Notes from the Creators

Our journey in creating Masters of the Currents began with meeting Innocenta Sound-Kikku our cultural navigator and through her a deeper awareness of the many issues facing the Micronesian community in Hawai’i. The play you are about to see was created with the contributions of many multi-generational voices and stories from this community including elementary school children, story circles with elders, workshops with at-risk youth, and interviews with community leaders and scholars. This process is our TeAda methodology, where we gather stories shared with us in collaboration with the community to create illuminating performances. Today’s performance is a continuation to deepen and expand that artistic voyage.

In the beginning one of the first things we learned is that the Micronesian community is incredibly diverse. It is very difficult to represent this community in a single story or play when there are so many languages, ethnicities, islands, states and nations listed under this one geographic region and category– a region and category that has been imposed and not chosen by the people. We hope today’s performance can be a catalyst toward dialogue for better understanding, more compassion, and further connection to one another, an artistic experience that launches a wave of many more creative and courageous conversations to come.

We are so grateful to Breaking Wave Theatre Company and Humanities Guahan and University of Guam Fine Arts Department for their belief in and support of community engaged work and bringing ‘Masters of the Currents’ to Guam. The intention to tour to Guam began with conversations prior to the Covid-19 pandemic back in 2019 and it has taken this long to finally align the stars to make it happen. We are extremely excited to present a show that highlights the Micronesian region centered around Micronesian point of view. It is a homecoming journey for many of our cast members and for us creators our first visit to beautiful Guam. We are truly honored to be on this magnificent voyage.

Mahalo*Kinisou*Si Yu’os Ma’ase,

Leilani Chan & Ova Saopeng

TeAda Productions, Artistic Directors

TeAda Productions

TeAda Productions is a nomadic theater of color based in Los Angeles CA and rooted in the stories of immigrants and refugees. Our artistic process begins and ends with conscious listening, community building, and creative courage. Through theater workshops and performances, TeAda offers acts of service that are transformative and impactful. For more information please visit www.teada.org

Humanities Guåhan

Humanities Guåhan is an independent nonprofit organization that provides foundational support and educational programming for the people of Guam. The mission of Humanities Guåhan is to foster community engagement and dialogue, inspire critical thinking, celebrate diversity and enrich the quality of life of island residents through the power of the humanities.To fulfill this mission, Humanities Guåhan presents and supports a diverse range of quality public humanities programs, including interpretive exhibitions, a family literacy program, a community grants program, community conversations, documentary films and discussions, educator and student workshops, literary tours, food democracy tours and cultural workshops and performances.

The Masters of the Currents Guam tour, which is a part of Humanities Guåhan’s larger Mellon-funded project, Sångåni i Taotao ni Estoriå-ta,Telling Our Stories, aims to highlight how personal and community narratives help connect citizens to important topics, such as the role of traditional beliefs and practices in the modern world, diaspora and identity, the effects of climate change, and the power of creative forms of expression. As a small island community that is home to indigenous CHamorus, as well as transnational citizens with ties to wider Micronesia, the Philippines, and other countries in the Asia Pacific region, Guåhan has many valuable stories and perspectives to share. Through workshops, humanities-based conversations, and post-show panel discussions, we will address the ways in which Pacific, and specifically Micronesian, forms of knowledge and their transmission are represented (or not) within performance and other artistic mediums. The intent is to illuminate ways in which Guam’s stories and those of larger Micronesia can positively contribute to regional, national and global conversations on important social justice issues

Breaking Wave Theatre Company

Breaking Wave Theatre Company (BWTC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based on Guam that aims to use theatre and the arts to nurture individuals and build communities. For the past four years, we have engaged in various events that have benefitted local creatives, at-risk youth, and the community at large. Our goals are to use the arts to promote lifelong learning, to improve well-being through self-expression, and to foster a community of artists and audiences. BWTC believes in promoting accessibility for the arts and highlighting the diverse community on the island.