Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, July 13, 2017 9 BARD From page 7 human emotion and experiences.” The event is a labor of love, as each night the cast and crew have to set up the tents, lights and sound equipment, and carry over their props, costumes and set pieces — breaking it all down when the performance is through. They do it gladly, however, to be able to bring a bit of the Bard to Hilo each year. The Kid Shakes show is going to be “Mmmbeth,” a comedy in one act, written by elementary school and keiki acting teacher Allison Williams, and directed by Mimi Tincher, who graduated from University of Hawaii at Hilo with a bachelor’s degree in performing arts in 2007. Kid Shakes performances are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, as well as July 16, 22, 23 and 29 at Kalakaua Park. “Mmmbeth” is a 40-minute take on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” in which things go awry as the witches tell the story. Queen Duncan refuses to die and is more interested in opening a doughnut franchise, and the murderers repeatedly try to sell their services to the audience during commercial breaks. The witches, explains Tincher, are an integral part of the story, guiding it from start to finish. These parts will be played by Naomi Lemieux, Tarani Best and Sydney Lee, 14- and 15-year-olds. The five young actors in the show — between the ages of 12 and 15 — are all experienced community theater actors. In the lead role of “Mmmbeth” is Alston Albarado, who is pursuing his master of fine arts degree at UH-Manoa focusing on theater for young audiences. He also is directing scenes from “The Tempest” in the “Best of the Bard, Too!” “It’s quite fun to be on stage with the younger ones, especially because a handful of them were actors in the production I directed a few years back,” Albarado says. “Audiences that watch ‘Mmmbeth’ and expect the tragedy of ‘Macbeth’ will be surprised at how comedic and funny this adaptation is. I believe audiences will enjoy how clever the script is.” This will be his sixth time participating with the annual event, and Albarado also was cast in the first Kid Shakes show, making his directorial debut with “I Hate Shakespeare!” in 2015. Kid Shakes, Tincher says, was created as a way to educate younger audiences about Shakespeare and introduce them to the Bard. Tincher says this production, the fourth in the Kids Shakes series, is different from the previous shows because it’s geared more toward a teen audience. “I think it’s important to reach out to teens who don’t know much about Shakespeare because being a teenager is really about finding your place in the world,” Tincher says. “The themes in Shakespeare’s plays are timeless. The goal is to keep Shakespeare alive, and that’s difficult to do without reaching out to our future generations.” This production contains mild adult themes with an onstage murder, so Tincher suggests parents keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to bring their children to the show. There are toy guns and play swords being used as props. There is no stage blood, but they use red material to represent blood. There also are sound effects such as screams and chainsaws, which might be scary for small children. “I read several modern adaptations of Shakespearian plays geared toward child and teen actors and audiences,” she says about how she selected this play. “When I read, ‘Mmmbeth,’ I laughed so hard! I felt like the actors and audiences would really enjoy it.” Though the original “Macbeth” is a tragedy dealing with heavy themes, Williams’ version presents these same themes in a comical way. “At first, I wasn’t sure about producing this play because of all the comical killing and murder in the play,” Tincher says. “But in this play, murder is not glorified. It’s shown in a way where teens will be better able to understand the original story of ‘Macbeth,’ a fictional tale loosely based on real Scottish history.” Albarado says that Shakespeare is always fun to decipher, decode and perform. “It’s also inspiring to see children tackle the complex stories of Shakespeare,” he says. Hilo’s Shakespeare in the Park was started by retired UH-Hilo drama professor Jackie Pualani Johnson, a “knock-off” of a regular event at her alma mater, the University of Colorado. The first Hilo production was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” “It was the first time that the park was used in this fashion, and many people supported the effort,” Johnson says. “Hundreds came out to witness the first Hilo-style Shakespeare in the Park. As the director, I quickly realized that Hilo’s performers had an affinity for the comedy and challenges inherent in Shakespeare.” Every possible area in the park has been used through the years, she says, from the banyan tree to a bridge over the water feature, to the balcony of the East Hawaii Cultural Center and even the fountain area of the post office. Johnson also has seen firsthand how Shakespeare in the Park transforms people. McPherson-Tampos agrees. “When you do something each year for decades, it becomes part of the community’s identity,” McPherson Tampos said. “A magical thing happens when a group of diverse people come together to participate in an open-air theatrical event. They will laugh together, cry together, respond in anger and happiness together, and, in Hilo, get rained on together. It’s what the Greeks called catharsis and why live theater has not left civilization over the eons.” HCP is the oldest community theater group in the state. Their annual performances are intended as their gift to the community. While the event is free, donations are welcome. For more information, contact McPherson-Tampos at 936- 7961 or hilocommunityplayers@ gmail.com, or visit the Hilo Community Players page on Facebook. Email Katie Young Yamanaka at BIVHawaii@gmail.com. HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald Actors rehearse for the Kid Shakes performance of “Mmmbeth” for the 40th anniversary of Shakespeare in the Park with “The Best of the Bard, Too!” that will play throughout the month in Kalakaua Park.
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