ko'olau - a true story of kaua'i

the lovely woodblock prints by big island artist caren loebel-fried are one of my favorite things so you can imagine my excitement upon discovering that a stage production in nyc featuring her artwork made its debut last week. the story of ko'olau is being told through japanese-style puppetry created by ny-based local boy tom lee (who is also directing the show) set against projected backdrops based on caren's woodblocks.

this traditional storytelling style combines with live shadow animation and video projections to tell the story of kaluaiko'olau, a 19th century paniolo on kaua'i who resisted being deported to a leper colony and separated from his family after contracting the disease. together they fled to a remote valley where the family lived until the death of ko'olau and his son.

after the ordeal, ko'olau's wife pi'ilani recounted the family's struggles and it is her dramatic tale of love and 'ohana that the production is based on.

since most of us can't make the show, click over to the gallery to take a fascinating peek at the puppets and production design. performance details below for those lucky readers who call new york home:

• show dates: now to sun, oct 5th
• show times: fri/sat - 10p & sun - 5:30p
• where: la mama experimental theatre club, nyc
• tix: $18

let's hope ko'olau makes it way west and across the pacific one day!

p.s. prints of caren's work are available over in her etsy shop.

so you think you can dance

sorry to disappoint but this is not a dance off challenge from me to you. consider this a little reader alert that hawaii will be well represented on this season's so you think you can dance, aka my guilty pleasure show of summertime. much to my delight, my cousins & i will spend another summer sending dance critiques and
contestant picks back and forth across the pacific until the winner is crowned and, happily, we now have a local contender to cheer on!

[a vicarious sytycd-related thrill came compliments of one cousin who had a close encounter with contemporary choreographer mia michaels while visiting las vegas last year. the sighting at mandalay bay excited her so much that, as the story goes, my cousin shrieked "MIA MICHAELS!!!" loudly enough to startle la michaels who promptly gave her a quick wave to acknowledge this exuberant expression of fan girl love before dashing off to safety. fortunately, that one simple act satisfied my cousin enough to extinguish her devious plan to infiltrate the auditions, take the stage, and "dance" for the world.]

anyhoo, the hawaii voting block will certainly be out in full force dialing & texting away to support oahu boy mark kanemura who was already a favorite (before his sister revealed the hawaii connection on social wahines) after pulling off a hilarious interpretation of queen's "bohemian rhapsody" during his audition.

the top 20 start dancing their little hearts out tonight so tune in and go mark!

easy green living

hopefully, after a week of eco goodness you have become inspired to make every day earth day. the concept of going green can seem overwhelming if you are a newbie so now seems to be the perfect time to introduce you to renee loux, a maui-based organic chef who has started a little eco empire of her own.

you may have seen renee on her fine living series it's easy being green and her new book easy green living is your go to reference for all the questions that will pop up along your journey to a greener lifestyle. get the skinny on everything from gmo to herbal alternatives and the reasons why green products are better for you and the environment.

other sources to check out include fast food nation (one read will ween you off the value menu forever) and the very inspiring big ideas for a small planet on the sundance channel (no cable? no worries, you can download on itunes or order the season 1 dvd).

maui film festival 2008

one way to go behind-the-scenes during this summer's maui film festival is to sign-up as a volunteer. each 4-hour shift will score you two $10 festival passes plus one wednesday night movie pass good for a screening at the maui arts & cultural center.

you must be at least 16 years old to volunteer and need to register online to view the open volunteer slots. there are also a few paid positions for those who want to have a go as a filmmaker liason, p.a., or work the box office. email the festival coordinator for more details.

by the way, festival passes just went on sale and, while this year's slate has yet to be finalized, star gazing be it of the celestial or celebrity kind is definitely on the schedule (past attendees have included everyone from his holiness the dalai lama to jake gyllenhaal).

• festival dates: wed, jun 11th to sun, jun 15th

lost in translation

with the writers strike lingering on and on, your favorite tv shows have certainly been pulled off the air by now and replaced by an infinite number of reality programs. on the bright side, the craft of storytelling will once again capture viewers' imaginations with tonight's season premiere of lost! if you need to play catch up or refresh your memory, there are quite a few options floating around online, but the 8:15 recap is by far the most time efficient (and amusing) way to go.

of course, only 8 episodes of the 16 ordered by the network are in the can so, unless the strike ends soon, consider yourself warned that a most unwelcome cliffhanger may be on the horizon sooner than expected.