HOLDEN & ARTS ASSOCIATES
SHARING STORIES AND CREATING PARTNERSHIPS SINCE 1983
TALES OF THE SUN AND MOON
Produced by Honolulu Theatre for Youth
From Honolulu, HI
Resources
About the Company
No matter where or when you live, all people look at the same sun and the same moon and every culture has their own tale about the heavens. This world premiere show features celestial myths and legends from cultures around the world, including Hawai‘i, China, Korea, and more. Told through language, movement and music these are stories to connect us all.
Written by Associate Artistic Director Reiko Ho, the production will premiere in Honolulu in late August 2025. It will have its first national tour in 2026-2027.
"While the stories included in this play are all about the Sun and the Moon, they are also a window into the beautifully unique cultures that they represent and the different ways we all see and interpret the world. The play includes a selection of stories from Hawaiʻi and around the world, including a little bit of science, pop culture, and a fantastical journey with the Story Keepers. I hope the performance activates young audiences with the charge that we must all be keepers of the stories, and that telling our stories is a way to shine a light for generations to come." - playwright Reiko Ho
Additional touring performances also available from the company:
Joseph Kekuku and the Voice of the Steel Guitar (and virtual offerings: Stories of Oceania and Duke).
Curriculum Connections
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Performing Arts: Theatre, Live Performance, Puppetry
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Language Arts: traditional fables
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History/Social Studies: Culture & History
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Science: The Sun, The Moon
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Social/Emotional Learning Development: Bravery, Resilience, Community, Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Self Management, and Relationship Skills.
National Curriculum connections available here.
Outreach & Workshops
Please contact us if additional outreach or workshops is something you'd like to explore. A member of the creative team may be available to deliver pre or post show workshops or a live Q&A for participating audiences. Please connect with us about outreach activities that best engage your teachers and schools.
Sensory Friendly
This performance is available as a “sensory friendly” or “relaxed” performance if arranged with the company in advance and with specific direction as to what adjustments are necessary for your venue.
Minimum Tech Specs
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Load In Time: Four hours (pre-rig required.)
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Crew Needs: 1-2 Electricians/Stage Hands and 1 Audio Technician for Load In. 1 crew member to operate lighting during show.
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Min. Stage Size: 15’ wide x 15’ deep, 12’ high. Two dressing rooms
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Load Out Time: 1 hour
Artistic Team
Written and Directed by Reiko Ho
Assistant Director Jack Romans
Set, Lighting, and Puppet Design by Chesley Cannon
Costume Design by Iris Kim
Prop Design by Eric West & Chesley Cannon
Original Music and Sound Design by Mattea Mazzella
Stage Manager Sarah Danvers
Performed by Serina Dunham, Annie Lokomaikaʻi Lipscomb, Emily Wright
Korean Drumming and Dance Consultant Mary-Jo Freshley
Korean Language Consultant Sun Min Chun-Dayondon
ʻOlelo Hawaiʻi Translation and Hawaiian Culture Consultant Annie Lokomaikaʻi Lipscomb
Study Guide by Reiko Ho
National Core Arts Standards compiled by Daniel A. Kelin II
Touring Company will be 3 performers, 1 stage manager, still TBD.
Critical Acclaim
HTY has been awarded the prestigious 2022 CTFA Corey Medallion presented by the Childrenʻs Theatre Foundation of America and honors recipients for their significant achievements for the enrichment of children in the US and Canada. To learn more about the award, please read the following Broadway World article here.
About the Company
Past North American Tours Include: The Carp Who Would Not Quit, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, The Pa’akai We Bring, and The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac.
Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) is a theatre of place, deeply rooted in the cultures and people of the Pacific. The company produces professional theater productions, innovative drama education programs, and is dedicated to serving young people, families and educators across the Hawaiian Islands and beyond.
HTY believes that drama education and theatre are unique, socially-based education and art forms that help their participants and audiences walk in the shoes of others, allowing them to expand their imaginations, enrich their lives, and discover the infinite possibilities in the world. HTY works towards a future for Hawaiʻi in which people are culturally literate and imaginative, are critical thinkers and inventive problem solvers, with a respect for history and a sense of place in a complex world.
Founded in 1955, HTY is one of the oldest and most respected children’s theatres in the country. HTY has served over six million people through school and family performances, drama education programs, and digital media. Over 300 new plays for young audiences have been commissioned by HTY. In 2023, HTY received the Orlin Corey Medallion from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America (CFTA), the highest honor in the field.
HTY has used their talents in new ways during the Covid era and, with a partnership with NMG Network and Hawaii News Now, created a new type of children’s television program called THE HI WAY. The program won 3 Emmy® awards and garnered 9 Emmy® nominations. Grounded in their geography and the many diverse cultures that make Hawaii special, the program is unlike anything currently available in children’s television and marks the beginning of a hybrid future for HTY as both theatre and digital media creator. Check out HTY's television show THE HI WAY as well as other information about the company and their work on their website here.
Past Productions
