Makawao Cemetery History Theatre

Makawao Cemetery History Theatre  – Ticket Sales Opening Soon! 

Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site & Archives and the Makawao Cemetery Association are bringing this year’s award-winning living history program, Caring for Our Community, upcountry to Maui. Through rigorously researched performances staged among the headstones, skilled actors portray the doctors, organizers, and advocates who quietly built the institutions Hawaiʻi still leans on today.

FEATURED PORTRAYALS

Dr. Iga Mōri (1864–1951) — A pioneering Issei physician born in northern Honshū, Dr. Mōri completed his education at the Imperial Naval Medical School and Cooper Medical College (now Stanford University Medical School). He was a founding doctor and first medical director of the Japanese Charity Hospital — now Kuakini Medical Center — established in the aftermath of the Bubonic plague outbreak and Chinatown Fire of 1900. He oversaw the hospital’s growth into the second-largest medical facility in the Territory of Hawaiʻi and was the first Japanese physician granted honorary membership in the Honolulu County Medical Society. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he and his family were arrested; his son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons were interned in New Mexico and Texas during WWII.
Portrayed by Shiro Kawai.

Emily Whitney Alexander Baldwin (1846–1943) — Born at Lahainaluna, Maui to Rev. William P. Alexander and Mary Ann McKinney Alexander, she married Henry Perrine Baldwin and together they became transformative philanthropists on Maui. They founded the Fred C. Baldwin Memorial Home to provide housing for elderly Hawaiian and white men, named in memory of their son who died unexpectedly at age 24. They also founded the Baldwin Home for Boys and Helpless Men at Kalawao to care for male leprosy patients — a facility that grew under the stewardship of Brother Joseph Dutton to more than 50 buildings by the 1930s. Portrayed by Eden-Lee Murray.

Lucy Kaiaka Ward (1874–1954) — One of the celebrated seven Ward sisters, Lucy grew up at “Old Plantation” on the site of what is now the Neal S. Blaisdell Center. A major force in founding and developing the Hawaiian Humane Society, she became a Humane Agent in 1913 — making her a law enforcement officer. Armed with a whip, a pistol, and a badge, she spent years protecting the welfare of children and animals across Honolulu. The Humane Society served as Child Protective Services in the Territory of Hawaiʻi until 1935, and its first building was constructed on land donated by her family. Portrayed by Ann Brandman.

EVENT DETAILS

What: Cemetery History Theatre: Caring for Our Community

When: **2 NIGHTS ONLY**: Friday, July 18 & Saturday, July 19

3:00 PM — Doors open
​4:00 PM — Performances begin promptly
​Q&A with actors, writers, and director to follow

Where: Makawao Cemetery, 3363 Baldwin Avenue, Makawao, HI 96768
Parking is available in the grass lot past the two Cook Island pines.

Admission: $50 per person and includes refreshments. For information and tickets, visit: www.maui-cemetery.com

This year’s performances are sponsored by Haleakala Ranch Company, Kaonoulu Ranch, and Claire Sanford.