LOCATION: Honolulu, HI
AWARD: 2021 SHIFT – Transformative Change and Indigenous Arts
WEBSITE: htyweb.org
WEBSITE: Facebook
PARTNER ARTIST:
Moses Goods (Kānaka Maoli) – BIO
ABOUT
Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) produces professional theatre and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of young people, families and educators in the state of Hawai‘i. Founded in 1955, HTY is one of the oldest and most respected children’s theatres in the country. HTY has served over five million people through school and family performances and drama education programs. Over 300 new plays for young audiences have been commissioned by HTY.
PROJECT
Honolulu Theatre for Youth is partnering with 2021 SHIFT Awardee Moses Goods (Kānaka Maoli) to produce KII A LOAA, a site-specific, interactive theatre-based exploration of honored sites of Honolulu designed to reveal layers of selective acknowledgement and glorification of history through the creation of “digital monuments”, in a virtual reality platform, that lift a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) lens to representation. Built on a foundation of multigenerational focus groups, engaging scholars, artists, and cultural practitioners, and cultivated through ensemble theatre creation in collaboration with dynamic media creators, this project seeks to reframe colonized concepts of past, present, and future.