The Pa’akai We Bring – Honolulu Theatre for Youth

The show introduces young audiences to Native Hawaiian ideas of balance and healing by exploring our relationship to pa‘akai (salt).  The production was inspired by the real life stories of the twenty-six Hawaiian families who tend the Hanapēpē  salt beds on the island of Kauaʻi. Traditionally, pa’akai is food, medicine, and sacrament. It is essential to our individual, communal and environmental well-being. The ensemble joyously celebrates ancient and modern ways we can restore and maintain balance through stories, songs, and audience participation.

 
“In Hawai’i we have a special relationship with pa‘akai shared creator, Moses Goods. “We live our lives surrounded by salt water, we use salt to cleanse and purify and we value salt as a treasured gift. Salt traditions are unique to every culture and we’d like to share a bit of ours with your family.”

The production is directed by Eric Johnson and Moses Goods and features HTY Resident Ensemble members Hermenigildo (Junior) Tesoro, Po’ai Lincoln, Matt Mazzella, and Annie Lokomaika’i Lipscomb. Creator and Lead Artist is Moses Goods; Dramaturgy by Lee Cataluna; Set and Visual Design by Hanalei Marzan; Lighting Design by Stephen Pruitt, Costume Design by Iris Kim and Emily Wright; Prop Design by Eric West; and Haku Mele by Moses Goods, Po’ai Lincoln, Lokomaika’i Lipscomb, Hanalei Marzan, and Ryan I. Kaha’iolelo Sueoka. The show also includes original music by Mattea Mazzella and the HTY Ensemble.