GARY T. KUBOTA / GKUBOTA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Maui prison inmates are helping to produce a play called "The Queen's Story" which looks at their imprisonment along with that of Hawaii's last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. From left are players Joy Flynt, Kanani Branlund, Malia Anakalea, Jennifer Riglos, Kathleen Waikiki, Roanalyn Awai and writer-director Lane Nishikawa.
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Jailed Hawaiian queen for a day
Maui inmates tell their story in a play they developed around the story of Liliuokalani
WAILUKU » Prison inmate Malia Anakalea said sharing her prison experience in "The Queen's Story" has helped her take a hard look at her problem with crystal methamphetamine.
'The Queen's Story'
Produced by Maui Economic Opportunity's BEST Reintegration Program, "The Queen's Story" is scheduled to be performed at the Iao Theatre in Wailuku on Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 1.
A presentation on the history of Hawaii's last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, starts at 6 p.m., followed by the play at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $20 each for kamaaina, $45 visitors and $10 for children 10 and younger and seniors 60 years or older.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority, Maui County Office of Economic Development, the county Department of Housing and Human Concerns, and the Women's Fund of Hawaii are among the sponsors.
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The play, based on the overthrow and imprisonment of Queen Liliuokalani, was developed and is being performed by inmates and former inmates of Maui Community Correctional Facility.
The inmates who are performing read Liliuokalani's autobiography between January and June, before they worked with writer-director Lane Nishikawa to develop the play.
Like Anakalea, many of the cast members are part Hawaiian.
The tone of the play is confessional and focuses on inmates' common feelings of isolation, loneliness and lack of freedom experienced while in confinement, along with taking responsibility for actions that led to their imprisonment.
The cast of 24 is drawn from men and women incarcerated at Maui Community Correctional Center and from the hula halau Na Kanaka Kupa'a A Maui, made up of inmates and former inmates.
They have been meeting and rehearsing in a large visiting room at the prison.
Inmate Jennifer Riglos said she never thought of being in a play.
"This is the first time I've done something like this, something positive for me," said Riglos, whose children are part Hawaiian. "It feels good to share it with other people."
What Riglos and the other inmates share in the play is their feelings about being in prison, including shame, remorse and loneliness, and their sympathy and understanding about the imprisonment of Hawaii's last ruling queen.
Queen Liliuokalani (1838-1917) was under house arrest at Iolani Palace in Honolulu for about nine months after she attempted to regain her throne after an overthrow in 1893 by a group of businessmen backed by the U.S. military.
The development of the play, which took about 11 weeks, gave inmates the opportunity to see how their personal stories looked on paper.
"You lock yourself up. You have no freedom while you're on drugs. ... You trap yourself in your own lies," Anakalea said.
Some inmates did not like what they saw and made some personal changes.
One took out all references to her former boyfriend after she decided she no longer wanted him in her life.
Nishikawa, who has helped produce similar plays with inmates, said what he likes about "The Queen's Story" is the way it culturally embraces the plight of Queen Liliuokalani with compassion.
Nishikawa noted that although Hawaiians make up a small part of the state's population, they make up a large part of the prison population.
"To me you start to understand on a deeper level what it means to be from Hawaii," he said.
Nishikawa said what he enjoys most is the growth of inmates who explore their own emotions through the discipline of writing, acting and working together as a theatrical group.
Joining the cast is kumu hula Hokulani Holt-Padilla as Liliuokalani, with music by Kevin Brown and his band Ola Hou.
All the inmates participating, many of whom are close to their release dates, are considered a low-security risk, and plainclothes guards will be present during the performance.
