MEDIA RELEASE

The second annual North Kohala Ten-Minute Play Festival will be held on Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25 at 7 p.m. at the Kohala Artist’s Gallery and Co-op at 54-3676 Akoni Pule Highway in Kapaʻau.

Six original plays by Kohala writers, each approximately 10 minutes in length, will be read by local actors.

“We believe that nothing builds a community like the arts,” said Jan Asch, one of the organizers. “It’s so much fun to offer this opportunity for folks who want to try their hand at writing short plays and for actors who don’t have time to memorize a part, but can read a script and make the characters come to life.”

Jan and her husband Frank Asch started hosting festivals in their barn 10 years ago when they lived in a small community on the mainland but now hope to create enthusiasm for community theater in the Artist’s Co-op, a recently opened performance and event venue in Kapa’au.

The first annual Ten-Minute Play Festival, held last year, was well-attended by an enthusiastic audience, encouraging the organizers to assemble a new collection of plays for this year’s festival.

This year’s plays range from comic to dramatic and include the following:

• Sleeping with My Enemy by Forrest Arnold and Madani Knowles
• The Tooth by Frank Asch
• Hot Scoop by Jan Asch
• The Wellness Visit by Virginia Fortner
• The Harmony of the World by Joy Fisher
• The Presidential Debate was collectively written by writers of the North Kohala Writers group.

Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Life and Death Wellness Center in Kapa’au, a non-profit organization dedicated to community service educating the public about end of life concerns and training doulas who offer support above and beyond hospice to the dying and their families.

If you would like to try your hand at writing or reading at some future event, or if you would like to know more about the end of life services offered at Life and Death Wellness Center, please contact Jan Asch at asch.jan@gmail.com or 808-938-6404.