Bicultural cast in town to present 'Midsummer'

Advertiser Staff

Puck (Phillip Cuomo) and the fairies begin their moonlight dance in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," a production that combines American and Vietnamese actors and theatrical elements. Owen Carey

Shakespeare classic

East meets West in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," William Shakespeare's timeless romantic comedy set in an enchanted forest. The production, directed by Allen Nause, artistic director of the Artist Repertory Theatre of Portland, Ore., and Doan Hoang Giang of Vietnam's Central Dramatic Company, will feature actors from both troupes, bilingual moments and projected supertitles.

"Midsummer" comes to Hono-lulu as part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a national touring initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Sallie Mae Fund in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

• Show time is 7:30 p.m. today at the Hawai'i Theatre. Tickets are $20, $25 and $35 general; $10 for students. 528-0506, www.hawaiitheatre.com.

Trouble with ice, booze

"Why?" a musical drama that focuses on the problems of ice and alcohol abuse, heads for the Blaisdell Concert Hall this weekend after an initial show at Nanakuli High School earlier this month.

The play, written and composed by retired Honolulu Police Department Lt. Harry Chinn, premiered in 1992. This year's performances are presented by Pacific Institute of Chemical Dependency, Inc. and sponsored by the H.K.L. Castle Foundation, state Department of Education, Sassy and GMag magazines, Sand Island Treatment Center and PDMI-Care Inc.

Student and adult actors are taking part in "Why?" and are accompanied by the University of Hawai'i Orchestra and members of the Hawai'i Youth Orchestra.

• Show time is 7:30 p.m. Saturday. It's free, but tickets — available at O'ahu 7-Eleven stores, YMCAs and Boys & Girls Clubs — are required. It repeats at 3 p.m. Oct. 31. 261-9807.

Playwriting workshop

A Honolulu Theatre for Youth workshop titled "Basics of Playwriting" is aimed for youths ages 12 to 18. No experience is necessary. It's part of HTY's Pacific Young Playwrights program, now in its 19th year.

• 1-5 p.m. Saturday at Honolulu Theatre for Youth, 2846 Ualena St., near the airport. Cost is $40. Call 839-9885, ext. 12, to register.