Queen Emma is another of those seminal figures in Hawaii’s history who provide such rich material for living-history performances.
Queen Emma is another of those seminal figures in Hawaii’s history who provide such rich material for living-history performances.
A well-educated woman of many talents, an ali‘i and the daughter of ali‘i, Emma was queen consort to King Kamehameha IV, Alexander Liholiho.
Emma’s reign was noted for her humanitarian efforts and for her founding of The Queen’s Hospital and St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls on Oahu, but it also had its share of sorrows.
In “Vespers at Hanaiakamalama,” University of Hawaii at Hilo performing arts graduate Denyse Woo-Ockerman welcomes the audience into the Queen’s home and heart as she looks back on a life rich in family history and the weight of tragedy.
This remarkable one-woman performance (as penned by the renowned UH-Hilo theater professor Jackie Pualani Johnson) reveals Emma’s resilience in a time of great transition in the Islands, as she and Liholiho tried to build, side by side, a better way of life for all Hawaiians.
The Lyman Museum is presenting this exceptional experience on two occasions — from 7-8:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, or the following afternoon, 3-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12.
The program is part of Lyman’s Saigo Public Program lecture series. Admission is free to museum members, $3 for nonmembers.
The nationally accredited and Smithsonian-affiliated Lyman Museum showcases the natural and cultural history of Hawaii.
The museum is open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 935-5021 or visit www.lymanmuseum.org.