WELCOME TO THE HAWAII THEATRE!
Dear Teacher,
We are delighted that you will be bringing your students to our special HTC Student
Matinee Series presentation of `Ohi`a Productions’ delightful show, I WISH—Wishing Tales
from Around the World. This is the fourth year in a row the Hawaii Theatre Center has had the
pleasure of collaborating with `Ohi`a Productions to bring their top quality touring education
shows to our beautiful, historic venue. We hope this happy partnership will continue into the
future, and of course, we hope you will continue to bring your students to enjoy `Ohi`a’s unique
and enchanting offerings here at the Hawaii Theatre!
To help you prepare your students so that they can get the richest possible experience
from the stories they’ll be watching, we are sending you the terrific Education packet prepared
by the good folks at `Ohi`a Productions, along with information about Student Matinee logistics
at the Hawaii Theatre.
We look forward to having you and your students as our guests—Enjoy!
With warmest aloha,
Eden-Lee Murray, HTC Education Director
The Hawaii Theatre Center Education program is made possible in part through generous support from:
ABC Stores, The Bretzlaff Foundation, The Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, Friends of Hawaii charities,
Thomas J. Long Foundation, The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, through appropriations from the
Legislature of the State of Hawaii and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
PREPARING FOR THE PLAY
Before the Play:
Read the adaptation summary in the excellent education packet provided by `Ohi`a Productions
with your students. Lead preshow discussions and activities with your class.
The Day of the Play:
Please plan on getting to the Hawaii Theatre 20 - 30 minutes before the performance. When you
arrive, the ushers will escort you to your places. During the preshow, the `Ohi`a performers will
be in the auditorium, meeting and interacting with the students.
Running time of the play will be approximately 50 minutes. With the opening welcome and the
time needed to safely clear the Theatre with the Bus Game following the performance, you can
plan for the entire experience to take about an hour, start-to-finish.
No food or drink is allowed in the theatre. Lunch bags can be left in the lobby.
Theatre Etiquette:
Before coming to the Theatre it would be helpful for you to speak with your students about what
it’s like to attend a live performance, and how different it is from going to the movies or
watching TV. The actors before them are alive and the students are present with them as the play
unfolds. The way the audience reacts and responds inspires the actors. The inspiration of the
actors then excites the audience. Together they create the whole experience that is Theatre, an
experience that is greater than the sum of the parts. The audience’s job is to watch, listen, laugh
(when appropriate) and applaud. Students should not leave their seats except to use the restroom,
and must not kick the seats in front of them. Students that disrupt the performance will be asked
to leave the theatre and wait in the lobby with a teacher or chaperone.
Cell phones must be silenced; texting and electronic games are not permitted. Photographs may
not be taken during the performance.
Restrooms:
It’s a good idea for students to use the restroom before the performance. Restrooms are located
on each side of the lobbies on both the first and second floors of the theatre. If you need to use
the restroom during the show, please walk quietly up either aisle and out into the lobby.
Leaving the Theatre:
After the performance, please have the students sit quietly in their seats. We play a special Bus
Game following the show to ensure that your exit will be safe and orderly.
After the Play:
Debrief your students and share the post-show activities provided in `Ohi`a’s education packet.
Feel free to create your own post-show questions/activities inspired by the performance.
Feedback:
Your feedback is of great importance to us--please take the time to fill out the program
evaluation form on the last page of `Ohi`a’s packet. In addition to returning the completed
evaluation to `Ohi`a Productions at the addresses provided on the form, please also either email
them to eden-leemurray@hawaiitheatre.com or fax to 528-0481
Mahalo!