Directing Self Improvement
Written By Daisy Willis
Editorʻs Note: This article is the first segment to a two segment article series. The second article can be found here.
As students work their way through classes, they often end up wondering what it will be like to actually work in their field after graduation. Many students are learning basic skills in class without any knowledge of how their career path will play out in a real-world situation. There are some lucky students however that get a close up look into what their future career will entail. In the Performing Arts department of the University of Hawaii at Hilo it is a graduation requirement to either direct or perform your own senior project. This year, Erin McClure is working on her senior project titled “Hilo: Da Musical”.
Written and directed by Jackie Pualani Johnson, the musical is a homage to her home town of Hilo where “ice shave, hula, orchids, musubi, astronomical adventures, the loco moco, and rain….. reign!” Johnson explained.
UH Hilo Performing Arts Senior, Erin McClure and her cast members working behind the scenes. Photo provided by Glen Fernandez.
Erin gave a quick summary of the plot line, saying “The show brings over 30 performers from every facet of Hilo’s theater scene to the stage. Giving directions, ordering food, going to the Farmer’s Market all take on their own flair in an outa dis world musical tribute that helps define what it means to be “local.” The story centers around Hoku, his sister Leinani, and their best friend “Choke,” college students who go on a search through Hilo’s famous landmarks and activities, exposing life in Hilo, bit by bit. Several characters speak Pidgin English, others speak Hawaiian, and everyone sings about local food and Hilo’s quirks. An ensemble of singers acts like a local-style Greek chorus, commenting on what they see in Hilo and singing about malasadas and local antics.
The show is bound to be a wonderful source of entertainment for the whole family, and will no doubt touch the hearts of many Hilo locals, but a lot more went into this production than meets the eye. Erin has been working for the past semester to apply all of the skills she has learned as a drama major to directing her fellow students and community members through rehearsals for the show.
Erin spoke about the process of working with her cast members, saying “It's been challenging working with a variety of different skill levels and vocal ranges and trying to bring them all to the same standard of quality performance. Iʻve learned a lot about managing group rehearsals and keeping large groups on task when rehearsing. Every piece of info [I have] learned in class can be applied to musical direction, and while all information has been valuable the most profound effect has been in my learned ability to change the keys for music that has been already written to adapt to the casts vocal ranges.”
Cast of “Da Musical” settled in for a long rehearsal. Photo provided by Glen Fernandez.
Erin’s hard work has paid off, with the show premiering Thursday, April 16th and running through Sunday, April 19th. Both Erin and her cast members are rehearsed and ready to go, and everyone will be walking away from the production with many lessons learned.
