Happily Eva Afta Actors: Gino Pascual

* What brought you to Ohia Productions? Lisa Matsumoto brought me to the Ohia family back in 1991.  Even though Ohia was not established yet, it was the beginning of many lasting friendships.  This crazy group of talented individuals welcomed me back to the stage after nearly 20 years of absence beginning with the 15th anniversary show which happened in 2010.

* What do you enjoy the most about being in this production? This production is new to me.  I have never done Happily Eva Afta. Although I have performed in the other two shows of the trilogy, this production is exciting because I’m unfamiliar with the story line and familiar with the characters that pop up in the show.

* What character do you play and how much of your own personality is in that character? The character I play in the show is “Miguel”.  He is the son of “Manuel” the Filipino Shoemaker.  “Miguel” was a difficult character to develop, even though I am of Filipino descent.  I am a second generation Filipino in Hawaii, and unlike my character who speaks with a heavy Filipino accent; my character is innocent and naive.

* What's your favorite musical number in the show? My favorite musical number is the song the Hagemogi Fairy sings.  It’s so dark it reminds me of “Ursula“(Little Mermaid) and “Scar” (Lion
King) put together.

* What do you hope the audience will take with them after seeing the show? I hope the audience has fun laughing.  I hope they take away the creativeness of the writer of the show.  I hope adults get inspired to act like the character when reading and I hope the young get inspired to act in a show on stage.

* Are you a University of Hawaii alumnus?  If so, what was your major and fondest memory of UH?  I graduated with a Bachelor in Public Administration from the University of Hawaii West Oahu.  My fondest memory of UH is time spent at Kennedy Theater sleeping, studying, congregating under the stairwell on the couches waiting for class or rehearsals to begin.