of the governor and mayor that sent the Hawai‘i Children’s Theatre Summer Stars theater program online. The online program continues a 20-year theatrical tradition with new technology and online performances.
“In these challenging times, we are reminded of how precious our family and theater ‘ohana is, and the importance of HCT’s mission — inspiring youth through the study, performance and appreciation of theater arts,” said Kanekuni, the Rising Stars program director and HCT president.
“Our Summer Stars staff is excited and ready to engage with your kids this summer in the drama and theater arts they love. All the students need is a dedicated device and Wi-Fi, and the will to connect and express their creativity.”
Those emotions were put on display as Culver directed students Fia and Asher Gaines, in the safety of their home, through the preliminary stages of a dance class being taught from the HCT warehouse.
“It’s important to me to select material that’s current and timely,” Madayag said. “’Letters Alive!’ and ‘The Show Must Go Online’ will give our students the opportunity to learn the valuable lesson of perseverance in the midst of difficulties. This is a moment where we can teach our kids, not only theater but resilience — Never, never, never give up.”
Letters Alive! is for all skill levels in a three-week, afternoon workshop, focusing on the art of letter-writing, but delivered in virtual format.
“Letters are an important form of communication, especially in these times of COVID,” Madayag said. “Students will read famous letters from previous times of stress and learn how to write their own letters and perform them with a special focus on thanking our first responders, our parents, and inspiration toward the future. Each child will perform their letters in a special live online performance.”
The Show Must Go Online is a new musical selected for this year, to be performed from home with fun, humor, familiar tunes from famous musicals, and a great message of resilience and carrying on in these tough times.
The Show Must Go Online is geared toward more advanced students with experience in singing, dancing and acting, but with the same focus — every child is a star. This final show will be professionally edited, and the film premiered live at the end of the program.
Teens will continue to be involved as Summer Stars interns and will also have workshops of their own to attend that feature the art of writing, acting and production.
“I can say from experience how vital Summer Stars was in my upbringing, both as a child and as a teenager,” said Gutierrez, who grew from a student to become assistant director of “Matilda” last fall. Gutierrez is leaving following the summer to study theater in New York.
“Believe it or not, during stressful times, people tend to be at their most creative,” he said. “It is my goal to be sure that these up-and-coming adults have a place this summer to learn and express themselves artistically. As interns, they will both educate and inspire our youth by showing them who they can become as artists.”
Gutierrez will be leading a production workshop to help build the capabilities of interns and junior production staff which will be open to the teen theatre community.
In addition to Summer Stars, HCT has a teen track presenting online workshops under HCT MessEdge Theatre program that is open for registration for students age 15 through 18 for the workshop with HCT alum and now-screenwriter Juli Blachowiak that starts June 12.
Information: HawaiiChildrensTheatre.org.
•••
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
