The Kāmau Trilogy by Alani Apio at Kumu Kahua Theatre. Audiences can experience Kāmau, Kāmau Aʻe and Ua Pau each individually or in special back-to-back marathon presentations.

Kumu Kahua Theatre presents The Kāmau Trilogy by Alani Apio—with Kāmau, Kāmau Aʻe and Ua Pau back by popular demand at the theatre that has proudly commissioned each play through the years. In a new twist for 2024, all three of these profound works are being produced at the same time in an epic undertaking running now through June 30, reuniting Apio with longtime creative collaborator and trilogy director, Harry Wong III. Audiences will now have an opportunity to experience the totality of this moving trilogy exploring land sovereignty, kuleana and ʻohana—with the option to watch each distinct yet intimately connected play on separate show dates or in a unique back-to-back presentation.

Kāmau is presented on Thursdays (May 30, June 6, 13, 20, 27), Kāmau Aʻe on Fridays (May 31, June 7, 14, 21, 28), and Ua Pau on Saturdays (June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2024) at 7 p.m. For the ultimate theatrical experience, audiences can take in all three plays one after another in special Sunday marathons (June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 2024), with the first play starting at 1 p.m. and the event concluding at approximately 8 p.m. On Sundays, food from Happy Belly Eatery and a variety of snacks will be available for purchase onsite.

In the compelling Kāmau, cousins’ perspectives on kuleana put them at odds when their ancestral beach-side homestead is sold to build a hotel. Picking up ten years later, Kāmau Aʻe finds Michael, now a member of a sovereignty group and newly released from prison, returning to occupy the beach he was evicted from while Alika has become the resort’s manager, offering cultural tours and providing hundreds of jobs for Native Hawaiians. The cousins’ worldviews again collide as larger forces vie for control of the place that was their home. The trilogy concludes with Ua Pau, as Stevie returns from college and uncovers hidden truths about her family and the inter-generational trauma that haunts them. Her struggle to release old ghosts and claim her place—and her kuleana—will determine whether she and her ʻohana survive intact, or at all.

Tickets are on sale at www.kumukahua.org. General admission is $25 for each individual show. Sunday marathon attendees are able to take advantage of additional savings through one flat price of $60 for all three shows ($50 for seniors) by contacting the theatre box office at (808) 536-444. Sales proceeds will help the nonprofit in presenting theatre written by, for and about the people of Hawaiʻi.