ʻAʻapueo play debuts Feb. 24 at Kamehameha Schools Maui

ʻAʻapueo, a play written by Kamehameha Schools Maui 2019 alumnus, Ikaika Mendez, premieres Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. 

Mendez, who wrote and directs this work, joins in with members of the KSM Hawaiian Ensemble and Hālau ʻo Kapikohānaiāmālama who offer mele and hula. 

The play will transport guests back to the time of the battle between the owls of Hawaiʻi and the people of Wailuku, Maui. Through their experience, haumāna (students) discover the importance of kilo, or observing and recording the things happening around them. They embark on a journey which invites the audience to witness the story involving ʻAʻapueo, the pueo (owl) for whom the school’s ahupuaʻa (land division) is named.

Join in as the cast relives the story through mele, oli, hula, R&B, ballads and more.

The event takes place in the school’s Keōpūolani Hale with live mele starting at 5:30 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m., and Hana Keaka (play) begins at 7 p.m.

The show is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome for the Kamehameha Schools Maui Hawaiian Ensemble.