Mālama the Arts

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Malama Arts

Mālama Arts fosters community engagement through the arts, offering staged readings and performances that connect local talent with audiences. Their mission is to enrich cultural experiences and provide opportunities for creative expression in Hilo.

Written by Ryan OkinakaDirected by Erin Healani Chung An Oʻahu family struggles to care for their matriarch as dementia slowly steals her memories away. Her grandson&#39;s method of existing within -- and adding to -- the imaginative world she inhabits creates a special bond. He helps her cope with changing realities, and she gives him the gift of self-acceptance.&nbsp; Grandma Mele: Jacquelyn Pualani JohnsonThomas: Bridge HartmanMom/Leah: Malu DebusDad/Robert: Hoapili MossmanColin: Ricky Alvarez Who You Again? is the last of six play readings in the first installment of the Play Reading Series. Since January 2026, Mālama Arts has produced staged reading of :&nbsp; Uncle&#39;s Regularly Scheduled Garage Party Is Cancelled Tonight by Lee CatalunaCat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee WilliamsSisters Matsumoto by Philip Kan Gotanda&nbsp;Stop Kiss by Lisa SonDance Nation by Claire BarronWho You Again? by Ryan Okinaka Who You Again? is presented by arrangement with the playwright, Ryan Okinaka.

Who You Again? Staged Reading

Written by Clare BarronDirected by Erin Healani Chung Somewhere in America, an army of pre-teen competitive dancers plots to take over the world. And if their new routine is good enough, they&rsquo;ll claw their way to the top at Nationals in Tampa Bay. A play about ambition, growing up, and how to find our souls in the heat of it all. Content warning: Dance Nation is best suited for adults. This reading contains coarse language, depictions of gore and sexual content. Dance Nation is the fifth of six monthly staged readings in the Play Reading Series, the Mālama Arts initiative to support excitement and offer opportunity for plays in Hilo. Each month, MA will select a play for local actors to read for a live audience. Staged readings are exciting yet low-pressure opportunities to present actors and audiences with new material. With generous support from the County of Hawai&rsquo;i and in collaboration with Hilo Community Players, Mālama Arts is pleased to offer the Play Reading Series free of cost. Dance Nation is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of SAMUEL FRENCH.www.concordtheatricals.com

Dance Nation Staged Reading

Written by Diana SonDirected by Robin Ziroli Clarey When Callie meets Sara, an unexpected friendship blossoms into a powerful and life-changing love. In Stop Kiss, their relationship unfolds with tenderness, humor, and vulnerability — until a brutal hate crime following their first kiss changes both of their lives forever. Told through a moving non-linear narrative, the play explores love, identity, trauma, and the enduring impact of violence, intolerance and love. Content Warning: Stop Kiss explores anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice and violence. It contains graphic descriptions of a hate crime, offensive language, and adult content. Stop Kiss is the fourth of six monthly staged readings in the Play Reading Series, the Mālama Arts initiative to support excitement and offer opportunity for plays in Hilo. Each month, MA will select a play for local actors to read for a live audience. Staged readings are exciting yet low-pressure opportunities to present actors and audiences with new material. With generous support from the County of Hawai’i and in collaboration with Hilo Community Players, Mālama Arts is pleased to offer the Play Reading Series free of cost.

Stop Kiss Staged Reading

Stockton, California 1945. Three Japanese-American sisters return to their farm after years in an internment camp, but the once prosperous family finds it&rsquo;s not easy to pick up the pieces of their former lives. As the details of their deceased father&rsquo;s final arrangements emerge, the sisters must work together to keep their dreams alive. Written by Philip Kan GotondaDirected by Jennie KaneshiroCast to be announced soon. Sisters Matsumoto is the second of six monthly staged readings in the Play Reading Series, the Mālama Arts initiative to support excitement and offer opportunity for plays in Hilo. Each month, MA will select a play for local actors to read for a live audience. Staged readings are exciting yet low-pressure opportunities to present actors and audiences with new material. With generous support from the County of Hawai&rsquo;i and in collaboration with Hilo Community Players, Mālama Arts is pleased to offer the Play Reading Series free of cost. Sisters Matsumoto is presented with the express permission of the author.

Sisters Matsumoto Staged Reading

An American classic by Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is set in the sweltering Mississippi Delta where Brick and his wife Maggie (&ldquo;the Cat&rdquo;) are celebrating the birthday of Brick&rsquo;s father, Big Daddy. But Big Daddy is disturbed and disappointed by the tempestuous relationship between his prized son Brick, an aging football hero who is desperately trying to escape reality, and the beautiful and feisty Maggie. As the hot summer evening unfolds, the veneer of Southern gentility slips away, and long-hidden truths emerge in this powerful, not to be missed, Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece. Directed by Danny Randerson, the cast includes Erin Healani Chung, Danny Randerson, Molly McGivern, David Greene, Jim Thompson, Erin Smith, Cameron Johnson, Ray Ryan, Leo Skelton, and Robin Ziroli. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is the second of six monthly staged readings in the Play Reading Series, the Mālama Arts initiative to support excitement and offer opportunity for plays in Hilo. Each month, MA will select a play for local actors to read for a live audience. Staged readings are exciting yet low-pressure opportunities to present actors and audiences with new material. With generous support from the County of Hawai&rsquo;i and in collaboration with Hilo Community Players, Mālama Arts is pleased to offer the Play Reading Series free of cost. CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (AMATEUR PERFORMANCE RIGHTS) is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service.www.concordtheatricals.com

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof Staged Reading

Mahalo for sponsoring our production of In The Heights! Please choose your sponsorship tier below.&nbsp; The deadline to submit the graphic art for your ad is Tue March 10. All ads will be in black and white. Please email .jpg or .png files to <a fr-original-style="" href="mailto:info@malamaarts.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">info@malamaarts.org</a>.&nbsp;

Mahalo for sponsoring our production of In The Heights! Please choose your sponsorship tier below. The deadline to submit the graphic art for your ad is Tue March 10. All ads will be in black and white. Please email .jpg or .png files to info@malamaarts.org.

Malama Arts

Past events

Past events

Who You Again? Staged Reading

Dance Nation Staged Reading

Stop Kiss Staged Reading

Sisters Matsumoto Staged Reading

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof Staged Reading

More ways to support us

In The Heights Sponsorship

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