KAILUA — As a high school student, Charise Kekawa expected her boyfriend to hit her — she thought that was part of a normal relationship.

Boyfriends told you what to wear and who to hang out with when you're not spending time with them, said Kekawa, now 26.

"I thought hitting was OK," she said. "I wanted to get hit. It was, if you hit me, that means you love me."

Kekawa doesn't believe that anymore but it took increased abuse, a turn to criminal activities and prison to change her mind.

She and about 50 fellow female inmates want to warn other young girls and boys about the dangers of domestic violence through a play, "Love is Blind," that they've created and produced at the Women's Community Correctional Center in Kailua. They've scheduled a private showing to invited members of the community tomorrow.

Domestic violence is highly linked to substance abuse and the women participating in the play are members of the substance abuse program Ke Alaula, operated by Hina Mauka at the prison, said Cheryl Carvalho, site clinical supervisor for the program.

The play is set in the home of characters named Frank and Maile. Frank, the abuser, ends it all by shooting Maile to death along with their young son before turning the gun on himself. The couple leaves behind a teenage daughter, played by Kekawa, who in the play has entered into a abusive relationship, continuing the cycle of violence.

The women drew on their experiences and contributed to the play, said Carvalho, who initiated the project. In the process of writing the play and rehearsals, the women have had to deal with their bad experiences, work through them and in the end come to understand how the pattern of violence is perpetuated, she said.

"In the beginning, we used to see a lot of crying going on," Carvalho said. "It is quite emotional."

Roxanne Kealoha, 27, the play's narrator, said she was not enthusiastic about a play that would make her relive the horror of an abusive, drug-addicted mother. But the message the women want to send was too important to shy away from the pain, Kealoha said.

"I've been in a domestic violence relationship. ... That abuse started in intermediate (school) so it's important to get the message out there," Kealoha said. "I'm a mother of three little girls. I never want my kids to experience what I experienced."

Karen Kaahu, 42, who plays an abuser, said the violence in the play was all too familiar. An abuse victim, she eventually turned into an abuser and said participating in the play helped her heal.

"In doing this program, it has taught me that it is not OK to hit and it's not OK to observe other hitting others, and to do something about it," she said. "It can make a difference in somebody's life."

That is what the women are hoping for the play that it makes a difference in someone's life, Carvalho said. The play will be recorded on DVD and distributed to high schools and social service agencies, she said.

The play received a $5,000 grant from the Women's Fund of Hawaii. Organizers used the money to buy sewing machines, which the women used to make their costumes, Carvalho said. The play includes original hula, sign language and Samoan dance numbers.

"They're really very resourceful women once you put them together collectively," Carvalho said.