NĀNĀKULI — The Nānākuli High & Intermediate School Performing Arts Center (NPAC) has been part of students’ worlds and the Waiʻanae Coast community for 35 years. This spring, 33 students will perform in the cast of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” which opens March 27. 

Co-director Robin Kitsu founded NPAC in 1991 with a goal to change the perception of West Oʻahu and its students. Under Kitsu’s tutelage, the after-school performing arts program has offered its students opportunities to travel and perform across the continent and in London. 

“I always wanted to work in theater and the performing arts. So when I got placed here, that was one of my dreams,” Kitsu said. “They didn’t have a performing arts program, so I started a drama club, an after-school drama club, with six students.”

The program now attracts more than 40 students from various public and charter schools across Oʻahu who act, sing, dance and create sets for two major musical productions and two showcases each year. 

“I think we’ve grown because the sense of this program is you have a place to belong. And it’s not about this competition kind of thing, of being a star. Everyone’s important. And I think we’ve built that into our culture,” Kitsu said. “It’s just a place for them to belong and develop performing arts skills, but more importantly, build up self-esteem and confidence for life. Not only during school, but post-high school.”

Haley Sakakida, a junior at Mililani High who plays Ariel in the musical, said she found her place at NPAC in the fourth grade. 

“Everyone here is very welcoming, and they treat you as if you were family right from the start,” she said. “Even if you don’t know anyone, they love and cherish you, and they will always treat you with kindness.”

Cast members are from various public and charter schools, including Nānākuli Elementary, Nānākuli High & Intermediate, Mililani High, ʻIlima Intermediate, Nānāikapono Elementary, Makaha Elementary, Waiʻanae Elementary, Wai‘anae Intermediate and Barbers Point Elementary.

Working collaboratively with cast members whose ages range from third to 12th grade is a joy for Nānākuli High junior Haedyn Carba. “It’s just so heartwarming to finally be able to do this with all of my castmates, who I’ve known for so long, gotten to know, worked with, and got to see grow along with me.”

Carba, who plays Ursula, says she channels the character through tapping into the villain’s history. “Ursula, in my opinion, was very oppressed as a child because she wasn’t the favorite, she was the ugly one,” she explained. “And I’m trying to figure out a way to embody that, like that frustration and anger. And to prepare for it, honestly, I just try to get angry. Because that’s her main emotion. She wants to get revenge, and she kind of does get it in a way.”

What can the audience expect from the show? “They’re definitely going to like all the costumes,” Carba said. “And if they ever want to know the basis of the story, basically it’s about finally finding the freedom to be who you want to be.”

“It’s an amazing show to come out and watch, and I hope everyone who comes to watch it loves it just as much as we love putting it on,” Sakakida said.

“The Little Mermaid” shows dates are March 27-29 and April 2-4. Pre-sale tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students 13 and older, and $3 for children 12 and under. 

Father-Daughter Duo

Co-directors Robin and Chloe Kitsu are a father-daughter duo who have worked together at NPAC for six years. Robin has taught at Nānākuli High & Intermediate for 36 years, while Chloe is an English language arts teacher, Early College coordinator and class advisor for the school. They share the same vision for NPAC: to create a place where students can develop their theatre skills and find a sense of belonging. 

“Whether they’re from Mililani, or they’re from Nānākuli or Waiʻanae Intermediate, they all get to share something in common, and work on something together to create this end product that’s really special,” said Chloe.

Chloe, a Mililani High graduate, grew up as a student participant in the NPAC ʻohana. Her experience in the program inspired her to return to Nānākuli as a teacher.

“Even when I was younger, when I was still in high school, my dad gave me opportunities to teach and lead, which is why, I think, I kind of found my way back to teaching after going to college.”

A new home for NPAC 

The success of NPAC has garnered acclaim for West Oʻahu. The program is slated to receive a new performing arts center on the Nānākuli High & Intermediate campus for the Waiʻanae Coast to enjoy. 

“Phase I of the new facility will be our own. We call it the Dream Big Mini Theater. And it’s a 75-seat black box theater slash rehearsal studio for us,” Robin Kitsu said. “We will have our own place where we can dance, rehearse — with dance floors and mirrors. As you can tell, there are no mirrors right now. For students to actually have mirrors to see themselves in is huge.”

The $10 million Phase I project is slated to break ground in early 2027.

Phase II will be construction of a full-sized stage and auditorium that can seat up to 500 people. The cost of Phase II is approximately $40 million, pending funding approval by the legislature.

“It’s not only for NPAC, and it’s not only for Nānākuli, but it’s for the whole Westside to hold hula and music festivals. What we’re envisioning is that the students at the school can run the facility — from marketing to tech and all of that,” Robin Kitsu said.

March marks HIDOE’s 2nd annual Fine Arts In Our Schools Month, celebrating visual and performing arts in public schools.