Hannah and Anna Rose Ii-Epstein first met in Chicago in 2003. The couple, who recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary, co-founded the Nothing Without a Company theater group in 2008 to present plays about marginalized voices and the queer community.
A few years ago, they started a second company, BearCat Productions, which develops literary works, theater scripts and film projects.
Playwright Hannah Ii-Epstein, 38, drew from her memories of growing up on Oahu’s North Shore as inspiration for three of her plays presented by Kumu Kahua Theatre — “Not One Batu” (2016), “Pakalolo Sweet” (2018) and “Aloha Fry-Day” — performed in January of this year. “Not One Batu” received six Po‘okela Awards for excellence from the Hawai‘i State Theatre Council; the tally included an award for best play and one in the nonresident category for Ii-Epstein.
On Thursday, the couple celebrated the world premiere of her fourth play, “The Kasha of Kaimuki,” presented digitally by Kumu Kahua. Directed by her wife, Anna Rose Ii-Epstein, 37, the production’s story is based on local legends about a ghost that has “an insatiable hunger for blood and corpses.”
The online-only production of “The Kasha of Kaimuki” will run 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 14. There will be a talk-back with the cast and crew after Friday’s performance. For tickets or more information, go to kumukahua.org or call 808-536-4441.
We spoke with Hannah and Anna Rose Ii-Epstein by phone last week at their office in Chicago.
What turned you on to the original ghost story?
Hannah: I first learned about it as a kid reading Glen Grant’s books. When I was in elementary school, he would visit the elementary schools and tell (ghost) stories. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was reading some of the stories, and I thought that writing a horror story would be a lot of fun because I was so scared about what was going on in the world — and wanted something else to scare me that wasn’t the reality of the pandemic and COVID.
What does the story say to you?
Hannah: Growing up in Hawaii and being Hawaiian, the idea of death isn’t final because your ancestors are always still looking out for you, so I feel like I personally believe in ghosts and the supernatural. There’s something about the negative energy in certain supernatural beings, and there’s positive energy in other supernatural beings. If you respect what’s in there, it won’t mess with you.
Anna Rose: Don’t (expletive) with the Kasha of Kaimuki! Don’t mess with those spirits. Respect the aina. I personally feel that if you keep good energy around you and reject the negative, then you’ll be fine.
What are the biggest differences for you between virtual theater and traditional onstage productions?
Anna Rose: It’s very different to imagine doing a play on a stage and then do it as digital theater. And it’s really challenging — we’re in Chicago, our design team is in Hawaii, and our actors are in different states. But I think the season last year inspired what is going to happen (this year). It’s opened my eyes to what this Zoom thing can be, and I love challenges.
Hannah: Anna and Veronica (Vera, Kumu Kahua’s digital engineer) have really great visions of how to put things together. I’d write the feeling that I wanted to have in the script, and they would make these amazing decisions on how to make that feeling come to life.
What’s next for you?
Hannah: We also have a film production company, BearCat Productions, and do a lot of productions, we do a lot of short films for 48-hour film festivals — we write, direct and edit in the 48-hour time period. I’ve been trying to submit more film to television and the networks, hoping to bring a little more Pacific Islander (content) to the forefront of these stories that are being told in mainstream media.
What advice do you have for Hawaii residents who want to be playwrights?
Hannah: Just start writing. Read as many plays as you can; read and write as much as you can.
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Reach John Berger at jberger@staradvertiser.com.
