The Island premiere of "Wild Man," by Nobel Prizewinner Gao Xingjian, has launched the new season of productions at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's Earle Ernst Lab Theatre.

The play is about an elusive creature dubbed Wild Man, who appears at a rural mountain village; and the arrival of an ecologist who wants to study the effects of clear-cutting forests. Jessica C. Nakamura, an MFA directing candidate, directs.

Showtimes are 8 p.m. today and 2 p.m. tomorrow. Tickets are $12 general; $10 seniors, military, UH faculty/staff and students; $4 UHM students. 956-7655, www.etickethawaii.com.