"Kamau," a play by Alani Apio produced by Kumu Kahua, will be staged July 20 through Aug. 2 at the Festival of Pacific Arts in American Samoa.

The festival, held once every four years and always in a different Pacific Island community, will draw 2,000 participants from 25 nations, to celebrate the diverse cultures of the Pacific Islands.

To celebrate the anticipated trip, Kumu Kahua will present two "command performance" of "Kamau, at 8 p.m. July 18 and 19. Tickets are $20. Call 536-4441, or visit www.kumukahua.org.

Advertiser Drama Critic Joseph Rozmiarek called the play "a moving and powerful piece on the nature of personal and cultural compromise." The story centers around Alika, a Hawaiian man who works as a guide for a local tour company to support his adopted family. His employer offers Alika a promotion, at the same time informing him that the company has purchased and plans to build a hotel on the oceanfront land where Alika's family has lived and fished for generations. Weighed down with responsibilities, and confused by alcohol, Alika struggles with his conscience as he considers his alternatives.

Kumu Kahua will be part of a Hawai'i delegation that includes Halau Haloa, organized by kumu hula Mapuana de Silva.