By Staff Reports

(Honolulu)– Honolulu Theatre for Youth announces its 2014-15 season, the 60th consecutive season for Hawaii’s world-renowned professional children’s theatre company. Six sparkling shows and a full slate of educational programs, along with new Sensory Friendly Performance options for the hearing impaired, those on the autism spectrum or younger children will mark HTY’s 60^th anniversary season.

A Bollywood Robin Hood kicks off the season with a Bollywood boogie-fest in August. Fall brings another exciting collaboration with the Cultural Education Staff of the Bishop Museum, Kū Ā Mo‘o: Becoming a Guardian of Hawaii. Travel to Japan in November and December with Rock’n the Holidays with Rakugo!, then embark on a seafaring adventure as told by one of Australia’s leading playwrights in Suzette Who Set to Sea. Happy is a gloriously giddy show for our littlest patrons, and the season wraps with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, based on a Newbery honored novel set in China. (Details at the end of this document.)

“In 1955 Honolulu Theatre for Youth was born from the passionate belief that young people deserved world-class theatre and drama education programs,” Artistic Director Eric Johnson said. “HTY’s founder, Nancy Corbett, was a champion of creativity and culture, and an advocate of celebrating all that is unique about Hawaii. She was equally convinced that theatre was the perfect medium to explore our place as citizens of the world. Sixty years later, we proudly continue this work.” Johnson added that HTY remains Hawaii’s only professional theatre company, employing full-time adult actors and drama educators for the benefit of children, families and teachers statewide.

HTY’s new Sensory Friendly Performances will be offered at select shows during the season. In addition to professional American Sign Language interpretation, the performances will feature subtle but important adjustments to make the material more accessible for younger children or  for those on the autism spectrum, including moderated sound and lighting, brighter house lighting and quiet areas outside the theatre for those who need to leave their seat during the performance.

Season tickets for the entire 6-show season are $100 for adults (age 18-59), $55 for youth (17 and under) and $80 for seniors (60+), and are on sale now. Single tickets are $20, $10 and $15, respectively. For more information, to receive a season brochure, order tickets to a show or learn more about HTY’s educational programming call HTY at 839-9885. Tickets may also be ordered online at www.htyweb.org.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth is Hawaii’s non-profit professional theatre company providing theatre and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of Hawaii’s young people and families. Founded in 1955, HTY is recognized the world over as one of America’s most honored theatres.

HONOLULU THEATRE FOR YOUTH 60th SEASON

AUGUST 2014 – MAY 2015

All shows performed at Tenney Theatre, The Cathedral of St. Andrew

A Bollywood Robin Hood

by Alvin Chan

• Opening Friday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m., then plays Saturdays, Aug. 16 – Oct. 3 at 4:30 p.m.
• Sensory-Friendly/American Sign Language-interpreted, August 30 at 1:30 p.m.
• Onstage Workshop, Aug. 23 at 2:30 p.m.
• Recommended for ages 5+

Sherwood Forest has never sparkled so bright!  This new musical adaptation of our favorite outlaw story mixes traditional Indian dance and theatrical techniques with the modern glitz of Bollywood. Created by the team responsible for A Korean Cinderella, the show promises laughs, dancing and a feast for the senses. World premiere.

Kū Ā Mo‘o

Created by the HTY Company in collaboration with the Culture Education staff of the Bishop Museum

• Opening Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m., then plays Saturdays, Oct. 18, Nov. 1 and Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m. (no show Sat., Oct. 25)
• American Sign Language-interpreted, Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m.
• Onstage Workshop, Nov. 1 at 2:30 p.m.
• Recommended for ages 8+

Mo‘o, the skin-changing lizard-bodied guardians of old Hawai‘i, are fierce protectors of land and water. But what happens when a Mo‘o is separated from its home? When a Hawaiian girl uncovers the secret of her family’s history, she finds herself asking, who will stand as guardian today?              World premiere.

Rock’n the Holidays with Rakugo!          

By Yasufimu Ishida

• Opening Friday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m., then plays Saturdays, Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13 & 20 at 4:30 p.m.
• Sensory-Friendly/American Sign Language-interpreted, Dec. 13 at 1:30 p.m.
• Onstage Workshop, Dec. 6 at 2:30 p.m.
• Recommended for ages 5+

Rakugo is an ancient style of Japanese storytelling currently making a comeback in contemporary Japan. See what happens when this ancient style mixes with classic stories of the holidays. The show promises humor, magic and a uniquely cultural perspective on the holiday season. World premiere.

2015

Suzette Who Set to Sea                

By Finnegan Kruckmeyer

• Opening Friday, Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m., then plays Saturdays, Jan. 17, 24, 31 & Feb.7 at 4:30 p.m.
• Sensory-Friendly/American Sign Language-interpreted, Jan. 31 at 1:30 p.m.
• Onstage Workshop, Jan. 24 at 2:30 p.m.
• Recommended for ages 5+

In a small seaside village where men build boats and women do not, young Suzette longs for a life on the sea. This imaginative tale of adventure explores courage, community and the possibility that sometimes it only takes the actions of a single person to change everything.

Happy

By Annie Wood Cusick

• Saturdays, Feb. 14, 21 & 28 at 9:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.
• American Sign Language-interpreted, Sat., Feb. 21 at 11:30 a.m.
• Recommended for ages 3+
• NOTE: no Onstage Workshop for this show. All performances are considered “sensory-friendly.”

Created by the artist who brought us the audience favorites Blue, Auntie Martha and the Nene (Goose) and Peter Rabbit and the Garden, this age appropriate theatre experience takes keiki on an exploration of what makes us happy. Exploring empathy, kindness, friendship and those things that make us smile, this show is perfect for HTY’s youngest audiences. World premiere.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Based on the Newbery Honored Novel by Grace Lin

• Opening Friday, Apr. 10 at 7:30 p.m., then plays Saturdays, Apr. 11, 18, 25, May 2 & 9 at 4:30 p.m.
• Sensory-Friendly/American Sign Language-interpreted, Apr. 25 at 1:30 p.m.
• Onstage Workshop, Apr. 18 at 2:30 p.m.
• Recommended for ages 5+

Inspired by her father’s stories and folktales, Minli sets off to change her family’s fortune. With the help of a talking gold fish and a friendly Dragon she quickly finds herself on the quest for life’s ultimate answer. Drawing from Chinese legends, Grace Lin’s writing creates a vibrant world filled with magic and beauty.