A four-wheel mini bus once used as a mobile clothing boutique on Oʻahu’s North Shore will become a hub for performing artists in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Starting October 9, the newly refurbished JoyMobile bus will serve as a backdrop and shuttle graduate students and other fellow actors, dancers, musicians, jugglers and clowns to live performances across Oʻahu.
The mobile performance concept comes as face-to-face shows in theatres across the globe drastically diminish during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mark Branner, an associate professor of theatre at UH Mānoa came up with the idea with his students who felt a void.
“This project came about in a Zoom class last year when my graduate students and I were commiserating about how challenging it was to NOT see people, be with people, perform with one another, perform in person for audiences, etc.,” Branner said. “So, the rehearsal process for this project—all of us are fully vaccinated and we also all wear masks for the rehearsals and performances—has been filled with joy and truly life affirming.”
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Using donations and additional funding from local foundations such as The Awesome Foundation, The Kenneth and Dianne Matsuura Foundation and more, Branner purchased the bus from Craigslist and their team got to work on refurbishing. In partnership with Artists for Community Transformation Intl, the JoyMobile will hit the open road this fall putting on free shows at a variety of housing communities including Kukui Tower (Honolulu), Kalani Gardens (Mililani) and Villages of
The JoyMobile project is set to adhere to all statewide COVID-19 safety guidelines and restrictions. Under current restrictions, all performers will be masked and audiences are encouraged to enjoy the performances in masks and safely distanced from those outside of their family groups.
Branner views the mobile shows as a golden opportunity for the Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) students to sharpen skills and technique.
“TYA often requires ‘on your feet thinking,’ adjusting to young audiences who are not conditioned to sitting still in a theatre. So, this project is a living classroom…We want our program to develop artists who care deeply about our various communities and this is a project that seeks to engage those in our community who may never come to Kennedy Theatre to see a show,” Branner said.
Performances will continue through 2022, and anyone interested in scheduling a show can before the production moves to other public venues, including farmer’s markets, beach encampments and more.
For more information go to the JoyMobile website or their Instagram.
This effort is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of Enhancing Student Success (PDF) one of the four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan (PDF), updated in December 2020.
