Lava Alapai
Lava Alapai
Director
Lava Alapai (she/her) is a multi-ethnic playwright, director, and photographer born in Okinawa, Japan, and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She caught the theatre bug in Hawaii and began her career in an after-school theatre class. She and her friends made short films that she wrote, directed, and edited with two VHS players and her best friend’s camcorder. After graduating with an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in acting, Lava left Los Angeles, toured the country as a puppeteer, and landed in Portland, Oregon, where she has been creating theatre in Portland for over a decade. Writing credits include Middletown Mall, currently in development and received a grant in support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, The Event for Artists Repertory Theatre’s Mercury Festival, T.I.N.A for 48 hour Film Festival (won best use of character), redline for 24hr Theatre Festival, and Mutt for ManyHats Collaboration with support from a grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Some of her recent directing credits include The King of the Yees for Profile Theatre, Stains for Ashland New Plays Festival, Beatrice for Portland Opera, Midsummer Night’s Dream a co-direction for Anonymous Theatre, a stage-to-film production of Wayfinding for Willamette University, School Girls, or; the African Mean Girls play for Portland Center Stage/Artists Repertory Theatre co-production, Is God Is for Washington Ensemble Theatre, The Chinese Lady, The Revolutionists, and An Octoroon (co-direction) for Artists Repertory Theatre, Columbinus, Charlotte’s Web and Locomotion for Oregon Children’s Theatre. Lava has enjoyed being behind the camera as director of photography and editor for Alex Getting Better, Oregon Children Theatre, Salt for Shaking the Tree Theatre, the November Project for ManyHats Collaboration, and a multimedia pandemic project called Touch for Portland Center Stage. She is a proud member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society (SDC) and Dramatists Guild. Visit www.lavaalapai.com to see Lava’s work as a photographer.