Theatres of Hawai'i: Places of Performance

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Theatres of Hawai'i: Places of Performance in the Islands from 1847 to 1970

Hawai‘i enjoys a rich theatrical history dating back to the mid-19th century, spanning its years as a kingdom, republic, U.S. territory, and state. The first dedicated theatre in Hawai‘i, the Thespian, opened in September 1847 in an adobe building at King and Maunakea in Honolulu. Fifty years later, in 1897, the Opera House across from ‘Iolani Palace presented the first moving pictures publicly shown in Hawai‘i.

In all, there have been more than 400 theatres throughout the Islands. The tropical climate and social and ethnic diversity contributed to a variety of forms and designs unique to Hawai‘i—tin-roofed plantation theatres, neighborhood movie houses in exotic styles, and the beautiful, tropical Waikiki Theatre.

Nearly all of them are gone now, except for a precious few saved by dedicated individuals and restored to another life. "Theatres of Hawai‘i" celebrates their rich history through archival photographs and little-known details of eighty theatres on five islands.

Speaker bio:
Lowell Angell, born and raised in Honolulu, became fascinated with Hawai‘i’s theatres as a teenager and has been actively involved with them for more than 45 years as an avid historian and preservationist. He is a cofounder and past president of the Hawai‘i Theatre Center, the group that saved and restored Honolulu's 1922 Hawai‘i Theatre; a former board member of Hilo’s Friends of the Palace Theater; and a director of Honolulu’s Friends of the Queen Theater. Angell is also the immediate past president and current secretary of the Theatre Historical Society of America, a national nonprofit archive and educational organization. He graduated from Punahou School and the University of Hawai‘i , where he received a BA in Communications and Journalism and an MA in American Studies.

Ticket Information
Free and open to the public

Event Sponsor
Center for Biographical Research, Mānoa Campus

More Information
956-3774, biograph@hawaii.edu, http://www.facebook.com/CBRHawaii

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