If you won something fair and square, would you share it? That’s one of the questions director/playwright Annie Cusick Wood poses for preschoolers with Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s original production of “Home.”
Two people — Me and Oh — jan ken po for a house. Me wins the house and builds a wall around it to keep Oh out. Oh is left with nothing — until she builds herself a boat. Then a big storm destroys the house, and Me needs her help.
“My aim for the kids is to feel empathetic for the characters and their situation,” Wood says. “‘Why didn’t he share?’ and ‘What could they have done differently?’ and is it just random (chance) that he got the box and she didn’t? Hopefully, they’ll feel empathy toward both characters.”
“HOME”
>> Run dates: 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Feb. 11, 18 and 25
>> Where: Tenney Theatre, Cathedral of St. Andrew
>> Admission: $10 (ages 3-17), $15 (60+) and $20 (everybody else); all seats general admission
>> Length: 35 minutes
>> Intermission: None
>> Age recommendation: Suitable for 3+
>> What it’s about: Learning the importance of sharing, forgiveness, working together and having empathy for others.
>> Morals and messages: It’s good to share even if you don’t have to. Being able to forgive is a wonderful thing. Living with others can be more fun than isolating yourself and your possessions behind a wall.
>> Parental advisory: “Home” is intended for children ages 3 to 5. There is nothing for parents to worry about — not even juvenile toilet humor.
>> Kid-pleaser aspects: Me gets a rubber duck for his home. Oh meets a dolphin when she’s out on the ocean in her boat. Puppets are modeled to resemble the actors.
>> HTY Artistic Director Eric Johnson says: “I am delighted to have Annie Cusick Wood back creating another original production specifically for HTY audiences. Annie is an artist who deeply understands the concerns of this age group, and this thoughtful piece of theater is set to explore one of our most basic needs.”
>> For more info: 839-9885 or htyweb.org
