“Are we being bombed or what?! Does anybody care? Keep calm for the kids.”
These sentiments are what a new play, “38 Minutes,” seeks to explore about Jan. 13, a day when the end seemed nigh after mobile alerts warned of a ballistic missile headed for Hawaii just past 8 in the morning. It took 38 minutes before authorities confirmed it was a false alarm.
The first act of the production, which opens Thursday, is a series of eight short scenes (totaling 38 minutes) from Hawaii playwrights that explore a range of feelings and interactions during that morning. It includes the perspectives of a teenage girl, a couple on vacation and an elderly woman.
“38 MINUTES”
Presented by Kumu Kahua Theatre
>> Where: 46 Merchant St.
>> When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through July 29
>> Cost: $5 to $25
>> Info: 536-4441 or kumukahua.org
Actors will improvise for roughly an hour in the second act, based on stories from the audience about what they endured that day, said husband-and-wife co-directors Squire and Monica Coldwell.
“In no way, did I imagine such a disastrous demise,” one character says. “I was surprisingly level-headed, telling myself that if this is truly the end, then at least I had 14 minutes to say goodbye,” says another. A third talks about the likelihood that it’s a false alarm, as no alert sirens had sounded.
In the lead-up to this week’s opening night, boisterous rehearsals have gobbled up most weeknights, with actors munching on snacks during short breaks, crew members testing out a variety of sound effects, and the Coldwells’ two puppies yapping away while the couple worked on stage directions with the cast.
“38 Minutes” is being produced by Kumu Kahua Theatre. Founded in 1971, Kumu Kahua — Hawaiian for “original stage” — promotes area talent and stages works that deal with local subject matter, both historical and contemporary.
For Donna Blanchard, Kumu Kahua’s managing director, there was no question the theater would seek to pull something together reflecting on the false missile threat. Soon after the event, the theater sent out a call to writers for scripts. The Coldwells, Blanchard and artistic director Harry Wong III culled the nearly 30 submissions to the final pieces.
“I thought very quickly after the all-clear — we should do something with this,” Blanchard said. “Everybody on this island has a story about what happened to us, and I think art is a very unique and powerful way to deal with processing.”
On that early Saturday morning, playwright Sean O’Malley said, he had a “sickening realization — not a heck of a lot you can do anyway.” And afterward, he felt a lot of anger.
“This was a nice outlet to be able to do a little something, to express some of the emotion,” he said.
His daughter, Ruby O’Malley, a junior at Kaiser High School, whose piece was also selected, said her script developed out of a school assignment and runs true to what she experienced.
“The alert flashed across my eyes, filling me with panic, and I heard my mother scream from the other room,” reads her monologue. “For 38 minutes, I thought I would die as a 15-year-old.”
The other playwrights are Sandy Hall, William Kahele, Jean Koppen, Shari Lee-Huntoon, Joseph Stanton and Wally Wake. The cast comprises seven members, some of whom are pulling double duty on the production crew.
“People really haven’t had the opportunity to breathe about that experience yet,” said Monica Coldwell. “So being able to have a shared experience that’s unique, and that they can all reflect on, we feel could really benefit people.”
