Pulani is a musical fantasy play about a young girl who was raised alone on an isolated island near Guahan by her Guella, a suruhana. Pulani is given the task to find someone to teach the knowledge of the suruhana. She is accompanied at first by Gigipu (a Ko'ko' who can fly) and a Duendes. Along the way to Hagatña, they are joined by a flightless Ko'ko' and a Guam deer, Bunita. They are also pursued by Kolepbla, the snake, and at a low point in the journey, are challenged by a Rhino Beetle mother. (The Rhino Beetle is a change from the 1989 version, which was a coconut crab).
Pulani was written by me, Diane Aoki, and developed with the support of grants from the Guam Council for the Arts and Humanities over several years in the 80s. One year, it would be the script, the next, the music, the next, the Chamorro translation. Finally, in August and September of 1989, it was staged. The video production filmed by KGTF was aired several times over the years.
The children who were involved back then are adults now, and many of them are parents. (See the "Where are they now?" page for the 1989 cast and crew). I have wanted to do Pulani again for another generation, and now that I took an early retirement from a career as a public school teacher, I am able to make that vision a reality. Last summer, my friend Carlotta Leon Guerrero, my daughter Dance, and I, wrote another grant to produce Pulani, but with a different focus.
Because of Carlotta's work with Island Girl Power, a program of the Ayuda Foundation, we knew IGP would be a focal point. Though Pulani 2015 is sponsored by IGP, and all workshops, activities, and rehearsals will take place at their headquarters, it is open to anyone who would like to participate. (Check out the Interns and Casting Call pages.) The vision is that the teaching artists will mentor the "interns" or students. (Check out the Teaching Artists page). Then the "interns" will assume a lot of the responsibility that the adults traditionally do in a theatre production. We need to make sure we do justice to the Chamorro language and culture, so we will need people for this as well. (Check out the Chamorro Experts page.)
The six-week project for participants will begin on Monday, June 8, and will run daily from 9:00 to 12:00. If they are cast as actors or dancers, their rehearsal time may be extended beyond those hours as we prepare more for the performance. If there are tasks to be done, such as set or costume construction, the hours may also extend for those participants. The project for the teaching artists will start earlier (May) in order to collaborate and plan for the project. The project will culminate in a weekend of performances, tentatively from Thursday, July 16 to Saturday, July 18, although these proposed dates are not firm yet. There are plans to film it as well.
Now is the time to get involved. There are so many ways you can help. Please contact me for questions and information. If there is a chance you can participate as a teaching artist, please read the job descriptions on that page and email me about your interests or if you have questions. If you or your child is interested in being a part of this program, as an intern, actor, dancer, or other, let us know in the contact section as well.
Hope to see you at Island Girl Power this summer.
Pulani was written by me, Diane Aoki, and developed with the support of grants from the Guam Council for the Arts and Humanities over several years in the 80s. One year, it would be the script, the next, the music, the next, the Chamorro translation. Finally, in August and September of 1989, it was staged. The video production filmed by KGTF was aired several times over the years.
The children who were involved back then are adults now, and many of them are parents. (See the "Where are they now?" page for the 1989 cast and crew). I have wanted to do Pulani again for another generation, and now that I took an early retirement from a career as a public school teacher, I am able to make that vision a reality. Last summer, my friend Carlotta Leon Guerrero, my daughter Dance, and I, wrote another grant to produce Pulani, but with a different focus.
Because of Carlotta's work with Island Girl Power, a program of the Ayuda Foundation, we knew IGP would be a focal point. Though Pulani 2015 is sponsored by IGP, and all workshops, activities, and rehearsals will take place at their headquarters, it is open to anyone who would like to participate. (Check out the Interns and Casting Call pages.) The vision is that the teaching artists will mentor the "interns" or students. (Check out the Teaching Artists page). Then the "interns" will assume a lot of the responsibility that the adults traditionally do in a theatre production. We need to make sure we do justice to the Chamorro language and culture, so we will need people for this as well. (Check out the Chamorro Experts page.)
The six-week project for participants will begin on Monday, June 8, and will run daily from 9:00 to 12:00. If they are cast as actors or dancers, their rehearsal time may be extended beyond those hours as we prepare more for the performance. If there are tasks to be done, such as set or costume construction, the hours may also extend for those participants. The project for the teaching artists will start earlier (May) in order to collaborate and plan for the project. The project will culminate in a weekend of performances, tentatively from Thursday, July 16 to Saturday, July 18, although these proposed dates are not firm yet. There are plans to film it as well.
Now is the time to get involved. There are so many ways you can help. Please contact me for questions and information. If there is a chance you can participate as a teaching artist, please read the job descriptions on that page and email me about your interests or if you have questions. If you or your child is interested in being a part of this program, as an intern, actor, dancer, or other, let us know in the contact section as well.
Hope to see you at Island Girl Power this summer.