Frolicking in a field reenacting The Sound of Music is Rachael Uyeno’s earliest memory of acting, as for Jorin Young, her memory is of her as a munchkin in a play, before both of them are reborn into the musical The Spitfire Grill.

Uyeno and Jorin Young take part in an ensemble cast for the musical The Spitfire Grill, a play that focuses on the themes of hope and rebirth. Young plays the lead character, Percy, who was formerly in prison and travels to the fictional town of Gilead, Wisconsin to start over in life. Uyeno plays Shelby, a character who has known everyone in Gilead all her life, but can not seem to look at them in the eye.

It is a challenge for Uyeno and Young to understand and connect to their characters, as there is not much of a relation between them and the characters they play.

“[I need to] allow myself to be vulnerable, and to be empathetic of my character,” Uyeno said, as she described the challenges of portraying her character.

A big theme in The Spitfire Grill is the idea of rebirth and creating life anew. The show is accompanied with musical performances, and the harmonic voices of the characters make the emotion evident. The play is centered around the characters as Uyeno and Young transform themselves into their roles, they attach the feelings and experiences of the characters to themselves to create an emotion-driven show.

“I find it very fulling to take a break from my life and my problems for a couple of hours and go into another person’s life,” Uyeno said

The play will be performed at University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Kennedy Theater on September 15, 16, 22, and 23.

“In the end, it helps you grow as an actor, and once you accomplish it, that’s the best part of everything,” Young said.