ANIME MOMOTARO, MOVE!, and More Set For Honolulu Theatre For Youth's 72nd Season
The lineup also includes According to Coyote, Listen, Heartstrings, and more.
Honolulu Theatre for Youth has announced its 2026-2027 season titled: Beloved ʻOhana: Stories that Bring Us Together. The new season includes eight shows with offerings for all ages and every member of the family. The season will include three world premieres of new work, a selection of HTY returning favorites, a Hawaiʻi premiere of a play by acclaimed local writer, Lee Cataluna, and an offering featuring a Native American folktale and performer. The company will also continue its current trend of statewide and national touring.
Artistic Director, Eric Johnson shared, “Theatre is a place where we gather in person to laugh, sing and grow empathy and understanding toward others. In a world dominated by screens, artificial intelligence, and mistrust of others, we are delighted to announce a season filled with new work, old favorites, and a chance to explore the world together as an ʻohana.”
The season will open with the return of an HTY favorite, Anime Momotaro, by Alvin Chan, Eric Johnson, and the HTY Ensemble. Cute ogres and brave animals will delight audiences of all ages in this anime-inspired re-telling of Japan's most famous folktale.
Next up is Move! by Danica Rosengren and the HTY Ensemble in collaboration with Capitol Modern: The Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. The interactive show celebrates how our bodies move and is created for the littlest audience members and families. A special version of Move! will also be developed for neurodivergent children and families and will be held at Capitol Modern: The Hawaiʻi State Art Museum.
Joseph Kekuku and the Voice of the Steel Guitar by Moses Goods in collaboration with Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings will return for one performance in the fall before heading out on a national tour.
According to Coyote by John Kauffman, a collaboration with Spokane Ensemble Theatre, closes out the fall. The show was created by the late HTY Artistic Director, John Kauffman, who performed this vibrant anthology of of Native American trickster tales worldwide. This production is directed by Kauffman's niece, Josephine Keefe.
The company will kick off 2027 with the return of Tales of the Sun and Moon by Reiko Ho. The steampunk-inspired adventure celebrates celestial myths from Hawai‘i, China, and Korea, and is back for a limited run before embarking on a national tour.
The show will be followed by Listen, an exploration of sound by HTY musician-performers, Jarren Amian and Mattea Mazzella. The interactive show is designed to engage very young audiences and families.
Heartstrings, a moving story set in Hawaiʻi plantation times and written by award-winning local writer, Lee Cataluna, is the seventh offering of the season. The play is centered around two hānai sisters and told using hei, a Hawaiian string game. The final show of the season brings HTY's Emmy award-winning television show, The HI Way, to the stage for The Mālama Musical. Audiences will enjoy seeing their favorite characters from the television show in this musical inspired by two of the latest episodes in the tv series.
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