{"id":243177,"date":"2026-11-06T13:13:04","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T23:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=243177"},"modified":"2026-11-09T08:46:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T18:46:11","slug":"the-storyteller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/11\/06\/the-storyteller\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawaiian storytelling shines in new 糖心视频<\/abbr> drama"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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The Storyteller<\/em> unfolds in ʻōlelo<\/span> Hawaiʻi,<\/span> Pidgin and English.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When a Hawaiian family faces a devastating loss in The Storyteller<\/em><\/a>, the Kumulipo<\/em>, a Hawaiian creation chant, connects the living with those who came before them. The new play makes its world premiere November 18\u201322 at Kennedy Theatre<\/a>\u2019s Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n

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Mia ʻĀnelakumakaikealookalani<\/span> Estrada-Morse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For playwright Sheila Miles, the story grew out of a search that began in her own family. Her late mother had been tracing their genealogy and died before she could finish. A conversation with her playwriting adviser, Kumu Hailiʻ\u014dpua<\/span> Baker, prompted Miles to take a closer look at the Kumulipo<\/em> and what it could teach her about her Hawaiian identity. Miles is pursuing a master of fine arts in playwriting at 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n

“I have always and will always be interested in indigenous creation stories and how they inform our present day lives,” said Miles. “This is my endeavor to understand this creation story and make connections with present day reality,” Miles said.<\/p>\n

The production is directed by Ed Refuerzo, an MFA<\/abbr> candidate studying directing, and is part of Kennedy Theatre\u2019s<\/a> 2026–2027 Primetime Series.<\/p>\n

Told in ʻōlelo<\/span> Hawaiʻi<\/span> (Hawaiian language), Hawaiʻi<\/span> Creole English (Pidgin) and English, the story begins when Haumea receives a hōʻailona<\/span>—an omen—that she desperately tries to prevent. As generations of one family navigate grief, love and change, the Kumulipo<\/em>, a Hawaiian origin chant, becomes a thread connecting ancestors and descendants.<\/p>\n

“The Storyteller<\/em> asks us to remember that stories are not simply told\u2014they are lived. They carry our histories, shape our futures, and help us understand who we are in relation to one another and to the world around us,” said Refuerzo.<\/p>\n

Stories across generations<\/h2>\n
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Kaponi Purdy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The play presents moʻolelo<\/span>, or stories, as an active part of life. It explores how stories can guide us through loss, celebrate resilience and shape our understanding of who we are through relationships, place and memory.<\/p>\n

Those connections also reflect the theatre\u2019s season theme, Finding Home in the Extraordinary. In The Storyteller<\/em>, home takes shape through language, ancestry, family and the stories passed between generations.<\/p>\n

The production is presented by 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Department of Theatre and Dance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ticket information<\/h2>\n

Tickets are $9 for 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa students and $18 for general admission. Purchase tickets online.<\/a><\/p>\n

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The play explores how moʻolelo,<\/span> or stories, help us navigate loss and shape who we are.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Sheila Miles\u2019 The Storyteller<\/em>, the Kumulipo<\/em> links a family to its ancestors as they navigate grief, love and change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":243173,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1471,131,130,76,9],"class_list":["post-243177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-college-of-arts-languages-and-letters","tag-kennedy-theatre","tag-theatre","tag-theatre-and-dance","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t