They’ve got the mission and the script. Now this theater company needs a venue

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - In November, the curtain goes up on a new production from PlayBuilders of Hawaii Theater Company.

We warn you: The title is a mouthful.

“It’s called Super Executive Aunties of the Malama the Caregivers Collective,” said Terri Madden, PlayBuilders founder and executive director.

The shorter version is Malama the Caregivers Theater Project. Like the name suggests, the production centers on caregivers in Hawaii.

It’s based on real-life accounts.

“The people in the play are a combination of caregivers who have never been on stage before as well as what would call professional or experienced actors,” Madden said.

Madden says the play is personal. She has been the caregiver for her father and her mother, so working with other caregivers during the development of the show was a release.

“It was very healing to me as well as to the other primarily women in the group, although we have quite a few men, too. All of them would not change a thing about the sacrifices they’ve made,” she said.

The show will go on, but it’s a matter of location. PlayBuilders needs a stage that’s big enough to accommodate its large cast and the site needs to be affordable for the nonprofit.

“We have some options. Some of them are very expensive options,” Madden said.

If you have a venue that could fit PlayBuilders needs please contact Madden immediately. “The best way is by email at Terri.Madden@playbuilders.org,” she said.

PlayBuilders produces what she calls “slow theater.” It takes time to gather stories like the

ones featured in Malama the Caregivers. So when you see a new production from PlayBuilders, you know the topic will hit close to home.

“They’re rare. They only come up about once every two years,” Madden said.

She hopes many people come to see the new production since many families in Hawaii end up caring for their elderly loved ones.

Malama the Caregivers premieres during National Caregivers Month with performances slated for just before and after Thanksgiving.

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