The Yellow Brick Road is coming to Honolulu, but this one is made of trash. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Theatre & Dance opens its production of The Wizard of Oz at Kennedy Theatre on October 23, running through October 31, with sets, props and even Dorothy's faithful dog Toto built from upcycled and discarded materials.
The Theatre for Young Audiences musical, confirmed by broadwayworld.com, is directed by Jack Romans and adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company, with the familiar Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg score intact. According to the University of Hawaiʻi System News, the show transforms everyday objects into the Yellow Brick Road, Emerald City, and even Dorothy and Toto themselves, with Ayami Kinoshita cast in the lead role. Romans said the production turns discarded materials into Dorothy's adventure and invites audiences to see new possibilities in what might otherwise be thrown away.
A Season Built on Reuse
The university's news office describes the show as opening the Department of Theatre & Dance season by finding a home in the extraordinary, with inventive puppetry layered into familiar songs and playful storytelling designed for young audiences. Per manoa.hawaii.edu, the broader concept behind the staging treats Oz itself as a world of upcycling, where ordinary materials become something magical onstage. The approach extends to the audience too: families are encouraged to wear costumes, especially ones made from recycled or reused materials, for the October 31 closing matinee.
That invitation culminates at the October 31 closing matinee, which doubles as a Halloween celebration. The university news office notes the performance will include a costume parade and contest before the show, followed by photos with the cast afterward — a fitting bookend for a production that treats reuse as both design philosophy and audience activity.
Showtimes, Pre-Show Chats and Ticket Pricing
Performances are set for October 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m., October 25 at 2 p.m., and October 30 at 7:30 p.m., with the Halloween matinee closing the run on October 31 at 2 p.m. The production is recommended for ages 5 and older. Pre-show chats are scheduled at 6:45 p.m. ahead of Saturday performances, including October 24, the same evening designated as a Throwback Saturday with reduced pricing, according to broadwayworld.com.
Regular tickets range from $9 for UH Mānoa students with valid ID to $25 for adults, per the same account. The October 24 Throwback Saturday pricing drops those figures to $6 for students and $15 for adults, as listed on manoa.hawaii.edu. Tickets went on sale September 21, and Kennedy Theatre is located at 1770 East-West Theatre on the UH Mānoa campus in Honolulu.
