A beloved local tradition of years past is returning to entertain a new generation of island children as the Honolulu Theatre for Youth presents a new edition of its seasonal revue, “Christmas Talk Story,” next month in Tenney Theatre. The show opens at 7 p.m. Dec. 1, and continues with afternoon performances Dec. 9 and 17.
Short character sketches, holiday songs and opportunities for audience participation combine to embrace children of all backgrounds in marking the year-end festivities that are part of life in Hawaii. Playwright Yokanaan Kearns exemplifies that diversity with his all-inclusive classic, “Hanachriskwanzabon,” which follows a boy who creates his own celebration by combining holidays.
The original “Christmas Talk Story” series was so successful that a CD and hardcover book were released in 2003, but it eventually ran out of creative steam. The final production was staged in 2012.
HTY Artistic Director Eric Johnson is bringing it back for several reasons.
“We’ve been doing holiday programming that has kind of grown out of ‘Christmas Talk Story,’ but I think what we wanted to do is return to the original impulse, which was always celebrating the local stories and the local writers in our community,” Johnson said. “We also want to encourage young people that, one, they believe that their stories are super special, and they can see themselves and their stories and their traditions being celebrated, but also that this will inspire them to write as well. You can’t have too much of an early intervention seeing what good storytelling and good writing looks like.”
Most of this year’s show is a “best of” presentation: Kearns’ “Hanachriskwanzabon,” along with seasonal sketches by Sean T. C. O’Malley, Gary Pak, “Da Pidgin Guerilla” Lee A. Tonouchi and Y York.
There also will be new creations by the theater’s resident ensemble members Jarren Amian, Alysia Kepa‘a, Annie Lokomaika‘i Lipscomb and Kala Muller.
Looking ahead, Johnson is welcoming new stories from the community for 2024.
“We’re opening submissions again for people who want to write their own holiday story or scene or poem or whatever they would like to write and submit to us. We hope to find out who the new generation of people writing here in Honolulu are.”
Aspiring contributors have many topics from which to choose. “Christmas Talk Story” has highlighted stories about Thanksgiving, the anticipation of knowing that you’ll have time off from school, the challenge of saving up to buy someone a present, various religious and cultural observances, the importance of family, and the linked celebrations of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. One year, there was even a story about how a simple gift of rubber slippers can be so much fun to play with in the summer.
Johnson is adding a new facet to the tradition by inviting students and teachers to participate by writing their own “talk story” stories.
“We’re going to have a student component where teachers and students can send in some student writing that may also end up in the piece. I don’t know exactly how but we’re very excited about both of those things.”
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“Christmas Talk Story”
>> Where: Tenney Theatre, 229 Queen Emma Square, St. Andrews Cathedral
>> When: 7 p.m. Dec. 1; 4 p.m. Dec. 9, and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Dec. 17
>> Cost: $30, $25 for seniors and military, and $15 for children and students
>> Info: htyweb.org or 808-839-9885
