In the first play of the 2009-2010 season, the Hawai‘i Pacific University Paul and Vi Loo Theatre will feature the premiere of Quiptease. The new comedy about a young woman trying to be functional while living in a dysfunctional family is written by award-winning playwright Yokanaan Kearns, the pen name of Dr. John Kearns, vice president of Academic Affairs at HPU.  

“I knew Dr. Kearns to be an excellent playwright,” said Joyce Maltby, HPU theatre director. “I am intrigued, not only to produce the work of one of HPU’s very own, but also to present the world premiere of a brand-new play.”

Kearns was raised in Honolulu and is a graduate of Kaiser High School. He completed his Ph.D. in Classics from the University of California in Los Angeles. He has been writing plays since 1999, shortly after he joined HPU as an assistant professor. His plays, sometimes written in Pidgin and other times in Standard English, include Pidg Latin, How Kitty Got Her Pidgin Back, Dis/Troy, Choice, and Maui vs. Hercules.

“After growing up in Hawai‘i, I lived on the mainland for 10 years and that is when I came to appreciate the beauty and richness of Pidgin. I also came to see that Pidgin is an incredibly funny language to write in,” Kearns said. “It’s the difference between Standard English: ‘What are you looking at?’ and Pidgin: ‘What, brah, I owe you money?’”

On the surface Kearns’ plays are about very different subjects ranging from date rape in Choice, to a local girl losing her ability to speak Pidgin on the day of her junior prom in How Kitty Got Her Pidgin Back.

“There are, however, common threads and common themes in my plays,” Kearns said. “There is the clash of identity in multicultural and multilingual communities, the search for the right path in life, and especially the fun ways for ancient culture to collide with modern and local culture.”

Photo caption: The cast of Quiptease posing in character sit with playwright Yokanaan Kearns. Back row (L-R) Duncan Dalzell as Nikita, Derek Elder as Jake, Larry Bialock as Henry, Denise-Aiko Chinen as JanDeen, and Ron Encarnacion as Lohi‘au. Front row (L-R) Danielle Zalopany as Gwendolyn, Quiptease playwright Yokanaan Kearns, and Stacy Ray as Felicia.

Kearns said a lot of his plays have also included a conflict between Pidgin and Standard English.

“Quiptease is my first play where it just so happens that some characters speak Pidgin and some speak Standard English, but nobody makes a big deal about it,” he said. “After all, that’s the reality of the world we live in. The two variants of English exist side-by-side on the street, so why not on the stage as well?”

Kearns the Scholar and Kearns the Playwright

When Kearns started writing plays professionally, he had already published academic papers as John Michael Kearns, and wanted to keep Kearns the scholar separate from Kearns the writer.

“I traded in John Michael for Yokanaan, a nickname given to me by a friend in high school,” he said. “He stole it from an Oscar Wilde play.”

Kearns said one of the best parts of theater is its unpredictability, in that every production and performance will be different.

“I write the script, but the director stages it and the actors interpret the characters,” he said. “The costume designer decides what ‘she enters wearing the loudest mu‘umu‘u ever’ will mean on stage, and the lighting designer creates the mood and much more.”

Play director Maltby said Kearns’ Quiptease has provided her a delightful group of characters.

“When you add to the mix the wonderful actors and designers who we have

assembled to bring the Quiptease script and characters to life, it truly becomes an exciting theatrical experience for all,” Maltby said.

Quiptease opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. Performances will run Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 4 p.m. through Dec. 6. The Thursday Thanksgiving performance has been moved to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25. Reservations are recommended, as seating is limited. Tickets may be purchased through the Box Office at 375-1282.