AFTER TeAda Productions’ successful performances on the Hawaiian Islands of Oʻahu, Maui, Moku o Keawe (Big Island of Hawaiʻi), “Nothing Micro About Micronesia” will travel to Saipan, and Guam from April through May of 2025 for the Micronesia Tour. This highly anticipated premiere on Saipan takes place on Thursday, April 24, 2025 at the 44th Annual Flame Tree Festival. The full production of the play will be performed on April 24, while the first half-only will be performed on April 26, and the second half-only will be performed on April 27. All performances will be performed outdoors at Garapan Fishing Base on the island of Saipan.
“Nothing Micro About Micronesia” is a stage play that tells a coming of age story about three Micronesian youth who meet in an unlikely place, and through magic, are transported to island adventures in Micronesia. During the journey, these friends navigate between Hawaiʻi and the traditions of their homelands while facing the rising tides of their uncertain futures. The story centers complex issues faced by youth in Hawaiʻi from migration and assimilation, to cultural reclamation and familial responsibility; connecting to intergenerational Micronesian experiences in Hawaiʻi, across the atolls and islands of Micronesia, and beyond. The play spotlights the cultural traditions and stories of Micronesians, while highlighting the urgent need for education and advocacy around issues of climate migration, cultural erasure, and discrimination in the present day.
Over the last decade, artistic directors Leilani Chan and Ova Saopeng, and the ensemble have conducted workshops with members of the Micronesian community throughout Hawaiʻi, Guam, and the U.S. continent that produced the first nationally touring play about Micronesians — “Masters of the Currents.” In the summer of 2024, the creative duo traveled to Micronesia and deepened relationships in the Marshall Islands, Pohnpei, Saipan, and Chuuk. That trip became the inspiration for “Nothing Micro About Micronesia.” TeAda’s successful methodology in community engagement, and touring makes TeAda Productions a leader in transforming American theater.
About the Flame Tree Arts Festival
The Flame Tree Festival is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public, and will be located outdoors at Garapan Fishing Base.
The Flame Tree Arts Festival is the longest running festival in the western Pacific and occurs on Saipan, the CNMI’s largest island and capital. The festival serves as a focal point for community pride and celebration of Chamorro and Carolinian heritage. Activities typically include music and dance performances; a visual art competition; showcases of traditional skills such as canoeing, carving, jewelry making and weaving; and traditional cooking demonstrations. Vendor booths sell handmade goods, both contemporary and traditional, as well as local food. The festival is an important way that Northern Marianas residents honor their Native heritage while acknowledging the blend of Asian, European and American cultures that also have shaped their history.
About TeAda Productions
TeAda Productions is a Los Angeles based non-profit theater of color rooted in the stories of immigrants and refugees. We are committed to healing and honoring the lives of the displaced, exploited and overlooked. Our artistic process starts 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, visit www.teada.org/.
The “Nothing Micro About Micronesia” Micronesia Tour was made possible with funding by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project, the National Endowment for the Arts, the MAP Fund, Kim Coco Iwamoto, Northern Marianas Humanities Council, and Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture.
For more information about the “Nothing Micro About Micronesia” Micronesia Tour, contact Gloriana Teuira at glorianafolkarts@gmail.com or Jonny Chang at jonny@teada.org or www.teada.org/.
