{"id":2851,"date":"2026-07-21T07:04:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T07:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2851"},"modified":"2026-07-21T07:04:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T07:04:26","slug":"auditions-underway-for-play-inspired-by-hawaiis-okinawan-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2851","title":{"rendered":"Auditions underway for play inspired by Hawaii\u2019s Okinawan community"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii\u2019s Okinawan community recently celebrated 125 years of immigration from the southernmost prefecture of Japan.<\/p>\n

Read more Native Hawaiian Convention returns to Honolulu with workshops, marketplace<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, a new play chronicles how Okinawans acclimated to their newfound home.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Okinawan Ohana\u201d is a new theatrical production that Playbuilders Hawaii has been working on by sitting down with small groups to discuss what it\u2019s like to be an Okinawan living in Hawaii.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo basically we spent the last two years collecting local Okinawan stories \u2014 stories from the local Uchinanchu community,\u201d said playwright Lee Tonouchi, \u201cand then my job as the playwright now was trying to combine all these stories that we would collect.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It all started in late 2024, when Terri Madden of Playbuilders first approached Tonouchi prior to conducting the interviews and asked him to do a play with her group.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said … what kind of community would you like to work with?\u201d asked Madden, \u201cand he said, well, Okinawan, of course! No, he said, Uchinanchu, of course! And I said, well, what\u2019s Uchinanchu? And he said, Okinawan. So that\u2019s how it began.\u201d<\/p>\n

Madden assembled a team to conduct story gatherings or circles, and over the next few months, 80 individuals shared their experiences.<\/p>\n

They talked what their parents went through leaving Okinawa, what it was like growing up in the plantations and working long hours while trying to find a better way of life and retain their Okinawan culture.<\/p>\n

Sean Joseph Takeo Kahaokalani Choo, who is directing the play, said, \u201cThere\u2019s a sense of let\u2019s come together and share who we are, share our culture, play our music, the kachashi (an Okinawan stringed instrument), you know, hang out and support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Case says shipping interests \u2018out to get me\u2019 by funding Keohokalole<\/a><\/p>\n

With auditions now underway, Choo encourages interested actors to be part of the production, inspired by real-life characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like the theater is a way, or performance is a way where you can show how the heart is painted, because we\u2019re becoming the flower. We\u2019re becoming a character. We\u2019re becoming like our ancestors as it were,\u201d Choo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when you speak these words, you\u2019re not just speaking the words from the imagination of Lee Tonouchi. You are speaking the truth that has been shared by actual community members. So it\u2019s truly an honor to participate in the play,\u201d Madden added.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cTight now my biggest worry is, oh, we need actors,\u201d Tonouchi said. \u201cSo if you\u2019re Okinawan, you better show up, bro. We need you!\u201d<\/p>\n

The next auditions for \u201cOur Okinawan Ohana\u201d take place July 22 and 27 at 6.p.m. at the United Church of Christ on Judd Street. <\/p>\n

Whether you are an experienced thespian or have never been on stage, everyone is encouraged to attend.<\/p>\n

Read more Suspect pleads not guilty in alleged $1.2M fraudulent check scheme<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Playbuilders Hawaii\u2019s \u201cOur Okinawan Ohana,\u201d written by Lee Tonouchi, draws from interviews with about 80 community members.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2850,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAuditions underway for play inspired by Hawaii\u2019s Okinawan community - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2851\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Auditions underway for play inspired by Hawaii\u2019s Okinawan community - 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