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The Maui News
KAHULUI - Walk alongside prominent leaders in Hawai'i history at the debut of "Makawao Cemetery Theatre" (MCT), sponsored by the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives and the Makawao Cemetery Association. MCT is scheduled for Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, 28 at Makawao Cemetery, 3363 Baldwin Avenue in Makawao. Tickets are available at www.maui-cemetery.com. Drinks and pupu will begin at 3 p.m. and performances will begin promptly at 4 p.m.
Makawao Cemetery Theatre: "How Sweet It Is" will bring history to life with carefully researched and scripted actor portrayals of figures from Hawai'i's history. The performance will feature three actor portrayals focused on the history of the sugar industry in 19th- and early 20th-century Hawai'i. The tour was made possible by The Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation and Haleakala Ranch Company.
Featured portrayals are:
James Campbell (1826-1900) Born in Londonderry, Ireland, Campbell took a ship to Canada at age 13, met with his brother John in New York City, and worked as a carpenter. In 1841, he joined a whaling crew and was shipwrecked in the Tuamotu Islands. Making his way to Tahiti, he lived there for several years before traveling to Lahaina, Maui in 1850. In 1860, in partnership with Henry Turton and James Dunbar, he founded Pioneer Mill Company in Lahaina and in 1863, the company bought the Lahaina Sugar Plantation. The company was profitable and Campbell used his proceeds to purchase land on Hawai'i Island and O'ahu. He sunk the first artesian wells on the 'Ewa Plain, which opened up Leeward O'ahu to more expansive sugar plantation operations. He also owned ranches at Honouliuli and Kahuku on O'ahu, becoming one of the largest landowners and wealthiest people in Hawai'i. Christopher Denton portrays James Campbell.
Henry Perrin Baldwin (1842-1911) Born in Lahaina to missionary parents Rev. Dwight Baldwin and Charlotte Fowler Baldwin, he attended Punahou School on O'ahu before returning to Maui to become a farmer. His first plantation manager job was for William D. Alexander's rice plantation. The plantation failed and he went to work for his brother's small sugar cane farm. He worked as a luna at the Waihe'e Planation, managed by his future business partner Samuel T. Alexander. In 1869 they began planting in Hamakuapoko on Maui. With reciprocity, the sugar industry grew quickly and he oversaw the construction of the Hamakua Ditch irrigation system. He oversaw the building of several mills on Maui such as the Hamakuapoko Mill, the Ha'iku Mill, and Pa'ia Mill. In 1888, he helped to form the Haleakala Ranch. Alexander and Baldwin was officially incorporated in 1900 and is still an ongoing business today. Kevin Keaveney, also this year's scriptwriter, portrays Henry Perrin Baldwin.
William Ladd (1807-1863) Born in Concord, New Hampshire, to John Ladd, a sailor who died at sea while William was young. He married Lucretia Goodale, a relative of Lucy Thurston, a missionary to Hawai'i. He sailed to Hawai'i with his friends and business partners William Hooper and Peter Brinsmade, arriving in 1833 aboard the Hellespont. They incorporated as Ladd & Company in 1833 and opened up a dry goods store at Honolulu Harbor. In 1835, the company leased over 900 acres from the government at Koloa, Kaua'i to plant sugar cane. Koloa Plantation was the first attempt at a commercial sugar cane plantation in Hawai'i. Initially the plantation did well, but the business partners took on more and more debt to finance improvements to their sugar mill and to obtain more land. Attempting to shore up their finances Brinsmade went to Europe and struck a deal with the Belgian Colonization Company, which fell through after the Paulet Affair of 1843. Ladd & Company closed its store in Honolulu in 1844. Brandon Karrer portrays William Ladd.
William Ha'o, Director, has been a theater professional for over 30 years. Based in New York City, his career has taken him to almost every state in the Union, as well as Canada and Greece. He has been a recipient of awards for directing and performance.
Maile Speetjens, Costumer, serves as Associate Professor of Costume Design/Technology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Originally from Kaua'i, Maile's work in costumes has spanned from Boston to Hawaii and in-between. Recent works include Pagliacci (Hawai'i Opera Theatre), Conversion of Ka'ahumanu (Kumu Kahua), Twelfth Night (Lyric Rep), Peace On Your Wings (Ohana Arts), and 'Au'a 'Ia: Holding On (UH Manoa Hana Keaka).
For more information or ticket purchases, please visit www.maui-cemetery.com.