Keakalehua's Second Face-to-Face Playreading

Our second live playreading for 2026 was James Parker's The Japanese Strike Conspiracy of 1909. After years of painstaking historical research into his family history in Hawaiʻi, the playwright was ready to hear his script shared aloud with an audience as the next step in shaping his courtroom drama about attorney Joseph Lightfoot's defense of the workers fighting for better working and living conditions for Japanese laborers on Hawaiʻi Sugar plantations.

The reading was held October 11, 2026 at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, co-sponsored by the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center and Performing Arts Department.

Playwright James Paker (standing center) & Director Eric Stack (seated center) with their cast.

Readers:

Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, Mikaele Lave, Aleah Yano, Kaiaulu Polite, Antea V. Cothran, Sean-Joseph Choo, Eric Stack, Jon Sakurai-Horita, Christian Conant, Kamakana Rodrigues, Brennen Cachola, Edward Fukushima, Daniel Akiyama