With more than 15 years' experience as an actor, Wil Kahele is familiar with the pressure that comes with developing a character and preparing for opening night. Playing King Kalakaua in “;King Kalakaua's Poker Game”; for Kumu Kahua, for example, meant that people of various political persuasions were eying his portrayal of the Hawaiian patriot.

Even so, he says, going from actor to director and taking the helm of the company's upcoming production of “;Maui the Demigod”; is challenging.

“;It's different when you're at the head of the ship as opposed to when you're just one of the crew members and you have to sail the canoe through,”; Kahele said Saturday, calling from Ala Moana Beach Park where he and the cast were “;stripping guava branches”; for use in the show.

“;I never realized that there was so much involved in (being) the director. ... You have to be the eyes and ears of everything. It's very challenging. I've had to hone my communication skills so that the other actors understand where I'm coming from or what I'm trying to get at.”;

Kahele is directing thanks to Artistic Director Harry Wong III. Wong had shared directorial responsibilities with Kahele in a recent Kumu Kahua production and offered him the chance to direct a show on his own.

“;I said, 'Sure,'”; Kahele recalls with a chuckle. “;That's what got me here.”;

The play is an adaptation of Steven Goldsberry's book “;Maui the Demigod: An Epic Novel of Mythical Hawai'i,”; with chant and hula added. Kumu Kahua first presented it on Oahu in 1991 and then took it to the other islands the next year.

The narrative includes tales of Maui's miraculous birth, childhood adventures and larger-than-life accomplishments as an adult—such as pulling an island up from the ocean floor and forcing the sun to slow the speed of its journey through the sky, to just name two.

Ron Encarnacion, a member of the original '91 cast, joined the rest of the cast in rehearsals after the close of Diamond Head Theatre's production of “;The Joy Luck Club”; last month. Kahoa Malalis, creator of the original hula and chant, also returned for the hana hou.

Kahele's pportunity to direct on his own comes 16 years—give or take a few weeks—after his stage debut in DHT's production of “;The Pirates of Penzance.”; Since then he has appeared in “;probably 30 or 40 shows.”; Among his favorite roles thus far are the Kralahome in “;The King & I,”; the aforementioned “;King Kalakaua's Poker Game”; and Master Wang in DHT's 2008 staging of Henry David Hwang's controversial rewrite of “;Flower Drum Song.”;

Of those three, Kalakaua was most challenging.

“;You want to represent your alii well,”; Kahele explained. “;I would go to the Royal Mausoleum and ask for their blessing to do the role so I wouldn't offend any alii. I did my research about what was happening around that time and what Kalakaua was going through, but yes, there was some pressure.”;

Kahele also displayed his depth as an actor with his portrayal of the sinister “;funny uncle”; in Kumu Kahua's production of “;Folks You Meet at Longs.”;

Given a choice between comedy and drama, Kahele picks the latter. “;I think comedy is harder ... and I don't think I'm a funny guy. Comedy to me is one of the hardest things for an actor to do. You have to act like it's coming naturally, but give me a dramatic role and I can work it.”;

Coming full circle, Kahele says he's fortunate that he finally has an opportunity to direct a play on his own.

“;I have a great cast that can basically fly on their own. They're very talented, and I have a good technical crew. The voyage is almost over.”;