Hawaii Shakespeare Festival opens with ‘Measure for Measure’

When Tony Pisculli was planning the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival back in the early aughts, he had two goals in mind: To give Hawaii actors of all ages and skill levels the opportunity to perform Shakespeare, and to give island audiences the chance to see the plays onstage.

“Most people’s first encounter with Shakespeare is in English classes, and they read it and they go, ‘What is this nonsense? I don’t understand it.’ They hate it,” Pisculli said. “When you see it performed on the stage, it really comes to life in a different way. … What it is is not literature. It is a play. It is meant to be seen and heard. We make it accessible by giving people opportunity to see it the way it’s meant to be.”

The Hawaii Shakespeare Festival presented its first season in the summer of 2002.

Twenty-one years later, the troupe has performed all of Shakespeare’s plays at least once — and one or two more that Shakespeare may have written or contributed to. Pisculli has directed all-female casts so that more women could participate; there has been an all-male cast because in Shakespeare’s time, all roles were played by men. More commonly, productions are cast with an eye toward gender neutrality, allowing directors to select the best actor for the role.

This year’s season opener, “Measure for Measure,” continues the gender-neutral tradition. Sharon Garcia Doyle plays Duke Vincentio and the duke’s undercover identity of Friar Lodowick, Eden Lee Murray is the pimp Pompey Bum and Friar Peter, and nonbinary actor Shane Chung plays two female characters.

>> RELATED: Theater season begins Friday

Doyle says that for her, the gender of the character is not an issue.

“It’s no different than stepping into any human being’s character,” Doyle said. “What does he want in life? What does he fear? What are his challenges to get what he wants?”

Doyle noted that when Duke Vincentio goes undercover, he chooses a disguise that still gives him power and authority.

“He could be anything when he goes undercover, but he chooses to be a male religious figure. That’s because monks have higher authority over nuns and novices, and that gives him more access to different places. People tell him things.”

“Measure for Measure” has funny moments but is described as a “problem play” because a complicated situation drives the action. Claudio has been sentenced to death for having sex outside of marriage — his fiancee, Juliet, became pregnant before their wedding. Angelo, the ruler of the city in the Duke’s absence, tells Claudio’s sister, Isabella, that he will spare Claudio’s life in exchange for her virginity — and that no one will take her word over his if she goes public with his proposal.

Angelo’s attempt at sexual extortion would be #MeToo behavior in any context, but Isabella is a novice nun, and breaking her vow of chastity would save her brother’s life at the cost of both siblings’ immortal souls.

Hal Akiko, who is female, plays Isabella as much more than a helpless target.

“I think people have an idea about what a nun in training should be like, but you have such a well-rounded human being … getting to go through the full spectrum of human experience,” Akiko said. “It’s in those moments when I see her humanity that I really empathize and recognize the most in her.”

Akiko adds that the scene where Angelo propositions Isabella should hit the audience hard.

“They definitely should recoil. They should feel potentially complicit because they’re also witnesses. I think that’s one of the wonderful aspects of the play, that within that scene the language is, ‘Who would believe you? It’s my word versus yours,’ but the audience is there. The audience has seen the truth. … they’re going to be witnessing something that is such a terrible abuse of power.”

The festival continues with “One Uddah Mid’summah,” a local interpretation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Island playwright Jackie Pualani Johnson has written a new pidgin “translation” of the Shakespearean classic, which opens Aug. 18 on the lawn at ­Hawaiian Mission Houses. ­Versatile actor/playwright Sean-Joseph Takeo Kahao­kalani Choo will make his directing debut.

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HAWAII SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

“Measure for Measure”

>> Where: The ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave.

>> When: 7:30 p.m. Friday; continues at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, through July 30.

>> Cost: $10-$20, depending on day of week

>> Info: hawaiishakes.org

>> Note: Adult themes include sexual harassment, prostitution, sexuality and violence

“One Uddah Mid’summah”

>> Where: Hawaiian Mission Houses, 553 S. King St.

>> When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18; continues at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, through Aug. 26.

>> Cost: $25

>> Info: hawaiishakes.org