Doctors-on-Stage (DOS) returns this month for its 11th production that producer and founder Dr. Charlie Sonido said marks a generational change. New performers will share the stage with veteran cast members, bringing fresh talent and energy to a project that has long united medicine, music, dance and community service.
What hasn’t changed is the evocative, thoughtful, universal themes typical of DOS productions. For example, in last years “Love: Found & Lost” where that production explored separation, grief, and healing; this year’s theme “Against All Odds” turns toward courage and resilience to keep forging ahead in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
Dr. Sonido – who is the brainchild of all DOS themes — said “Against All Odds” is a sequel to last year’s production. The shift from healing after loss (last year’s theme) to persevering through hardship (this year’s theme) is perhaps a meaningful continuity, meaningful process.
The broad theme speaks volumes to many lives and the human condition that audiences can find relatable. There are endless examples requiring hope and resilience. It can describe a college student balancing a full or nearly full course load with a demanding job. It can describe parents stretching limited time and income — one taking on extra work while the other holds a job and cares for their children. It can describe a patient battling a chronic and potentially terminal illness. It can describe an adult with children of her own but must also take on the role of caregiver to her aging parents who cannot function independently. And she must do both because child and senior care are unaffordable.
By shaping “Against All Odds” circumstances into a theatrical concert, suddenly entertainment transforms private struggle into a shared hope and sense of community. Music and dance cannot wipe-away hardship, but they can give people a language of hope.
What’s encouraging and meritorious is that DOS has been providing inspiration through song and dance for decades now. DOS productions have been, in a way, another form of healing, and an extension of the healing these doctors and medical professionals do in their careers weekly, often daily.
Medical professionals witness healing, resilience and struggle throughout their entire careers. The stage allows these professionals to serve in a different register, beyond examination rooms for songs and storytelling.
And foundational to the DOS project’s artistic expressions and emotional upliftment is a charitable cause – it’s a fundraising concert for the Bayanihan Clinic Without Walls (BCWW), a non-profit that provides free medical and dental care to uninsured immigrants and the poor. Dr. Sonido, a co-founder of BCWW, says they keep doing DOS productions because it is the only fundraising arm for the BCWW.
As more people lose health coverage and government healthcare subsidies dwindle, privately funded initiatives supporting nonprofits become increasingly vital. Charitable care cannot solve every weakness in the healthcare system, but when people are unable to obtain basic care, organizations such as BCWW provide an essential bridge.
Dr. Sonido mentioned a general shift and a smaller cast for this year’s production. Any community project that reaches an 11th production has already demonstrated staying power. Yet longevity alone does not secure a future.
We are hoping a new generation with larger numbers of volunteers and performing artists will keep DOS thriving well into future years. To assist in making this possible is strong community support that our readers can help with by attending “Against All Odds.”
By pairing new voices and talent with familiar ones, DOS is doing more than refreshing its cast; it is renewing its mission. New volunteers can be inspired by veteran DOS performers who say they keep volunteering because the project is a creative outlet. Many of them have extensive music and performance arts backgrounds. They enjoy sharing their talents with the community. The charitable cause to benefit BCWW also gives them motivation to attend long rehearsals amid their very busy schedules.
A big mahalo to the Doctors-on-Stage cast of Against All Odds” and the sponsors. We wish these talented performers much success. Break a leg. Kudos also to BCWW and their volunteers for their charitable works.
“Against All Odds” will be on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at 6 p.m. at The Salvation Army Kroc Center Hawaii. For ticket information, text or call (808) 518-8929 or (808) 387-8297.
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