Bound for Broadway: The Edgar family
Bound for Broadway: The Edgar family
Micronesian Monday Feature
This week’s Micronesian Monday Feature is on the Edgar family, who hail from Pohnpei and Chicago. Kalea and Kai Edgar are siblings who have performed in prominent productions and are working to one day debut on Broadway.
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Index: Earl and Shannon | ‘Really took off’ | ‘Representation is very important’ | Drawing and daiduhj | ‘Be authentically you’
There’s a video on Facebook and TikTok, showing a family gathered around the television, beaming. On screen, a small boy with big brown eyes cowers in a corner as two firefighters exchange a knowing glance.
At the sight of the boy on the television, the family watching erupts in cheers, smiling wide. That boy is one of them.
They’re celebrating Kai Edgar, who landed the role of Elijah in a 2021 episode of the long-running NBC drama “Chicago Fire.” Acting is a profession of rejection, one that isn’t for the thin-skinned. Millions have worked for years of their lives to get a shot. A break.
They chase a chance, a moment, even a fleeting second in the background. Anything to share their talents. To land a speaking role on a major show for a major network is no small feat.
At just 11 years old, Kai Edgar has done that and more.
Kai’s older sister, Kalea, has also added an impressive list of productions to her growing resume. She’s an award-winning singer and her performance history reads like that of a veteran performer. And yet, she is only 14.
Her angelic voice has been featured in “A Christmas Carol” at the Metropolis Theatre, as Belinda Cratchit in this year's production and part of the youth ensemble last year. Kalea has also played Veruca Salt in “Willy Wonka” at Ovation Academy and played Belinda Cratchit in “A Christmas Carol” at the Raue Center for the Arts.
Additionally, Kalea has played a supporting role in “Act of Faith,” a web series produced by Hass and Swanton.
Kalea’s voice earned her first place in her age category in the Elgin Idol competition, in addition to other vocal competitions she’s won. Plus, she studies musical theater at the Paramount School of the Arts. She earned a scholarship for the school and is a student ambassador.
Between Kalea and Kai, these two young stars have exactly what it takes to share the Broadway stage with the best of them.
Earl and Shannon
Before Kalea, Kai or, their baby brother Kanoa, there was Earl and Shannon. The pair met in Micronesia.
“Earl was born and raised in Pohnpei. He went to college in New Zealand and returned home where he worked at Telecom,” Shannon Edgar told The Husk. “I went to Pohnpei as a WorldTeach volunteer in 2005 and taught English at PICS High School. This is where we met.”
Two years later, Earl and Shannon moved to Chicago, where Shannon is from, and they married in 2008.
They now have three children Kalea, Kai and Kanoa.
‘Really took off’
Kalea and Kai have been performing professionally for years now. They started as Polynesian dancers, dancing professionally with Hokule’a Academy of Polynesian Arts in Chicago, Shannon said.
"We realized that they both loved to be on stage, but they trained very hard at Hawaiian, Tahitian, and Maori dance, leaving little time for other hobbies,” Shannon recalled.
In 2018, then-7-year-old Kai and then-10-year-old Kalea asked to do a musical. It would be their first but not their last.
“They were cast together as brother and sister in ‘A Christmas Carol’ at the Raue Center for the Arts, and that’s when the love of acting/singing really took off for both of them,” Shannon said.
Kai has performed on the North American tour of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” as Charlie Bucket.
"He is one of three boys that take turns playing the role with a very talented adult cast and crew,” Shannon said.
The role has taken him all over the states, to Mexico and Canada. A few months ago, Kai took over the production’s Instagram account, navigating the space with the ease of a seasoned showman. He speaks to Instagram viewers with an authority most 11-year-olds don’t yet possess. Even behind the scenes, Kai commands attention.
In addition to his work on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and his appearance on “Chicago Fire,” Kai has also been in several professional shows in Chicago, Shannon said.
He’s played Michael Caffrey in “Billy Elliot,” Ernie Lockhart in “The Secret of My Success” at Paramount Theatre, Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Carol” at Raue Center for the Arts and Oliver in “Oliver!”
“He also recorded some music as the singing voice for the animated character, Santiago, on the Nickelodeon show, ‘Santiago of the Seas,’” Shannon said.
Kai recently landed the role of Richie in “The Hours,” which is showing at The Metropolitan Opera.
With each role, Kalea and Kai move closer to the grandest stage of all.
“Broadway is still a dream and a goal,” Shannon Edgar said.
‘Representation is very important’
The journey to Broadway is not always smooth sailing.
“This industry is very difficult for families in general, but even moreso for children of color,” Shannon Edgar said. “Kids who want to be performers have to face a lot of rejections, and there are not many roles written with Pacific Islanders in mind. Most people out here have never heard of Micronesia, and many people confuse Asians and Pacific Islanders. People will often assume the kids are Filipino or Latinx.”
Kai’s role in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was a particularly encouraging one because the company made more inclusive casting choices.
“We are always excited when the kids get to be part of a company that is cast in a color-inclusive way, such as Kai’s touring production (‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’),” Shannon said. “There were three boys who play Charlie, and each of them is a different race. Representation is very important, and this show has done a great job of representing many different races and ethnicities in a positive way.”
Back in May, recognized as Pacific Islander and Asian American Heritage Month, Kai Edgar’s Instagram account posted a montage of sunny beaches flanked by lush jungle and crystal clear blue waters, a landscape many people from Micronesia know well.
The caption read, “Proud to be a Pacific Islander American and to share this footage my dad took in Micronesia, where he was born and raised. There are so many beautiful places in the Pacific Island regions of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia! Don’t forget to learn about PIs when you honor AAPIs this month!”
With every role and every performance, Kalea and Kai, whether they know it or not, are expanding the definition of what it means to be Pacific Islanders, showing how Pacific Islanders are not a homogenous group. Rather, Pacific Islanders exist in many spaces, they thrive in many different environments.
Drawing and daiduhj
When the Edgar family isn’t performing, they enjoy cooking and baking together, staying active outdoors and attending shows as a family, Shannon Edgar said.
“The kids are also very artistic and like to draw and design things,” she added.
Throughout the pandemic, Earl’s mother lived with them in Chicago. When the Federated States of Micronesia shut down the border to protect the community from COVID-19 spreading early in the pandemic, many people like Earl’s mother had to wait until borders reopened or repatriation flights were arranged.
“She used to make Mokilese treats, like daiduhj1 and donuts, every weekend,” Shannon said. Daiduhj is a favored treat in the Edgar house.
Like the Micronesians who watch from afar, Earl and Shannon are in awe of the things Kalea and Kai have achieved in their young lives.
“We have learned that just about anything is possible if you want it badly enough and work hard enough. It also takes a village of support to be successful in this industry, and the children couldn’t do it without the help of their extended family, especially their grandparents,” Shannon said.
‘Be authentically you’
To aspiring Micronesian thespians, actors, dancers, singers and performers, Kalea offers this advice:
“Be yourself. Don’t try to be what someone else wants you to be or change who you are. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Just be authentically you, and be proud of where you come from.”
“Be yourself. Don’t try to be what someone else wants you to be or change who you are. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Just be authentically you, and be proud of where you come from.
Kai also shares this advice, “Keep trying and working hard, even if you fail. Don’t give up. It doesn’t matter whether the stage is a national stage, a local stage, your school stage, or even your backyard or basement. Just keep doing what you love, learning from everyone you meet, and saying yes to the opportunities that come your way.” ◉
Keep up with Kalea and Kai and their accomplishments: @kaleaedgar and @kaiedgars on Instagram.
Delicious banana fritters. For more information, visit this link: http://danaleeling.blogspot.com/2016/03/local-food-dishes-of-micronesia.html