Playwright and retired public school teacher Diane Aoki once wrote a scene about a person losing their hearing as part of a challenge for a festival that asked playwrights to share a local social issue in just one minute.
“I was just thinking about: what is an issue that a lot of people are dealing with?” Aoki told Aloha State Daily. “It was about aging and taking care of your elders as they age.”
Today, that scene is part of the play, “Memory Beads,” which premiers Thursday, May 28, at Kumu Kahua Theatre. Directed by Liza Sanchez and Julia Gilman, the show runs now through June 28.
“Writing this play was a real challenge for me because it's nonlinear,” Aoki said. “Not only does it go back and forth in time, but there are also two story lines, and both storylines are broken up. What I would like to share is that if people are used to seeing that traditional narrative format to not get freaked out. ... Just take each scene one at a time, and then hopefully in the end, it'll all come together.”
One of the storylines is a fairytale, which is popular in a number of Asian countries, she noted
“The celestial maiden — she comes down from heaven, and she’s bathing in a stream, and then a farmer sees her and steals her robe, and without her robe she can't go back to her home,” Aoki said. “She stays, and she has children with the farmer, so there's different scenes about that whole interaction. That's woven in with the story of the main character, Joni, and her dealing with her memory issues and taking care of her mother and also her relationship with her daughter.”
The play "Memory Beads" explores themes such as aging, memory and identity. (Courtesy of Kumu Kahua Theatre) 
The back row, from left to right, includes: Stu Hirayama, Camden Colipano and Matthew Nakamura. The front row, from left to right, features Krist10 Misaki, Joy Turbeville, Pauli Amornkul, Enise Aiko Chinen, and Kirstyn Trombetta. Not pictured is Gabriella Gualano (Courtesy of Kumu Kahua Theatre) 
From left to right: Krist10 Misaki, Camden Colipano and Stu Hirayama are members of the cast for the premiere of a new play, "Memory Beads." (Courtesy of Kumu Kahua Theatre) 
"Memory Beads" runs through June 28. (Courtesy of Kumu Kahua Theatre)
The play draws inspiration from Aoki’s own life experience.
“The inspiration was my own experience dealing with my mother as she reached her final stages,” Aoki said.
The main character is a woman named Joni — played by actress Denise Aiko Chinen — who knows Alzheimer’s disease runs in the family and sees signs of it in her mother. The play explores Joni's fears that she may also have Alzheimer’s disease and will one day leave her own daughter caring for her.
Joni begins collecting memory beads to preserve fragments of her family’s story including their immigration from Okinawa and her own memories of growing up in Hilo.
“It's also an exploration of Okinawan identity,” Aoki said. “In writing you have to base it in real experience because if you don't identify their ethnic background, it kind of loses something.”
Aoki wrote her first play, “Wind Dances” in college. It was staged by the East West Players in Los Angeles. Eventually she moved back to Guam, where she wrote a children’s musical play, “Pulani.”
Kumu Kahua Theatre is hosting several special events, which expand on themes in “Memory Beads,” including:
May 28: Opening Night Celebration. The Hawaiʻi-based band Maajiru, which blends Okinawan and Hawaiian music, will be playing before the show and during intermission. Maajiru will start performing at 6:30 p.m. just before the 7 p.m. show.
June 1: Kumu Kahua Book Club. The theaterʻs book club will explore wartime Okinawa this month with the memoir “The Girl with the White Flag,” by Tomiko Higa. Limited copies of the book are available to borrow from the box office or local public libraries.
June 5: Cast and Crew Talk Story. Aoki and members of the cast and crew will gather after the 7 p.m. performance to talk story with the audience. There will also be a performance by Maajiru before the show and during intermission.
June 12: “Ladies Night.” Buy-one, get-one tickets are available on this date if women — or men — mention the word “LADIES” at the box office. Audience members can also catch up at the nearby Black Shamrock Tavern, which will offer drink specials starting at 5:30 p.m. just before the evening show.
Tickets for “Memory Beads” are $28, plus fees, with discounts for kūpuna and students. There is also a 20% discount available for at-home caregivers or care professionals who wish to see the show. Call the box office for details at 808-536-4441. Get tickets.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
