Puakahiki Kauʻi Kaina
Kauʻi
Kaina
Actress, playwright, and director working in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, English, and Pidgin — the first graduate of the MFA in Hawaiian Theatre, and a teacher who brings moʻolelo to the stage.
Aloha mai
Raised in Hawaiian-medium education, Kauʻi is the first graduate of the MFA in Hawaiian Theatre at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and today teaches theatre, music, and Hawaiian language arts at Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu and serves as Assistant Professor at Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
An actor, playwright, director, and haumāna of Kumu Hula Mapuana de Silva, she carries one belief through it all — our history is a continuation of the past, so the generations to come may prosper from it and define a future of their own.
- Languages
- ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi · English · Pidgin
- Voice
- Alto / Soprano
- Height
- 5′3″
- Represented by
- Aubrey Lee Agency
Film & television
On screen
Moana 2 (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi version)
2026Matagi (voice) · Animated feature · Dir. Ty Sanga
Ghosted
2025Club Singer · Short film · Dir. Chris Coffman
Chief of Wars
2024Walla · Series · Apple TV+ · Apple TV+
Da Fahm
2024Mother · Short film · Dir. Aina Paikai
The Butterfly Effect
2024Teacher, Detective · Film · Liliʻuokalani Trust
My Partner
2022Mother · Feature · HIFF · Dir. Kelii Grace
E Hoʻi i ka Piko
2021Writer · Performer · 6-episode series · ʻAha Keiki · ʻAha Keiki
ʻAha Keiki
2021Lead (solo performer) · 6 episodes · ʻAha Kāne
ʻĀina ʻŌiwi — Episode 2
2005Exercise Instructor · Series · ʻŌiwi TV · ʻŌiwi TV
ʻĀina ʻŌiwi — Episode 1
2003Lei Making Instructor · Series · ʻŌiwi TV · ʻŌiwi TV
The Big Bounce
2002Lūʻau Host · Feature film · Warner Bros.
Hukilau
2001Performer · Instructional video · Polynesian Cultural Center
Kalanimainuʻu
1999Lead · Short film · ʻAha Pūnana Leo
Lōkahi, Family Values
1988Daughter · Educational series · DOE · Hawaiʻi Dept. of Education
Nā Waihoʻoluʻu o ke Ānuenue
1987Performer · Instructional film · DOE · Hawaiʻi Dept. of Education
Nā Helu
1987Performer · Instructional film · DOE · Hawaiʻi Dept. of Education
Pūlama
Head Teacher · Short film · Dir. Alex Tarrant
A Walk in the Park
Mother / Exerciser · Short film · Dir. Justina Mattos
Theatre
On stage
Kāmau
Mother · 2021
Mamiya Theatre, Chaminade University
ʻAi Pōhaku
Dancer · Chanter · Musician · 2016
Kamakakūokalani, UH Mānoa
Lāʻieikawai
Lead · 2015–16
Kennedy Theatre, UH Mānoa · KCACTF — Inaugural Hawaiian-language mainstage production
Oklahoma!
Supporting · 2006
UH Hilo Performing Arts Center
Company
Supporting · 2004
UH Hilo Performing Arts Center
Writing · directing · producing
Work she created
Welu Ahi
2025Co-writer
Feature film, co-written with Larry Kimura & Justina Mattos.
Ka Ua Nāulu
2024Writer
Short film script.
Keahialaka
2024Writer
Short film script.
E Huliāmahi
2022Co-writer · Director · Producer
Co-written with Nā haumāna o Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu & Haʻamauliola Aiona. A bilingual ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi–Pidgin play with Nāwahī’s 11th graders — slam poetry, mele, and vignettes on the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s. UH Hilo Performing Arts Center.
E Hoʻi i ka Piko
2021Writer · Performer
A one-woman, six-episode series of moʻolelo — Puapualenalena, ʻIole & Pueo, Pōhakuolēkia, Kamapuaʻa, Kumu ʻUlu, and ʻAlekoko.
Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka
2017Playwright · Director · Producer
MFA thesis — a Hawaiian-medium production. Premiered at BYU–Hawaiʻi’s David O. McKay Theater; remounted at Chaminade’s Mamiya Theatre, Kamehameha Schools Keaʻau, and UH Hilo. Kennedy Theatre Playwriting Award.
Puapualenalena
2016Writer · Director · Actor
A Hula Kiʻi performance in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at UH Mānoa’s Earl Ernst Lab Theatre.
Also directed & developed
- Ua Ao Hawaiʻi — Director, Hālau Kupukupu (2019)
- Hoʻoulu — Dramaturg, KEAKA Festival (2019)
- Nā Wahi Pana o Hilo — Director, Hālau Kupukupu (2018)
- Rushing Dolls — Director, Earl Ernst Lab Theatre (2016)
- Macbeth (experimental adaptation) — Director, Earl Ernst Lab Theatre (2015)
- Laʻamaikahiki — Assistant Director, ʻImiloa Astronomy Center (2009)
- Paʻa Mau — Playwright, Director & Choreographer, Nāwahī (2008)
- Blind Date — Director, UH Hilo Performing Arts Center (2006)
Commercial · voiceover · crew
Voice & production
Commercial & voiceover
- The Last Hawaiian — Voiceover · dir. Kelii Grace (2025)
- VA Reel — Veteran · dir. Matt Yamashita
- Hawaiʻi Pacific Health MyChart — Presenter / Narrator · dir. David Rosen
- Kapiʻolani Sex Abuse Treatment Center — Mother · dir. David Rosen
- Hawaiʻi Pacific Health & HMSA — Voiceover · SP Media Group
- Disney Aulani Resort — Voiceover
Film & broadcast production
- Merrie Monarch Festival broadcast — Assistant Director · Hawaiʻi News Now
- Hula o Nā Keiki — Project Coordinator · Mele.com
- Project Kuleana: Mokuʻula — On-site Coordinator · Kelii Grace Productions
- The Tourist Curse (feature) — Production Assistant
- Mei Day Concert / Mele Hula Festival — Production Asst. · KFIVE / KITV 4
Publications & talks
Writing & scholarship
- 2026
School was school until Hana Keaka came into play
American Alliance for Theatre and Education Journal
- 2025
Noiʻi Nowelo: A Survey of Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance
Contributor
- 2019
Carrying Our Cultural Responsibility Through Theater
HowlRound Theatre Commons
- 2018
No Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka
Akāka Mānoa, Kawaihuelani Publications
- 2007
Puʻā i ka ʻŌlelo, Ola ka ʻOhana
Hūlili, Vol. 4 — Kamehameha Publishing
- 2005
Kaluaikoʻolau
Hohonu, UH Hilo
Selected panels & presentations
- American Alliance for Theatre and Education Conference (2026)
- World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education — Puʻā i ka ʻŌlelo (2025)
- Noiʻi Nowelo inaugural conference — panelist (2024)
- UH Mānoa HAW 331 — guest speaker, Mele Integration in Theatre (2024)
- Mana Maoli professional development — co-presenter (2023)
- KEAKA Hawaiian Theatre Festival — Nāwahī student works (2022)
- Ka ʻAha Hula ʻo Hālauola & Native Hawaiian Convention — Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka (2017–18)
- Int’l Conference on Language Documentation & Conservation (2017)
- Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival — Lāʻieikawai (2016)
- He Manawa Whenua Indigenous Conference (2015)
Teaching
The classroom, the stage
Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
2026 – present
Assistant Professor
Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu
2020 – present
Theatre, Hana Noʻeau, Hawaiian Language Arts, and Puolo for grades 7–12
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Fall 2024
Lecturer — HWST 463: ʻO Hawaiʻi ka moku, a ʻo Kamehameha ke aliʻi
Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Kahuku
2018 – 2020
Hawaiian Language Arts, Theatre, Financial Literacy, Geometry, Health
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Spring 2016
Teaching Assistant — THEA 101
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
2008 – 2009
Lecturer — Hawaiian ʻOhana; Kahuawaiola Music & PE
Programs, curriculum & language work
- Hoʻolulu Afterschool Performing Arts — Hana Keaka & Mele (2021–23)
- Curriculum: Office of Hawaiian Education online music classes (2022)
- Nā Hua Kēpau — moʻolelo transcription & ʻōlelo noʻeau research (2019–22)
- Nā Pua Noʻeau — Ka Māmakakaua; Continuing Aloha ʻĀina (2020–21)
- Project Kuleana Mele Educator (2019–21)
- Hālau Kupukupu, Kamehameha Summer School — Theatre, Music, Hula (2018–19)
- KĀʻEO Hawaiian Language Assessment Program, UH Mānoa (2014–17)
Cultural practice & service
Hula, mele, and community
Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima
Training as kumu hula · Kumu Hula Mapuana de Silva
A haumana since 1988, now in kumu training. Former Polynesian Cultural Center performer; award-winning haku mele.
Leadership
- Kamehameha Publishing — Board Member (2024 – present)
- Pūlama Mauli Ola — Program Assistant (2023 – present)
- KEAKA Hawaiian Theatre Festival — Board Secretary (2016 – present)
- Musical Director & Pianist, ward choir (2015 – present)
Special skills
Honors & training
Recognition
Awards & honors
- Hanohano Hōkūleʻa Haku Mele Songwriting Contest — Winner (2025)
- UH Kennedy Theatre Playwriting Award (2017)
- John Young Scholarship in the Arts (2017)
- Kamehameha Schools Nā Hoʻokama Recipient (2014–16)
- Hūlili Research Stipend — Indigenous Theatre (2015)
- Lāʻieikawai Cast Poʻokela Award
- Nā Hōkū Hanohano Songwriting Contest — Winner (2003)
- State of Hawaiʻi Hawaiian Studies Sterling Scholar (2000)
Education & training
ICAN Master Intensive, 3rd Cohort
International Cultural Arts Network · 2025 — With Alex & Luci Tarrant, Mark Dacascos, Ian Anthony Dale, Amy Hill
MFA, Hawaiian Theatre
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa · 2017 — First graduate of the program
Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo · 2008
BA, Theatre (Acting) · BA, Hawaiian Studies
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo · 2006
Pōhai Moʻolelo Internship
ʻŌiwi TV
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In the news
Press & mentions
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi version of “Moana 2” to premiere at Bishop Museum
2026Hawaiʻi Public Radio
Coverage of the Hawaiian-language Moana 2 premiere, naming Kauʻi as the voice of Matangi alongside Auliʻi Cravalho and Moses Goods.
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi version of Moana 2 premieres during Hawaiian Language Month
2026Maui Now
Independent press confirmation of her casting as Matangi in the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi dub.
Journal article — Theatre Topics
2026Taylor & Francis
Scholarly article in Theatre Topics, the peer-reviewed journal of theatre and performance pedagogy.
Puakahiki Kauʻi Kaina — Author profile
2019HowlRound Theatre Commons
Profile on HowlRound, the national theatre commons, introducing her work in Hawaiian-language theatre and immersion education.
Young Hawaiian Playwright Brings Ancient Saga to the Stage in “Nā Kau A Hiʻiaka”
2017Hawaiʻi Public Radio
An in-depth radio interview on the origins of her thesis play and her research process.
Kauʻi Kaina directs Hawaiian language play Nā Kau A Hiʻiaka
2017University of Hawaiʻi News
Official UH News feature naming her the first graduate of the MFA in Hawaiian Theatre.
Hana Keaka Haumana — Kauʻi Kaina
2017UH Mānoa ANNO (alumni spotlight)
Alumni profile on her teaching at Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu and her board service with the KEAKA Hawaiian Language Theatre Festival.
Interview with Kauʻi Kaina — Lāʻieikawai
2015Kennedy Theatre, UH Mānoa
Video interview on playing the title role in the first all-Hawaiian-language mainstage production at Kennedy Theatre.
Nā Lehua Keaka — Program Graduates
UH Mānoa Hawaiian Theatre Program
Institutional bio covering her MFA under Hailiʻōpua Baker, Lāʻieikawai, and Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka.
Follow along
Awards & honors
Hanohano Hōkūleʻa Hoʻokūkū Haku Mele — Songwriting Contest for Hōkūleʻa
2025Winner
Kennedy Theatre Playwriting Award, University of Hawaiʻi
2017John Young Scholarship in the Arts
2017Mānoa Opportunity Grant
2016Recipient
Friends of Kennedy Theatre Scholarship
2016Recipient
Kamehameha Schools Nā Hoʻokama
2014 – 2016Recipient
Lāʻieikawai Cast Poʻokela Award
2014 – 2016Liko Aʻe Scholarship
2015Recipient
Hūlili Research Stipend — Research for Indigenous Theatre
2015Recipient
UH Theatre & Dance Merit Scholarship
2014 – 2015Recipient
Nā Hōkū Hanohano Songwriting Contest
2003Winner
State of Hawaiʻi Hawaiian Studies Sterling Scholar Award
2000Winner
Festivals & presentations
KEAKA Hawaiian Theatre Festival
2022Presentation of student works from Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu — opening ceremony, hula kiʻi, monologues, music videos & slam poetry
Ka ʻAha Hula ʻo Hālauola
2018Presentation & discussion of the master thesis production Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka
Native Hawaiian Convention
2017Presentation & discussion of Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka
Nā Kau a Hiʻiaka Q&A Panel
2017Led cast discussion and Q&A for the production
5th International Conference on Language Documentation & Conservation
2017Presentation and roundtable on Hawaiian language revitalization
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
2016Welcoming ceremony and post-show Q&A for Lāʻieikawai
Kauaʻi Community College
2016Q&A with Hawaiian-focus schools on Lāʻieikawai
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
2015Performance and post-show panel discussion of Lāʻieikawai
Representation
E hoʻolohe mai —
let us listen.
Aubrey Lee Agency · theatrical, commercial, theatre, voiceover, modeling
(808) 294-5574
© 2026 Kauʻi Kaina · Hawaiʻi