FRIDAY-JULY 22

>> An all-female cast stars in Shakespeare’s “All’s Well That Ends Well”

There are many great characters in Shakespeare’s plays, but relatively few of them are women. So it is that on alternating years, Hawaii Shakespeare Festival founder Tony Pisculli presents a Shakespeare play with an all-female cast.

This year’s all-female production of “All’s Well That Ends Well” opens the festival, Friday at the Arts at Marks Garage.

Stephanie Keiko Kong portrays the lead female role as Helena, a resourceful woman who seeks to marry but also win the affections of the king’s son, Bertram, played by Claire Fallon, in Shakespeare’s tale of seduction, infatuation, impersonation, love and betrayal.

“Our mission is to make Shakespeare accessible to the people of Hawaii, and the best way to connect with Shakespeare is to perform it,” Pisculli said. “That’s why I also make it a priority to cast new and inexperienced actors every year. But if the ‘best’ roles (by most metrics) are unavailable to half the population, then we’re not really serving the community. So, for me, that’s become an important part of offering all-female shows.”

The Hawaii Shakespeare Festival continues July 27 with “King Lear,” and on Aug. 10 with this year’s non-Shakespeare classic, “Hedda Gabler.”

– John Berger, Star-Advertiser

FRIDAY-AUG. 12

>> Paperboys strike the stage in ‘Newsies’

Once upon a time, newspapers were powerful tools for circulating information. That made newspaper boys powerful in their own right, although back in the day, they were primarily poor and unskilled, with many of them orphaned or runaways.

Diamond Head Theatre is presenting that story in “Newsies,” a Tony Award-winning musical that debuted on Broadway in 2012. It’s inspired by an 1899 strike by New York newspaper boys who won their labor struggle, pitting them against powerful publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst.

“Newsies” is based on a musical Disney movie with songs by Alan Menken (who also created the songs for Broadway stagings of “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Sister Act,” and Disney’s 2007 film “Enchanted”).The stage musical has music by Menken and Jack Feldman, and a book by Harvey Fierstein (“Kinky Boots”).

Diamond Head Theatre’s production stars Nicholas Amador as Jack Kelly, the young leader of the newsboys’ strike, Kira Stone as Katherine, a fledgling reporter, and Shane Noel as Joseph Pulitzer. Tammy Colucci, a Broadway performer who directed DHT’s “Altar Boys” and “9 to 5,” directs.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

>> California punk rock invades Hawaii with Agent Orange

Ask anyone who knows the history of punk rock in California to talk about Agent Orange and you’ll be in for a long conversation.

Taking its name from the toxic herbicide used by American forces during the Vietnam War, Agent Orange came together in 1979, released its first record in 1980, and became notable standard-bearers for the West Coast punk-rock scene.

Successfully blending the melodic sound of traditional California surf guitar with the raw energy of punk, Agent Orange came to define a distinct regional sound that has influenced American punk for more than a generation.

Agent Orange is one of the very few pioneers of West Coast punk that has been touring from the beginning. The band returns to Honolulu this weekend for two nights at Anna O’Briens.

Cronseedz, Superfuct and Men in Grey Suits are the opening acts today, with 13th Legion, The 86 List and Anti-Matter opening Saturday.

– John Berger, Star-Advertiser

SUNDAY-AUG. 15

>> Kid fun set to take over Pearlridge mall

E-magine Fun, a collection of interactive activities, returns to Pearlridge Center for a month of family fun.

The play zone includes free and low-cost activities, most kid-friendly — but with adult appeal as well.

For example, you don’t just “ride” the Virtual Reality Roller Coaster, you design it, tracing all the dipsand spins and curves you want on a 3-D rendering. Then, climb into the coaster seats, don the virtual reality headgear, and take your spin through as the seats tilt through the course and a large fan sweepsyour hair back.

For those that prefer the real world as opposed to the virtual world, there will be EuroBungy, which consists of a set of trampolines surrounded by a scaffolding strung with bungies. Whether jumping down orbouncing up, participants get plenty of airtime.

New this year is Snookball, a combination of billiards and soccer played on a lawn-sized pool table, while its techie counterpart is EyePlay InterActive Gaming, in which a virtual playground is created for kids to play on.