The History Of The Actors’ Group (TAG)
2002-2003
Compiling the history of any organization can be a great challenge, particularly when the core group is small and rather than chronicle events, had spent their energy towards merely keeping alive. So is the case with TAG. As it evolved from a creative curmudgeon to become one of Hawaii's finest community theaters, all TAG could do was focus on its next production, for it had little time for anything else. Hence, this history has been cobbled together utilizing the recollection of participants at the time, dog-eared old files containing memorabilia and other forms of information, photos, newspaper articles, and recovered video footage that is often way past its prime if not damaged. Nonetheless, these have been the sources to create the history of TAG - The Actors' Group, told in a series of posts chronicling time periods unique to its development. |

The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged) – Rolling In The Aisles Hilarity
Up to this point in time, the start of the 2002-2003 season, TAG had done very little pure comedy. The one that it did do, twice, Harvey, had twice been a bonafide hit. However, with the exception of that one play, Harvey, TAG had primarily been known, over the course of its existence dating back to 1995, as a theater that focused purely on drama. So the choice of “Shakespeare (Abridged),” was viewed not only as a surprise, but also quite possibly as a welcomed change of pace. Brad Powell had offered the production slot to first time director, Devon Leigh, who had suggested the piece, and who brought with her an outstanding cast that she had known and worked with before. These included Sam Olecki, Euphrosyne V. E. “Frosty” Rushforth, Stephanie Kuroda, Elisabeth Anne Wenzel, Joseph Peach Graves, and Cecilia Lam. Devon, herself, was coming off a series of outstanding performances, including Hawaii Pacific University’s “Dark Of The Moon,” and TAG’s own “Equus,” she played Jill Mason, the young woman whose attempt at seduction of the lead character, Alan Strang, springs forth the emotional climax of the play. And before those performances, she had been other plays such as “The Miracle Worker,” “A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream,” and “Once Upon A Mattress.” So in a way, while she hadn’t directed before, she had been on a creative roll. And so this likely contributed to her efforts, for the result of Devon’s energetic leadership and her great cast, was a hilarious romp into the positively absurd. In fact “Shakespeare (Abridged),” with its bawdy humor, cheap jokes, and non-stop and frantic physical comedy, had TAG patrons rolling in the aisles. Seldom had it ever been that a TAG play would feature such non-stop laughing, and truth be told, it would never appear again.
The Playbill For “Shakespeare (Abridged)”

“Shakespeare (Abridged)” was supported by a great crew. Brad Powell served as producer. Dan Murphy was the assistant director. Jessica Withrow handled costumes. Cecilia Lam was in charge of set design. All of the cast handled their own props. Tim Madeira worked as “Bob the Light Guy.” Devon Leigh took care of the light design. Clem Bevans was responsible for the playbill design. And Mike Powell and Joyce Powell worked and supplied the concessions.
The Honolulu Advertiser Review By Joe Rozmiarek
“The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged) opened on Wednesday, September 18th, 2002 and closed on Sunday October 13th, 2002. It ran for 17 performances, playing at 7:30 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and at 2:00 pm on Sunday matinees.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin Review By John Berger
K2 – The Best Play Nobody Ever Saw
Sometime during the summer of 2002, Brad Powell would introduce a popular local actor, Dennis Proulx (see photo right), to members of the TAG board. Dennis became infected with the theater bug in high school back in Portland, Oregon, where he originally hailed from, and the disease had festered over the years. Audiences in Alaska (where he lived before relocating to the islands in 1987), and then Hawaii had contributed to this sickness by watching him perform in Manoa Valley Theatre’s Sweeney Todd, as Major General in Diamond Head Theatre’s (DHT) Pirates of Penzanze, and as Mortimer in DHT’S Arsenic and Old Lace. His lead roles include performances in Army Community Theatre’s (ACT) Music Man, Man of La Mancha, Kismet, and A Funny Thing Happpened on the Way to the Forum. He had even appeared in HOT’s Daughter of the Regiment., while his most recent role at the time was as Henry Higgins in ACT’s May Fair Lady. In essence, at the time of his introduction, Dennis was a bonafide new star in the Hawaii performing arts scene. This really made the next production that TAG was scheduled to do, “K2,” which Brad tapped Dennis to direct, truly one that everyone was excited about and looking forward to seeing. Dennis, having played one of the lead roles in a dinner show while he was in Alaska, had approached all of the other community theaters in Honolulu, and was told, “Great show but can’t do it.” But then he approached Brad and the TAG board and was given the green light. The difference, however, was that K2 would be staged, for the first time ever, at a location off site from Yellow Brick Studio. Through arrangements made by Brad and Dennis, K2 would play at The Little Theater on the Windward Community College campus in Kaneohe. At the time, this was thought to be the start of a brand new era for TAG.
The Promotional Flyer For “K2”

The Playbill For “K2”
“K2” is a play by Patrick Meyers. It revolves around mountain climbers Harold and Taylor, who find themselves trapped 27,000 feet above sea level on a ledge on the side of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. K2 first ran at the Arena Stage’s Kreeger Theater from April 23 to June 6, 1982. The production was directed by Jacques Levy and starred Stephen McHattie and Stanley Anderson. It received rave reviews from The New York Times and The Washington Post, particularly for Ming Cho Lee’s hyper-realistic set design. Lee used over 50,000 board feet of Styrofoam to build a set that simulated a massive icy mountainside. The movie version of K2 was produced in 1991, to generally negative reviews and was not a box office hit. It starred Michael Biehn as Taylor and Matt Craven as Harold, was directed by Franc Roddam, and playwright Meyers wrote the screenplay.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin Article Publicizing “K2”
In retrospect, “K2” had a lot of promise propelling it, not the least of which was Dennis Proulx’ passion for making this a singularly unique experience. He tore into every aspect of the production with an almost obsessive-like focus. This included building an innovative depiction of an ice cave in which the central characters found themselves trapped in (a revision from the mountain ledge that the script describes). Dennis’ vision, particularly since TAG didn’t have the resources to create a full-on mountainside (see inset photo for a shot of Ming Cho Lee’s original design), involved creating an innovative set that depicted the inside of an ice cave where we find the two actors, and upstage we see an ice wall peering in the background of the entrance to the cave. Created by blocks of Styrofoam and fortified by a strong wooden frame that lay beneath it and highlighted with effective lighting, the set was truly effective in focusing the audience attention to the central plot, about two desperate mountain climbers facing their imminent mortality Dennis also obtained authentic mountain climbing gear for the characters which were supplied by Paul Silby, a mountain climber in his own right, who also contributed his consultant advice. As for his actors, Dennis selected Eric Nemoto to portray the macho Taylor, and Wil Kahele to play the role of Harold, who lies in prone due to a broken leg who waxes philosophy as he approaches his inevitable death. To support the production, Dennis garnered an impressive crew. Frankie Enos was the producer, multi-faceted Caroline Denyes served as assistant director, stage manager, and lighting and sound technician, Kurt Yamasak handled the sound design, the playbill was created by Pat Matsueda, and Sam Polson handled publicity. Additional people and groups were listed in the lineup of special thanks that Dennis recognized in the program. These included Neu-Wa (Powder Edge), Gordon Svec (Hawaii Opera Theatre), Paul Tremaine (ATTCO), Mike Richardson (Climb Aloha), Brian Craven (Rock Climbing Hawaii), Patagonia, Ben Moffet (Windward Community College), Brad Powell (TAG), Joyce Powell (TAG), Todd Middleton, Richard McWilliams, Mary Frances Kabel-Gwin, Shannon Gray, and Paula Ho. But in spite of all the right factors that surrounded it, including a rare extensive newspaper article published before it opened (see previous Star-Bulletin piece), K2 would prove to be a big bust attendance wise. Perhaps it was the case of TAG primarily drawing its audience from central Honolulu, or perhaps TAG’s audiences actually liked the hole-in-the-wall nature of Yellow Brick Studio, or perhaps many actually did not know where The Little Theater was. But whatever the reasoning, K2 would play to incredibly little attendees. K2 would open on Wednesday, October 30th, 2002 and run through Sunday, November 24th, playing at 7:30 pm on Thursday through Saturday nights, and at 4:00 pm on Sunday matinees, for a total of 17 performances. But most, if not all, of the houses were under 10, prompting Frankie Enos, who as producer would give the welcoming speech, to ad lib a comment that TAG wasn’t quite sure why its following was not attending, but that those who were absent were missing a great show. Frankie’s comments were to be proven true by the reviews that K2 would ultimately receive.
The Honolulu Advertiser Review By Joe Rozmiarek

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin Review By John Berger
There’s no other way to put it. K2, while receiving relative glowing reviews, was a huge disappointment for TAG and for Dennis personally. He had put so much effort into the production that all the empty seats rendered him disconsolate. However, the quality of the production was not entirely lost, as the play received its share of Po’okela nominations. Dennis was actually nominated for best set design, and actually received a Po’okela for best director. For his incredible passion, vision, and persistence, it was well deserved. Of course, for Dennis, the awards did not quell his overall frustration. At the following year’s Po’okela awards, upon receiving his best director award, he said during his acceptance speech, “K2 was great! Wil was great! Eric was great! Too bad none of you saw it!” The rant was a combination of Dennis being Dennis while maybe having a little too much to drink. It became one of the most remembered moments in Po’okela history and TAG lore. A moment that is looked on now with hilarity and fond remembrance.
The Actor’s Nightmare & Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All To You – Great Actors Bring Comic Mania To TAG
The one advantage of having K2 produced at The Little Theater was that it gave more time for the next TAG production to be staged at Yellow Brick Studio to prepare. “The Actor’s Nightmare And Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All To You,” were two separate one-act plays by Christopher Durang (see photo left) that TAG decided to stage as a doubleheader, played one after the other, separated by the standard 15-minute intermission. This arrangement would come to bring a number of talented local artists to the doorsteps of TAG, who would all play an integral part in TAG’s overall growth and development. First off there was director David Farmer. At the time, David had performed as an actor for all of Honolulu’s major theater groups dating back to 1976 and had also directed for Kumu Kahua Theatre, Manoa Valley Theatre, and Solange & Associates. He had been involved in theatre since he was a child nearly 50 years before. He would be assisted by his wife, Loren Farmer, who would serve as assistant director. Next came Jo Pruden. Jo, at the time and essentially for most of her acting career, was generally considered to be Hawaii’s finest actress. At the time of her appearance had recently been seen in Manoa Valley Theatre’s “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” and as Grace in MVT’s “Grace and Gloria,” the previous season, for which she had won her 8th Po’okela award. Eden Lee Murray, was also a veteran of a number of shows that she performed for Diamond Head Theatre, Manoa Valley Theatre, Hawaii Theatre for Youth, Hawaii Pacific University, and Army Community Theatre’s Reader’s Theatre. Actor, playwright, writer, and former Honolulu Star-Bulletin theater critic, John Wythe White, was also a member of the cast, as was his wife, Victoria Gail-White, who had previously appeared in TAG’s production of “Rain.” These five actors would continue on in various capacities as TAG grew. In particular, John Wythe-White and Victoria Gail-White would become tremendous benefactors of TAG, providing consistent contributions which literally helped TAG to survive.
David Farmer, Jo Pruden, Eden-Lee Murray, John Wythe White, Victoria Gail-White
The Playbill For “An Actor’s Nightmare And Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You”
Other actors cast in the doubleheader included Walter Eccles, Stephanie Kuroda, S. Rick Crump, Monica Kong, Euphrosyne V. E. Rushforth, Todd Savoian, and Michael Zachary Yasunaga. Other crew members (and their responsibilities) included Brad Powell (producer), Loren Farmer (assistant director), and Heather Singleton (stage manager). Director Farmer, in the playbill, gave special thanks to Jon Lange, Brad Powell, Michael Powell, Sam Polson, Frankie Enos, Linda Johnson, John Wat, Mid-Pacific School of the Arts, Sister grace Capellas, Alyse Savoian, Katie Mailian, Wayne Harada, Dave Donnelly, George Spelvin, Troy Ponthieux, Milton and Cheryl Yasunaga, Waldorf School, Kathe James, Vanita Rae Smith, Jeanne Rogers, Greg Howell, Sandy Finney, and the University of Hawaii Theater Department. “An Actor’s Nightmare And Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You” opened on Wednesday, November 13th, 2002, and ran for an additional 16 performances, with Thursday through Saturday night shows at 7:30 pm, and Sunday matinees at 4:00 pm. It closed on Sunday, December 8th, 2002.
The Honolulu Advertiser Review By Joe Rozmiarek

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin Review By John Berger
Art – A Local Newspaper Icon Joins In With TAG
Next up for TAG was Yasmina Reza’s “Art,” and to direct it was Dave Donnelly, columnist for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. While Donnelly had a long resume involving acting on stage, and television, he was most known for his column about daily life in Hawaii, which made him a local institution. As Star Bulletin reporter Burl Burlingame, in an article on Donnelly’s 30th anniversary at the newspaper, said of Donnelly that (paraphrased), “He was part of Hawaii’s cultural landscape, where his column probably gave a truer picture of what’s on Hawaii’s mind over the years than any number of polls.” “Art” was a play that Donnelly had been wanting to do for some time. In the playbill he wrote the following. Why no theater group in Honolulu has chosen to present Yasmina Reza’s international hit, “Art”, is a mystery, but. TAG is delighted to be staging it here. The play, though dealing with a serious subject, is very funny. It concerns the purchase of an entirely white, non-representational painting by a respected professional that threatens to destroy his 15-year friendship with a colleague who – to put it mildly – doesn’t share his admiration for the work. “Art” deals with the art of friendship, however, more than it does with their disagreement over the painting. The play premiered in Paris in 1994, where it won the Moliere Award for best play .and has been a resounding success in over 40 countries and in various languages. It was a huge hit in London, finally closing in January after a 6-year run with numerous cast changes. It won the Olivier Award and the prestigious Evening Standard Award for best comedy, originally starring Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay and Ken Stott. Reza wrote it in her native French and British playwright Christopher Hampton did the English version. “Art” earned a Tony Award when it was presented on Broadway with Alan Alda and George Wendt. Audiences will disagree over positions taken by the three friends, and the purchase of the painting, good or bad, throws light on each of them and their relationship to one another. But however serious the circumstances are to the three, be prepared to laugh good naturedly at their conundrum. Here was Donnelly’s biography at the time of the production. Dave Donnelly has a degree in theater from UH Manoa and has had two original works performed on the main stage there in successive years, “The Door” and “The Puppet Master.” Though of late he’s been devoting most of his time to his Star-Bulletin coumn, save for acting in a few Dave Donnelly shows at Manoa Valley Theater and at HPU, he has been possibly the most diverse director in recent Honolulu history. Here are samples of his varied directorial work for several companies, some no longer in existence, a couple in each category. He’s directed children’s theater, “Young Abe Lincoln” and “Young Tom Jefferson” (with Bette Midler, no less) for the Honolulu Theater for Youth; comedies such as “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “Beyond the Fringe” for the Oumansky Magic Ring theater; dramas like “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and “Rattle of a Simple Man” (Magic Ring); avant-garde works like “Rhinoceros” (Mallory Players) and “Waiting for Godot” (Players Company) with future Oscar winner and Tony nominee Dean Pitchford playing a 13-year-old boy, which he was; dramas with songs, “The Hostage” (Players Company) and “Marat Sade” (Mallory Players); and musicals, “A … My Name is Alice” for Manoa Valley Theater and “Mame” for Army Community Theater. In addition, Dave co-wrote (with Patrick Downes), and directed the first show to be seen in the new Convention Center’s little theater, “Law and Disorder”, a musical comedy about law in Hawaii to mark the 100th anniversary of the Hawaii Bar Association, with an all-lawyer cast. “Art” is his first directorial stint for The Actor’s Group.
The Playbill For “Art”

The Honolulu Advertiser Review By Joe Rozmiarek
“Art” opened on Wednesday, February 5th, 2003, and would run for 16 shows, performing at the Yellow Brick Studio on Thursday through Saturday nights at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 4:00 pm. It closed on Sunday, March 2nd, 2003. Cast as the three men were David C. Farmer (Serge), Mark Stitham (Marc), and Russell Motter (Yvan). Dorothy Stamp was the producer. Jonathan Lange created the set. Cathie Anderson handled the lighting and Jason Taglianetti was on sound. Chris Higgins did double duty as the production’s stage manager while serving as the light and sound operator. The photography that appeared on stage was taken by David C. Farmer. The artists for the paintings displayed were Christiane Friese, Simone Berlin, and Ria Remener. The set furniture was donated by Marty McClain of Marty McClain Auctions. Director Donnelly’s special thanks included, Frankie Enos, Sam Polson, Paula Ho, Mary Frances Kabel-Gwin, and Joyce Powell.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin Review By John Berger
The Weir – A Phenomenal Cast Brings An Irish Pub To Life
Dave Donnelly continued directorial duties by directing Conor McPherson’s “The Weir.” Written by McPherson in 1997, “The Weir” was first produced at The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London, England, on July 4th, 1997. It subsequently opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on April 1st, 1999. In addition, the play was performed in Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Australia and Canada. The plot involves a County Leitrim pub with two men, Brendan, the publican, and Jack, a car mechanic and garage owner, enjoying a pint. These two begin to discuss their respective days and are soon joined by Jim. The three talk about Valerie, a pretty young woman from Dublin who has just rented an old house in the area. Finbar, a businessman, arrives with Valerie, and the rest of the play revolves around reminiscences and banter by everyone present. After a few drinks, the subject turns to telling stories with a supernatural slant, with each telling tales related to their own experience or those of others in the area. These stories revolve around Irish folklore, particularly ghosts, fairies and mysterious happenings. After each man (except Brendan) has told a story, Valerie tells her own which involves explaining why she has left Dublin. Valerie’s story is melancholy and undoubtedly true, with a ghostly twist which echoes the earlier tales, and shocks the men who become softer, kinder, and more real. There is the hint that the story may lead to salvation and, eventually, a happy ending for two of the characters. Finbar and Jim leave, and in the last part of the play, Jack’s final monologue is a story of personal loss which, he comments, is at least not a ghostly tale but in some ways is nonetheless about a haunting. The title of the play comes from the building of a hydroelectric dam (example appears in the inset photo), or weir, on a local waterway many years before is mentioned early in the conversation.
The Playbill For “The Weir”

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin Review By John Berger
To bring McPherson’s story to life Donnelly recruited a top notch cast and crew. Jim Tharp played Jack, Dion Donahue played Brendan, Richard MacPherson played Jim, Walter Eccles played Finbar, and Kristin Van Bodegraven played Valerie. It was produced by David Farmer. Liz Kane served as assistant director and stage manager. The design of and construction of the set was done by Henry Deardork and Paul Guncheon. Props were obtained and created by Paul Guncheon and David Farmer. The music was provided by Eammon Dillon (“Storm the Kettle”), and the program was designed by Sam Polson. Director Donnelly gave special thanks to Don and Marian Murphy of Murphy’s Bar and Grill, Skip Naftel of O’Toole’s Pub, John Ferguson of Ferguson’s Pub, Marty McClain of McClain Auctions, Mike Mahoney, Dwight Martin and Manoa Valley Theatre, Mark Gilbert, Walter Eccles, Kristin Van Bodegraven, Mike Powell, Sam Polson, and Frankie Enos. “The Weir” ran as a one act play, opening on Wednesday, April 16th, 2003, and playing for an additional 16 performances (17 in total), with 7:30 pm starts on Thursday through Saturday nights, and 2:00 pm on Sunday matinees. It closed on Sunday, May 11th, 2003. “The Weir” played to very enthusiastic crowds who were thoroughly entertained by a marvelous ensemble of superb actors. A wonderful set with convincing accents aplenty brought each Hawaii crowd to the heart of Ireland. Dave Donnelly, a stage and television veteran but who was relatively new to TAG, had directed two great productions in a row.
The Honolulu Advertiser Review By Joe Rozmiarek
On Golden Pond – Jim & Jan Channel Henry & Katherine
Whenever anyone hears of the title, “On Golden Pond,” as a generality, the most often response is of the Oscar winning 1981 movie of the same name (poster image appears inset). It featured legendary actors, who both won academy awards for their roles, Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn. It was also the movie, that many commentators believed, was the event that helped to heal an often times rocky relationship between father Henry, and daughter Jane Fonda. While the dialogue between the two were not specifically written for them since “On Golden Pond” was originally written as a play, watching the movie, one could sense that they were sometimes playing themselves. But in fact, TAG did the play version, written by Ernest Thompson, and to direct it, chose David Farmer, having a banner year as a producer, actor, and director of many TAG productions. “On Golden Pond,” the play, was written in 1979 play Ernest Thompson. The plot focuses on an aging couple Ethel and Norman Thayer, who spend each summer at their home on a lake called Golden Pond. During the year the story takes place, they are visited by daughter Chelsea with her fiancé Billy Ray and his son Billy Ray Jr. The play explores the often turbulent relationship the young woman shared with her father growing up, and the difficulties faced by a couple in the twilight years of a long marriage.
The Playbill For “On Golden Party”

A Honolulu Star-Bulletin Article By John Berger

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin Review By John Berger
To bring “On Golden Pond to life David Farmer (see inset photo) recruited a top notch cast and crew. Jim Tharp, fresh from a brilliant performance in “The Weir,” played Norman Thayer, Jan McGrath played Ethel Thayer, Victoria Gail-While played Chelsea, John Wythe-White played Billy Ray, Geoff Summers played Billy, and Bill Carr played Charlie. It was produced by Sharon Adair. Loren Farmer served as assistant director. Meryle Noelani Carr was the stage manager. Sharon Adair was the Dramaturn. Jason Taglianetti created the sound design. The lighting design was handled by Brenda Lee Hillebrenner. The design of and construction of the set and handling of the props was done by Sharon Adair, Bill Carr, Meryle Carr, David Farmer, Loren Farmer, Victoria Gail-White, John Wythe-White, Kevin McCormick. The playbill was created by Sam Polson. Director Farmer gave special thanks to Frankie Enos, Sam Polson, Karen Bumatai and Shel Dalzell, Manoa Valley Theatre, Marty McClain, Mike Powell, Joyce Maltby and HPU, Kako at Salvation Army, Jessica Shiarella and Rozanne for Elmer, Carol Cooper, and Roxanne McCormick. “On Golden Pond” opened on Wednesday, June 25th, 2003, and playing for an additional 16 performances (17 in total), with 7:30 pm starts on Thursday through Saturday nights, and 4:00 pm on Sunday matinees. It closed on Sunday, July 20th, 2003. “On Golden Pond” completed TAG’s 2002-2003 season, and looking back, it was an absolute stellar year for David Farmer, who played a major role in four of the six productions, taking two turns at directing, acting in another, and producing yet another.
The Honolulu Advertiser Review By Joe Rozmiarek

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