Maui Fringe Fest Features 3 Days of Performances

By Vanessa Wolf

The fourth annual Maui Fringe Theater Festival kicks off this Friday, Jan. 31 at the Historic Iao Theater.

Maui Onstage in partnership with Whole Foods Market Maui presents variety of Maui-premiere (and even world-premiere) performance pieces ranging from drama to improv comedy to dance.

This year’s weekend-long marathon of performing arts will include Maui’s “Adaptations Dance Theater,” and two world-premiere one-act plays, “War Stories” by Maui’s Anthony Pignataro and “The Maple Street Militia” by Teresa Salyer. Additional guests include renowned San Francisco Kathak performing artist, Antara Bhardwaj plus original comedic, dramatic and musical showcase performances.

Adaptations Dance Theater is Maui’s new professional, contemporary dance company featuring members Hallie Hunt Armato, Vanessa Cerrito and Nicole Humphrey.

The company has stated that their “passion is to create a home for future, professional dancers on Maui, whether trained locally or abroad. ADT seeks to inspire and develop a culturally dynamic and continually growing community of dance on Maui.”

“War Stories” by Anthony Pignataro, is described as the story of “ two Second World War vets–one American, one Japanese–who meet by chance in the Honolulu International Airport terminal in 1965, 20 years after the end of the fighting. Soon idle chat gives way to swapping stories–and long-concealed secrets.”

Directed by Angie Thompson, the play stars Derek Nakagawa and Jason Takaki and is Pignataro’s first play.

“The Maple Street Militia” is an original one-act play following “four senior citizens riding out the horrors of Hurricane Katrina from their home. When two looters arrive, and with no help on the scene, they must fend for themselves to survive.”

Author Teresa Salyer is a Cincinnati area playwright who enlisted local director, Naia Newlight. She, in turn, assembled a local cast which including Paul Janes-Brown, Charlie Dungans, Joel Agnew, and J.Marc Mance.

Antara Bhardwaj performs “Tale of Kathaka.” Courtesy image

Kathak is a story-telling classical dance form from North India, characterized by percussive footwork, lightning pirouettes, and dramatic story-telling,

“Tale of a Kathaka,” by Antara Bhardwaj takes you “from ancient Sanskrit shlokas, to the modern Kathak Yoga, and presents a traditional gat bhao – or story, where she plays five different characters, bringing to life an ancient story from India’s epics, that tells of greed, lust, distraction, loss, and hope.”

The day-by-day schedules are as follows:

Friday, Jan. 31

• 6:30 p.m. – War Stories by Anthony Pignataro
• 7:15 p.m. – The Maple Street Militia by Teresa Salyer
• 8:15 p.m. – Tale of Kathaka by Antara Bhardwaj

Saturday, Feb. 1

(Your ticket to any one show includes the preceding showcase)

• 3 p.m. – A Menapachi’s Thanksgiving by Pat Masumoto
• 3:15 p.m. – The Maple Street Militia by Teresa Salyer
• 4:15 p.m. – My Two Joe’s by Virginia Sandell
• 4:30 p.m. – Tale of Kathaka by Antara Bhardwaj
• 7 p.m. – Chris Rose (stand up comedy)
• 7:15 p.m. – War Stories by Anthony Pignataro
• 8 p.m. – Adaptations Dance Theater
• (This performance includes free admission to the Fringe Cabaret)
• 9 p.m. – Fringe Cabaret: A revue of music dance and comedy

Sunday, Feb. 2

• 3 p.m. – War Stories by Anthony Pignataro
• 4 p.m. – The Maple Street Militia by Teresa Salyer
• 5 p.m. – Tale of Kathaka by Antara Bhardwaj
• Closing Night Party: 6 – 7:30 p.m.
• 7:30 p.m. – 2014 Awards Presentation

General admission tickets are $10 per show with $20 Sunday passes available. Day pass includes admission into all three performances and the closing night awards party.