Here’s what happened on COMPUTER KILLER, an episode on Hawaii Five-O, my first TV show.
I was appearing in Taming Of The Shrew in Kennedy Theatre at the U. of Hawaii, curtain was 7:30. I got the Five-O job, a bailiff, with a 6:30 call. Plenty of time. The episode was centered around a trial and a key witness so there were a lot of courtroom scenes, with setups for a lot of different people, the judge, the attorneys, McGarrett, Dano, the perp, etc., and that took an enormous amount of time. Toward evening there was still a lot to do and I was getting worried about my show at Kennedy, so I asked Glenn Cannon, who was playing the prosecutor, John Manicote, and who had also directed Taming Of The Shrew, and who was on set, what to do…and he shrugged!…and then he said to call the theatre to alert them, and to speak to, I think, the PM. I did, and there was nothing to be done, but he told me they would provide a car and driver to take me to the theatre as soon as I was done. They did, I was late, but the show went on, though I performed on fumes. A thirteen hour shooting day will do that to you. Television trumps theatre.
http://www.ronnakahara.com
Ron is a New York City based actor/director originally from Hawaii.
He studied at the University of Hawaii with Glenn Cannon from NY, Terry Knapp from The Royal Shakespeare Co. and with noted voice teacher Kristen Linklater. While there he also studied Kyogen theater with Japan National Treasure Nomura Mansaku and performed in Kabuki.
Selected acting:
NY–Man In Snow (LaMama,) Ping Pong (The Public Theatre,) Ching Chong Chinaman, Rashomon (Pan Asian Repertory Theatre,) Earth and Sky (Second Stage,) The Three Sisters (Pan Asian,) Romeo And Juliet (NYSF/Public Theatre,) As You Like It (NYSF/Public Theatre,) Danton’s Death (LaMama E.T.C.,) The School for Wives (NATCO,) Midsummer Night’s Dream (Pan Asian) REGIONAL– Wild Swans (debut), (Young Vic, London, and A.R.T., Boston,) Snow Falling on Cedars, The Merchant of Venice (Hartford Stage Co.,) Comedy of Errors (The Shakespeare Theatre, D.C.,) The Screens (The Guthrie Theatre,) Othello (Alliance Theatre, Atlanta,) The Empress of China (Cincinnati Playhouse,) Cyrano (ACT, San Francisco,) Taming of the Shrew (ACT,) Diary of a Scoundrel (Hawaii Public Theatre) FILM–Isn't It Romantic, The Wolf of Wall Street, Sleepwalk With Me, I Think I Love My Wife, College Road Trip. TV- can be seen currently recurring as Hirochi in Netflix's Daredevil Season 2; Madam Secretary, Elementary, NYC 22, The Good Wife, Fringe, 3 LBS., Whoopi, Cosby Mysteries, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, One Life to Live, As the World Turns, All My Children, Pearl, The Miniseries, Hawaii 5-O (the original).
As a director, Ron has worked at theatres and Universities around the country. He was one of the first 6 recipients of the NEA-TCG Director Fellowship Award in 1987.
