Staged Playreadings

With the end of the Covid pandemic, the Keakalehua Board of Directors began talking about the possibility of hosting occasional live staged playreadings. Spring 2026 marked the debut of this endeavor, with the staged reading of Damien Kīheipua Stack's lyrical full-length drama, ʻĀnela Makapō. Damien was a playwriting student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, so he had a One-Act play featured in the Makakū Student Play Festival, hosted by the UH Hilo Performing Arts Department and Performing Arts Center. This festival culminated with the presentation of Damien's full-length play on the final evening, directed by Jackie Pualani Johnson.

SYNOPSIS: Lanakū, a young Hawaiian composer, is caught between his dream of writing Hawaiian opera and the influences of his ancestors. These forces heavily affect his life, his relationship with his father, and, ultimately, the story and music he shapes. He struggles with his connections to those around him, including his sister ʻElena who is

developmentally challenged, and his girlfriend, Nōweo, who tries to be one of his greatest supporters.

CAST:

Ilina Wai / ʻElena..............................Tiari Faagata

Manono / Haliʻa.............................. Ligaya Hill

ʻEleua..................................................... Josh Payne

Lanakū................................................. Kuʻuhiapo Jeong

Koʻele................................................... Darryl Castillo

Nōweo.................................................Jayden Brown

Oliwia.................................................. Kaʻiulani Lum Ho

Stage Directions Reader...... Justina ʻŌlalimākiaikalauaki Mattos

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HrSrGC4sQ8

Playbill available here: https://0037.cdnchimp.com/qr/PROD/634f4f19bb58724ea0024bf4/fm/makaku_cast_2026_studentplayfestival_schedulewithsynopses_andcasts.pdf