HTY's CALL IT COURAGE to Return to Honolulu Theatre, 6/14-15

Call It Courage, adapted from the Newbery Medal-winning children's tale by Armstrong Sperry, will return to the Honolulu Theatre for Youth stage June 14 & 15 as part of the Network of Ensemble Theatre (NET)'s MicroFest USA: Honolulu - A National Summit and Learning Exchange taking place June 13 - 18. Public performances of Call It Courage and other MicroFest events are as follows:

Friday, June 14, 7:30 p.m.
In a double bill, MicroFest Honolulu presents Ka H?lau Hanakeaka performing He Mo'olelo Hana Keaka no M?uiakamalo a me Kamapua'a: 'Elua mau me'e Hawai'i (A play for two Hawaiian heroes, M?uiakamalo & Kamapua'a) and a command performance of Call It Courage, which premiered in HTY's 2012-13 season.

Tickets: $15 General Admission and $10 Youth (17 and under).

Saturday, June 15, 1:30 p.m.
Call It Courage

Tickets: $15 General Admission and $10 Youth (17 and under).

Saturday, June 15, 7:30 p.m.
MicroFest Honolulu: Ho'olaule'a o ka P?hiahia (A Celebration of the Performing Arts), featuring a cross-section of national musicians and storytellers, including: Guardians of the Flame, M.U.G.A.B.E.E., Scatter Their Own, and Frank Waln.

Tickets: $15 General Admission and $10 Youth (17 and under).

All performances will be held at Tenney Theatre on the grounds of The Cathedral of St. Andrew. Tickets are available at www.htyweb.org by calling 808-839-9885ex 720.

The NET shows are made possible with support from The Kresge Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ford Foundation.

The Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET), of which Honolulu Theatre for Youth is the only Hawaii member, hosts MicroFest USA: Honolulu - A National Summit and Learning Exchange June 13-18, 2013. Sunrise and sunset performances, graffiti artists, stories of radical arts-based political action - the MicroFest is a journey across the island of Oahu. Beginning in Honolulu, the Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET) will explore this urban environment, bridging the local and national through performances and conversations, ending with a group retreat to the rural North Shore for reflection and sharing. This National Summit & Learning Exchange is the culmination of the MicroFest USA series, asking: "How does art impact your community?" and bringing together local and national participants to share success stories, challenges, inspirations, and questions about art-based community development. More at http://www.ensembletheaters.net/programs/micro-fest-usa-national-summit.

Call It Courage, HTY's stage adaptation of the Armstrong Sperry 1941 children's classic tale, is set in pre-contact Polynesia. It tells the story of Mafatu, a young boy who is terrified of the sea. Despite his name ("Stout Heart") and his status as the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru, a race of Polynesians who worshipped courage, he is branded a coward. Mafatu's determination to overcome his fear sends him on a solo voyage, fraught with storms, sharks and cannibals. Will he perish, or will he return triumphantly to his village?

HTY's unique staging of Call It Courage incorporates a sand table and dynamic lighting; narrators create images in the sand which are projected onto a scrim as the story unfolds. Chanting and a host of traditional, authentic Hawaiian and Polynesian instruments, including k?'eke'eke (bamboo pipes), 'Ohe hano ihu (nose flute), 'Ili'ili (pebbles), niu (coconut halves), pahu (drum), k?pe'e (ankle rattle), oeoe (gourd whistle), p?'ili (bamboo rattles), and bamboo chimes are played live onstage.

Call It Courage is performed by HTY company actors Maile Holck, Junior Tesoro, Alvin Chan and Kala'i Stern. Director is Eric Johnson; set, light, video and props designer is Chesley Cannon with set consultation by H. Bart McGeehon and video consultation by Adam Larsen; costume designer is Sandra Payne. Kala'i Stern composed all melodies and chants.

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.

Photo by Brad Goda

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