CLASSIC CINDERELLA STORY GIVEN NEW LIFE AS OPERA
Rossini’s “Cinderella” on Saturday at SALT at Our Kakaako will be the story we all know and love, performed as an opera.
A three-member cast will sing their way through a 45-minute, family friendly performance presented by the Hawaii Opera Theatre. Stephanie Holladay stars as Cinderella, Nathaniel Catasca is Prince Ramiro and Leslie Goldman wears three hats as the Evil Stepmother, Madame Magnificent and the Fairy Godmother.
HOT musical director Eric Schank will accompany performers on keyboard.
“Every venue becomes a mini theater, and not only do we engage the audience through multiple sing-along opportunities, but we choose actual audience members as volunteers to be characters in the show,” said Blythe Kelsey, HOT’s director of artistic administration.
She added that Saturday’s version of Rossini’s opera will use a few elements from the fairy tale version of “Cinderella” to make it more recognizable to a child audience. Most noticeably, Cinderella will be identified by a glass slipper.
>> On Feb. 8, HOT will sponsor “Family Day at the Opera” at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” which will play Feb. 14, 16 and 18 at the concert hall.
Kelsey said attendees can learn “all the parts and pieces that go into producing this grand art form.”
They also can try on costumes, pose for pictures, play with props and take a backstage tour on a working set.
The Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio, the Orvis Young Voices Studio and other special guests will serenade visitors.
ROSSINI’S “CINDERELLA”
>> Where: SALT at Our Kakaako, 691 Auahi St.
>> When: 11:30 a.m. Saturday
>> Cost: Free
>> Info: saltatkakaako.com
CHILDREN’S AUTHOR PASSES ON WISDOM
Award-winning children’s author Erin Entrada Kelly will share her passion for writing Tuesday at ‘Iolani School.
Kelly, who lives in Middletown, Del., is visiting ‘Iolani as part of the Harold Keables Chair of English program, which brings a distinguished writer and teacher to the school for two weeks each year to work with students and faculty.
She will discuss how students can shape their own stories, and how the key to strong storytelling is developing a character that readers want to spend time with.
Three of Kelly’s books have received children’s literacy awards: “Blackbird Fly,” in 2016; “The Land of the Forgotten Girls,” in 2017; and “Hello, Universe” took home a Newbery Medal in 2018.
Kelly’s first two books are based loosely on her life as a young Filipino American girl struggling in Louisiana. She said as a youngster, she was lonely and introspective.
“It’s important for all authors to bring themselves into the stories they write,” she said. “It’s important to think about what you want to say and the beliefs you want to put into your work.”
“THE STORIES WE CARRY”
>> Where: Seto Hall, ‘Iolani School, 563 Kamoku St.
>> When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
>> Cost: Free
>> Info: iolani.org
GAME SHOW WITH SERIOUS INTENT
On Feb. 8, student teams from ‘Iolani, Kalani, Maryknoll and Waipahu will gather at the University of Hawaii, where they’ll match wits to see which group reigns supreme in an array of topics.
Game show? In a sense, yes, but this competition doesn’t involve trendy topics. Rather, it delves into such matters as personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities.
In fact, the contest is intended to spread knowledge not taught in a typical classroom.
The event has been sponsored by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs since 2005.
“Each year, participants statewide are provided with valuable information about real-life situations to help them succeed beyond the classroom in this ever-changing world,” said department director Catherine P. Awakuni Colon.
The four competing schools have advanced from an online phase of the competition, which included 20 teams representing eight schools.
The event will start with multiple-choice tests, then students will answer questions from experts. The highlight is the buzzer round, which will be hosted by Hawaii News Now reporter Ben Gutierrez. Five judges and a referee will preside over the competition.
The winning five-member team will advance to the National LifeSmarts Competition in Washington, D.C., in April.
HAWAII LIFESMARTS STATE COMPETITION
>> Where: Campus Center Ballroom, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2500 Campus Road
>> When: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 8
>> Cost: Free
>> Info: 586-2737, 808ne.ws/HawaiiLife Smarts2020
