Friday, September 24, 2010

Rep. Marcus Oshiro - The Value of Hawaii

Rep. Marcus Oshiro (center) with fellow thespians Stu Hirayama (left) and Ryan Sueoka (right) on Opening Night of the the play "Age Sex Location" at Kumu Kahua in the 2005 season.

Rep. Marcus Oshiro will take part in a panel discussion on the Arts in Hawaii this Saturday evening, 9/25/10, 6-8 p.m. at Fresh Cafe, 831 Queen Street.

The panel is part of an on-going series of events called The Value of Hawaii. The events build upon the ideas in the recently published book of the same name, a compilation of essays by local contributors, edited by Craig Howes.

Here is the prompt for the discussion:

Creating Hawaii: The Future for Arts and Artists

Why are the arts important for Hawaii and our shared future? Can a vibrant and supportive arts community exist when the economic focus is placed on tourism? What is the value of creative work in Hawaii, and how can we protect what we value?

Most people know Rep. Marcus Oshiro as the House Finance Chair. Many may also know that he's an avid surfer. But few are aware that he's a practitioner of the arts - an actor who has appeared in numerous plays in local theater. His last play was "Age Sex Location", written by Dennis Carroll, at Kumu Kahua in the Fall of 2005. Here's a link to columnist John Berger's coverage in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

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