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Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

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<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Must be the "seefood" diet</title>

Today's social media find comes from hawaiisonly, living off the bounty of the ocean.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Must be the "seefood" diet

Things can go wrong when you try to make a good impression! 

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Playwright Jeannie Barroga has written more than 80 plays. Now, she needs help.

Barroga and her husband, Tony Williams, retired in the fall of 2025 and decided to move from California to Hawaiʻi. They tossed or donated belongings and then shipped about 30 boxes to their new home.

In April, Barroga was diagnosed with a rare four-inch malignant tumor which turned out to be the largest one her doctors had seen in a while, she told Aloha State Daily. 

It is a high risk incurable gastrointestinal stromal tumor, or 

, a rare malignancy that begins in the digestive system. 

On top of the normal monthly costs and rent, there are additional costs for travel to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, plus, a four-figure cancer drug that must be purchased monthly, which she hopes will be covered by a grant.

Cost of living was already 60% of their income and medical bills are another 20%, according to her GoFundMe website

 Each trip to Mayo Clinic involves booking round-trip tickets, ground transportation and more for Barroga and her husband — someone is required to attend the medical appointments with her— which costs between $5,000 and $7,000. She was advised there might be three or more trips like this within a year.

 has raised $11,000 toward the $40,000 goal. 

“It's just really touching to see that response,” she said. “It was mind blowing.”

Sometimes, her husband would be in the other room and see a donation come in and gasp, causing her to run in to see what was wrong, Barroga added.

“It's very humbling,” the playwright added.

Barroga first came to Hawaiʻi more than 30 years ago for a production of her play, “Talk-Story,” at Kumu Kahua Theatre.

While still living in California, she joined the Keakalehua Playreading Hui, which was created by 

, chair of the performing arts department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. That was during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

She is also part of Tree Moss Hawaiʻi, a collective of emerging and established Hawaiʻi playwrights.

Over the years, her plays have appeared on stage not just at Kumu Kahua Theatre, but also 

, where she was one of 30 Hawaiʻi-based writers producing 10-minute plays, created within the span of a single day.

part of a collection at Stanford University

. The collection includes drafts of her plays, notes and journals, as well as administrative files. 

Barroga was originally born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but moved to Northern California after college, where she held roles at the Oakland Ensemble Theater and Palo Alto's TheatreWorks. She was also the artistic director at the Asian American Theater Co. and Teatro ng Tanan in San Francisco.

 which focuses on Maya Lin, the Chinese American woman who designed the Vietnam War Memorial, 

 which puts the spotlight on the Buffalo Soldiers during the Civil War, and 

 which follows the impact of 9/11 on a Filipina woman.

Several theaters across the nation are also holding events to help fundraise in support her medical journey:

Bindlestiff Studio will share readings of extracts of her work, with proceeds of the event going to support Barroga.

will share a reading of her play “Buffaloʻd,” with proceeds benefiting the playwright.

musicians will have a musical benefit called “I Dream of Jeannie,” with proceeds going to support her care.

Jeannie Barroga,

<title>Playwright seeks help with cancer battle</title>

She wrote plays like “Talk-Story,” “Banyan,” “Walls” and “Buffaloʻed.” Now, this playwright — who lives in Hilo and has created more than 80 plays — needs help battling cancer bills.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Must be the "seefood" diet

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Must be the "seefood" diet

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

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