About us
Talk Story Collective was created out of our deeply rooted connection to Hawai’i and experience being raised there. This inspires us to honor its history by prioritizing Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) and Pacific Islander stories first in order to preserve them, while encompassing the cultures that reflect modern day Hawai’i.
Our collective leadership resides in cities across the continent. We aspire to establish chapters in many cities to expand Talk Story Collective’s network and reach.
Christina Uyeno
Born and raised on O’ahu, Christina is an actress/voice actress and products for the Hawai’i Talk Story. As a former company member for Honolulu Theatre for Youth, some credits include The Ballad of Mulan, Red Balloon, and Home of the Brave. Education credits include Windward Community College, and summers abroad at East15 Loughton and the Original Shakespeare Birthplace Summer Intensive program in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Her love for comedy and film has led her to study with The Imagined Life with Diana Castle and ImprovHI. She is so excited to bring pieces of her home to Vegas with many more opportunities to come.
She just made her debut at Vegas theatre with A Public Fit in Spring 2025 and won Best Actress in the Las Vegas 48 Hour Film Project for her role in On The Set.
Wainani Paikai
Born and raised on the island of O’ahu, Wainani’s experiences have given her opportunities to go across the country to where she is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. With over ten years of event experience, her work ranges from coordinating large-scale fundraiser to small business pop-up events and artist workshops.
She has been able to continue to develop her logistics and organizational skills in order to help other companies and organizations through project management and creative production. This change has also given her opportunities to pursue other creative projects, mostly servicing LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.
A hapa-Filipina actress, director and vocalist from Kailua, Hawai’i, Kelsey’s favorite acting credits include the world premiere of Blended Harmony with Theatre Mu, and the 2022-23 national tour of Cambodian Rock Band, Theaterworks USA’s The Magic School Bus, and several shows with Hawaii Shakespeare Festival and ‘Ohi’a Productions. She also directed KOA Theater’s 2022 production of Pride & Prejudice, and as an associate director, she’s developing Jeannette, a new musical about the right to vote. She was most recently Peter Pan in DOBAMA Theater’s production of Peter/Wendy.
Kelsey is also very proud of her work as an educator and as an artist ambassador with NYCLU.