‘Nothing Micro About Micronesia’ comes to Saipan, Guam
The TeAda Productions show is a nationally touring play about Micronesians
After the success of “Masters of the Currents,” the TeAda Productions team knew that there were more Micronesian stories that were ready to be told on stage.
So they went to work and held workshops, inviting Micronesians living in Hawai‛i to talk story. From those workshops and those stories, “Nothing Micro About Micronesia” was born. The play follows three Micronesian youth who journey through the region, thanks, in part, to some Micronesian magic. Themes of migration, familial responsibility, assimilation, cultural reclamation, and traditions are thoughtfully explored in the show.
The cast performed “Nothing Micro About Micronesia” across Hawai‛i last year, and now the show will premiere in Saipan this week and Guam next week.
When Kathy Martin saw the “Masters of the Currents” crew perform in Guam in 2022, she was immediately intrigued. Years later, her path crossed again with TeAda Productions. She was now living in Hawai‛i and she saw that the organization was holding workshops for “Nothing Micro About Micronesia.” Kathy managed to attend the final workshop, and she was glad she did.
“It was just moving,” Kathy recalled. It was a space to freely share experiences and emotions, where people could expect mutual respect.
In a place where many Micronesians face discrimination, prejudice, and intolerance, such a congenial environment was a welcome change.
Kathy, who is from Piis-Paneu in Chuuk, knew she wanted to be part of the production.
Leilani Chan, founding artistic director of TeAda Productions and co-director and playwright for “Nothing Micro About Micronesia,” described how, from the outset, the play was a collaborative effort. With Kathy on board, there was an opportunity to write an elder female character for the play.
“A lot of the times, the cast itself informs the characters that we’re creating,” Leilani said. As they put together “Nothing Micro About Micronesia,” they drew from the stories of the cast and the experiences shared in workshops conducted in the community over the past decade, Leilani said.
“We were fortunate to expand and deepen our relationship to create a new play with seeds planted from the Micronesian community living in the state of Hawai‛i and diaspora on the U.S. continent,” said Ova Saopeng. Ova, like Leilani, wears many hats, including co-director, co-writer, co-producer, and he is also acting in the play.
Joining Kathy and Ova are cast members Kealaula “Lala” Faifili, Koa Shope, and TristanKasy Henry, who play Soso, Kai, and Freedom, respectively.
For many of the folks who are part of the show, “Nothing Micro About Micronesia” is uncharted territory. For some, it has been their first time acting in a play. For others, these are roles that are new to them. Nonetheless, the team forges ahead, navigating new territory as only islanders can: with trust, laughter, and the drive to do right by their people.
Lala, who was born and raised on Oahu and who is from Mapusagafou in American Samoa, said she was unsure about playing a Micronesian character because she is Polynesian.
“When Soso was offered to me, I had hesitated on taking the role because I'm not Micronesian, and it felt like I was robbing a role from somebody who could play this part. And even when we were doing rehearsals, I had constant thoughts like, is it right for me to do this?,” Lala said. “I wasn't sure.”
Kathy reassured Lala and said that because she is Polynesian, she’d be a unifying factor for Micronesians and Polynesians. After they performed in front of the public, many Micronesian people came up to Lala and thanked her for being part of the show, including one little girl whose gratitude brought Lala to tears.
“On social media nowadays, I see Hawaiians bashing Micronesians and making fun of them, and I'm like, this is not how it's supposed to be. We're all Pacific Islanders. We shouldn't be tearing down one another,” Lala told The Husk.
“We're all Pacific Islanders. We shouldn't be tearing down one another.”
As the team prepares for their debut in Micronesia, they’re very much looking forward to their time in Saipan and Guam.
Lala said she’s looking forward to connecting with the community and seeing the audience’s reactions to certain scenes.
Koa, who is from Lukunor in Chuuk and grew up in Hawai‛i, said he’s also looking forward to visiting Saipan and Guam. He said he hopes the play inspires more Micronesians to pursue theater.
“I really hope someone gets inspired by it. I really hope I talk to the Kai that's out there somewhere who doesn't know the language as much, and he just feels less ashamed because it doesn't make him any less Micronesian,” Koa said. “And I hope it gives birth to a new generation of artists that will follow in our footsteps.”
Skeptical about the play at first, Koa said he’s glad he attended the workshops.
“Being a Micronesian in Honolulu has hardened me as a person, and everything just isn't as nice as I would like it to be. And so I think I've reacted to all that and developed this survival instinct where I should keep everything close to myself,” Koa said.
After the workshops, after he witnessed what the play was striving to do, Koa let his guard down.
“Going to this workshop, I realized I should let people in and start telling the story in a different way,“ he said. “Now I'm more like, OK, what can we do to create a better space for us?”
Tristan, from Pohnpei where he was born and raised, said “Nothing Micro About Micronesia” was his first time being part of a big production. At school in Pohnpei, he would perform in skits, but this stage play was a new experience for him. He saw flyers for the workshops, and he was curious.
“Because I came straight from Micronesia and I was like, OK, what are they going to talk about?” Tristan recalled. After he attended, he was hooked.
Tristan said when they’re in Saipan and Guam, he’s looking forward to meeting people, making connections, and reconnecting with people he hasn’t seen in a long time. “And try the food back there,” he added.
Like Tristan, Kathy is excited to reconnect with family and friends in Guam. “Guam was my second home,” Kathy said. A University of Guam alumna and former resident, Guam taught her about life away from her home island. She said her friends have already sent her messages about the play, and they are eager to see her perform.
For Ova, he said he hopes “Nothing Micro About Micronesia” encourages more storytelling from diverse and wide Micronesian perspectives to be shared in theater and other media.
“To my Micronesian friends and beyond: Honor the stories that come from your culture, honor the stories that your language holds. Know that you are a miracle and that you matter,” Ova added.
“To my Micronesian friends and beyond: Honor the stories that come from your culture, honor the stories that your language holds. Know that you are a miracle and that you matter.”
The Micronesia tour was made possible through the support of the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project, the National Endowment for the Arts, the MAP Fund, Kim Coco Iwamoto, the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, the Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture, the University of Guam, the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency, Humanities Guåhan, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Saipan shows
Thursday, April 24, 2025, 7 p.m. at the Flame Tree Arts Festival
First half of show only: Saturday, April 26, 2025, 7 p.m. at the Flame Tree Arts Festival
Second half of show only: Sunday, April 27, 2025, 7 p.m. at the Flame Tree Arts Festival
The Flame Tree Arts Festival is free, nonticketed, open to the public, and will be located outdoors at Garapan Fishing Base (Garapan, Saipan).
Guam shows
Friday, May 2, 2025, 7 p.m. at the University of Guam Fine Arts Theatre
Saturday, May 3, 2025, 2 p.m. at the University of Guam Fine Arts Theatre
Saturday, May 3, 2025, 7 p.m. at the University of Guam Fine Arts Theatre
Guam show tickets are $25 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors. Purchase at www.guamtime.net.
Support ‘Nothing Micro About Micronesia’
People who aren’t able to watch the show can still support the production by donating. Find out more at https://www.teada.org/nmamcampaign.