PRODUCER: Maui OnStage
808-242-6969
DIRECTOR: Francis Tau’a
WRITTEN BY: James Nevius
COSTUME DESIGNERS: Sarah Loney Mark and Lily Campbell
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Fri. Oct. 2 – Sun. Oct. 18
Fridays 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays 3:00pm
PERFORMANCE LOCATION:
Maui OnStage at the Historic Iao Theater, 68 N Market St., Wailuku, HI
‘Ainakea follows the Goodale family, descendants of early missionaries in Hawai‘i, as they return to their struggling sugar plantation after three years abroad. Young entrepreneur Lopaka tries to convince matriarch Amanda Goodale to lease the land to hotel developers to save the plantation, but she refuses. When ‘Ainakea is auctioned off due to debt, Lopaka outbids the family and buys it himself, planning to clear the sugar cane and build beach resorts. As Amanda and the others prepare to leave their ancestral home for good, the play explores themes of tradition versus progress, colonialism’s impact on native Hawaiians, class divides among the plantation workers, and the irreversible changes reshaping Hawai‘i in the postwar period.
The play is an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s classic drama The Cherry Orchard, widely considered one of the great plays of the early 20th century. Nevius has updated the drama to the 1950s.
ALL ROLES ARE OPEN
The director is seeking actors ages 18 and up, of all ethnicities, gender identities.
AUDITIONS:
Saturday July 11, 11:00am – 2:00pm
Auditions will be held at the Maui OnStage Education and Youth Center. Located at Queen Ka’ahumanu Center, across from Ben Franklin.
Callbacks (By invitation only) Sun. July 12, 11:00am – 2:00pm
Callbacks will be held at the Maui OnStage Education and Youth Center. Located at Queen Ka’ahumanu Center, across from Ben Franklin.
Please prepare two contrasting monologues, each up to 90 seconds in length.
Bring a picture and resume, if you have one. Plan on arriving 10 minutes early to check in. Please book your audition BELOW.
VIEWING AUDITIONS:
Director: Francis Tau’a
Author: James Nevius
VIDEO SUBMISSION: If you are not available to attend auditions in person, we will be accepting video auditions. Please submit two contrasting monologues, each up to 90 seconds in length. Also a picture and resume, if you have one.
Submit to [email protected] The deadline to submit videos is Fri. July 10
Maui OnStage has adopted the Chicago Theatre Standards, which seeks to foster an environment of communication, safety, respect, accountability, and the health, safety, and well being of institutions and its participants.
REHEARSAL:
Table Read: Sun. Aug. 16, 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Design Presentation: Mon. Aug. 17, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Rehearsals: Mon. – Fri. 6:00pm – 9:00pm & Sat. afternoons (*We will be rehearsing 4 – 5 times a week, depending on actor availability.)
Tech weeks: Mon. Sept. 21 – Thurs. Oct. 1, 6:00pm – 10:00pm (*Required for all actors)
REHEARSAL LOCATIONS:
Maui OnStage at the Historic Iao Theater, 68 N. Market St., Wailuku, HI
Maui OnStage Education and Youth Center. Located at Queen Ka’ahumanu Center, across from Ben Franklin.
CONFLICTS:
Please check and make sure you are available for all rehearsals and performances. You will be required to submit any conflicts prior to auditioning. Conflicts will be taken into account when casting.
ONCE THE SHOW IS CAST, NO MORE CONFLICTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
The final schedule will be determined based on people’s availability. Please note that during tech week, rehearsal hours are longer.
ALL ROLES WILL BE UNDERSTUDIED.
A note on casting (and Hawaiian history):
The Hawaiian Islands were first settled by Polynesian voyagers by at least 1120 CE or, perhaps, as early as the first century. For centuries, the native Hawaiians were isolated from western contact, but that changed in 1778 with the arrival of Captain James Cook. Soon thereafter, Kamehameha, a chief on Hawai‘i Island, unified the other islands (by force and with the help of western armaments) into the Kingdom of Hawai‘i.
Not long after King Kamehameha’s death, white missionaries from New England came to the islands and settled in the Kingdom. Christianity soon flourished and the descendants of those missionaries became highly placed in local government. They also started investing in agriculture, particularly the growing of sugar cane. To support this ever-growing industry, large numbers of foreign workers were recruited from China, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, and Puerto Rico, among other places. The plantation workers lived in camps owned by the large farms and created their own “hapa” culture. Hapa is the Hawaiian/pidgin word borrowed from the English “half,” but has come to mean “mixed” or “part.” Many local people on Maui who come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds are called “local” or “hapa.”
All of which is to say, ethnicity plays a factor in keeping this play authentic, as noted below with each character.
REGARDING AGES
Ages refer to how the character will be perceived, not necessarily the age of the actor. See character descriptions for more info.
CHARACTERS (in order of appearance):
[12 actors: 7 M / 5 W]
LOPAKA: A young entrepreneur, who was raised in the Goodales’ plantation camp. (Hapa or any typical local camp ethnicity, but not white)
MARY: A house servant at the Goodales’ home, which, like the farm, is called ‘Ainakea. (Japanese or hapa)
JOHNNY: A bookkeeper for the sugar mill. He is in love with Mary. (Any ethnicity)
KAWIKA: At around eighty years old, he is the oldest servant working at ‘Ainakea. (Native Hawaiian)
ANNA: Amanda Goodale’s daughter, age 17. The Goodales are descendants of one of the earliest missionary families. (White)
AMANDA: The owner of ‘Ainakea plantation. (White)
NOELANI: Amanda’s hānai (adopted) daughter. She has been taking care of the house in Amanda’s absence. (Hawaiian or hapa)
KLAUS: The German manager of the plantation. (White)
CHARLOTTE: Amanda and Anna’s maid. She’s been traveling with them in Europe and America for the last three years. (Any ethnicity)
LEONARD: Amanda’s brother. (White)
BENNY: Amanda’s porter/footman. He’s also been traveling across Europe and America with them. (Any ethnicity)
PETER: The former tutor to Amanda’s deceased son, Gregory. He’s recently returned from the Korean War. (Any ethnicity)
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: James Nevius is an award-winning journalist, playwright, composer, and historian. He is the co-author of several works of nonfiction, including Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City (Simon & Schuster) and Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers (Rowan & Littlefield). His work has appeared in the Guardian, Chicago Tribune, New York Post, Vox Media’s Curbed, Monocle, and many other publications. His play Murder in the Nth Degree won the inaugural ProArts Playhouse playwriting competition and was named “Best New Play (2022)” by BroadwayWorld Hawai‘i. Other plays include Saint Mary Immaculate Virtual High School Reunion, Will Power, Mammoth Falls, and A Murder in West Egg. He studied English literature at NYU and was part of a writers’ workshop with Jeffrey Stocker and Christopher Durang.
Maui OnStage is committed to providing a work environment that is free of sexual harassment. MOS believes in and works to sustain an anti-racist environment. MOS does not tolerate any unlawful harassment based on race, color, gender expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, disabilities, or veteran status.
