Pu’uhonua o Honaunau Presents ‘Queens in our Park’

National Park Service photo.

In celebration of the National Park Service’s 2016 centennial, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park is hosting a free public showing of two one-act performances on Friday, Jan. 22.

The performances, together entitled “Queens in our Park,” will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the park’s amphitheater.

Playwright Jackie Pualani Johnson, along with actress Denyse Woo-Ockerman, will take the stage with performances of “Vespers at Hanaiakamalama” and “Lili’uokalani at Washington Place.”

In “Vespers at Hanaiakamalama,” Woo-Ockerman will play the star role of Queen Emma. The story will unfold with the queen contemplating her eventful life and telling history of the king and queen’s efforts to take responsibility for the Hawaiian People.

Following a brief intermission, Johnson will star in “Lili’uokalani at Washington Place.” The performance portrays Lili’uokalani reflecting on her private life as the mother of three hanai children.

Woo-Ockerman is a graduate of the University of Hawai’i at Hilo Performing Arts Drama Program. She currently resides in Volcano.

Johnson is a professor of drama within UH-Hilo’s Performing Arts Program, a role she’s held for the past 36 years.