The world of Hawaii's Local Plays : The birth and Development of Kumu Kahua Theatre

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I collected the references and the scripts of Hawaii's local plays which were born and grew from the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries after they were influenced by both traditional Eastern and Western plays. Assisted by local writers, directors, and scholars, I could do my research at the Hamilton Library of the University of Hawaii, Kumu Kahua Theatre, and also the Honolulu Theatre for Youth. I also interviewed local playwrights and directors. Consequently, I could deliver my paper at some conferences both in Japan and abroad, and published articles.My research covers three major transformations of Hawaii's local plays. In the beginning era, Hawaii was being invaded by Western culture and values yet where the tradition Hawaiian pageant was born in order to dramatize and produce the historical plays regarding Hawaiian monarchy in the sublime setting of Hawaii's nature. The second era is a transitional era where, due to the establishment of plantations in the nineteenth century, ne … More wly-arrived and -settled immigrants from China, Japan, the Philippines, and Korea introduced their own unique theatrical activities and works and as a result, they were blended. The third period is the crucial turning point where, due to the statehood of Hawaii and also Americanization in all fields including education, Hawaii's local plays which were first operated in Standard English and were first influenced by American drama were changed into their unique local drama with Pidgin English as the common language and with local topics as the common interest. Those three points describe the historical trace of Hawaii's local plays which are still now flourishing.After my research regarding those three points, I participated in the panel with local writers, critics, and teachers at Bamboo Ridge Institute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa twice. The second panel which I joined at Bamboo Ridge Institute was especially fruitful because I exchanged my idea with Stephen Sumida who is one of the founding members of Hawaii's local literature group and press, Bamboo Ridge, published the first book on Hawaii's local literature, and also served President of American Studies Association. In spite of the fact that Hawaii's local drama is still now a minor field, I had great opportunities to present my papers at prestigious conferences such as the Annual Meeting of the American Studies Association and also at the Modern Language Association. Less