Autumn Ogawa, who donned a red wig and played Annie at age 10, will be back on stage as an adult portraying Mei-Li in David Henry Hwang's remounting of "Flower Drum Song," the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical opening tonight at Diamond Head Theatre.

"I love David Henry Hwang's work and became aware of him while attending the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York," said Ogawa, currently a performing arts teacher at Mid-Pacific Institute.

"I saw Lea Salonga do the part when it was on Broadway," said Ogawa, who is a seasoned auditioner of New York shows and practically a lifelong fan of musical theater. Her ship has yet to come in, so she's been sailing, anchoring for a while at Disney World, serving as a dance assistant on Broadway, taking jobs aboard Royal Caribbean cruises while she waits for her number to be called.

Teaching, it turns out, is a detour that provides a regular paycheck, because she's still aiming to land a role on the Great White Way. Someday.

"I came home for a vacation and the way things worked out, I landed a teaching job," she said. "So this is a time to relax, to reboot; a working vacation of sorts," she said.

She had run into Kristin Ing, a dancer, at the Punahou Carnival last year, and heard her chum Andrew Sakaguchi was mounting a "Sweet Charity" production at Diamond Head Theatre. That led to a stint as choreographer for Punahou's junior summer school program, which led to a teaching contract at Mid-Pac — a prime example of how the theatrical community works here.

"I never had the opportunity to be a teacher, to have that ability to pass on (to students) what I've learned about training, so the classroom was a good thing to consider doing," Ogawa said. "Besides, when you're from Hawai'i, you always hope to come back home to work."

Still, the thirst for a juicy role never subsides, she said, and she'd rather have an Island homecoming after a Broadway triumph.

"I don't think it ever stops; you might stray off the performing path, but you never get it out of your system to find that role," she said. "You wait for the next show. I'm always on the Internet, checking on what's playing, what's coming, so that's a constant."

To do Mei-Li in the refashioned "Flower Drum" was a cred to die for, she said.

"She is a fully developed character now, and a much stronger character," Ogawa said. "She's strong; I think I love her strength very much."

In the original script, Mei-Li arrives in San Francisco with her father. In the Hwang version, she arrives alone, because her father is in a prison and dies, with his last words being "Go to America." "So the newer version speaks volumes about how different and powerful she is," Ogawa said.

Ogawa also is a graduate of Idyllwild Arts Academy in California and has performed with a cluster of notables, including Ann Reinking, Gregory Hines, Debra McWaters, Jeff Calhoun, Ramon Galindo and Lindsay Chambers.

Her name, Autumn, is derived from her birth date.

"I was born in October, my mother's name is Amy, which begins with an A, and she wanted a name that started with an A, too," she explained. Her father is Dennis Ogawa, an American Studies professor at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

Autumn Ogawa's teaching has been beneficial in that she can share what she's learned, perhaps enlightening her students about the challenges of getting your foot in the Broadway door.

"The cattle calls were fun, a fantastic time," Ogawa said. "Race has never been an issue for me, a benefit of growing up in Hawai'i. We're so diverse here; I've always known it would be a challenge, with the odds against me, but I love the challenge. I've never felt discouraged or depressed; I've never been a whiner. In New York auditions, I did my best, and those calls allowed me to strive to be better."

Her time spent at home also meant she was able to dance the role of Clara in last year's "Nutcracker" production for Hawaii Ballet Theatre at Leeward Community College Theatre.

Even if auditioners examine her resume and see that she can sing, dance and act, they are not particularly savvy. "They have no idea what to do with me, an Asian girl. One saw me and told me, 'You don't look Asian.' " Like Mei-Li, she's eager to grasp the power and make a difference.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.