Making a place where community, creativity and inspiration thrive.
Welcome to Kahilu! Your support as a ticket holder, sponsor, member, subscriber, and patron is vital to our continued success. Thank you.
Kahilu Theatre first raised its curtain in 1981, here in the heart of Waimea on the Big Island of Hawai`i. Our very first show on February 6, Oh, Coward!, starred 67-year-old Richard Smart.
Born into an historic legacy, the sixth generation Parker Ranch heir’s passion for the arts stretched from these pasture lands to the bright lights of Broadway. Richard was raised in Waimea by his `ohana and was a “starry-eyed kid with greasepaint in his blood.” Aren’t we so very fortunate that he created this beautiful hale for the arts?
Kahilu Theatre today is a vibrant hub of world-class art, both local and global. We are funded by ticket sales, earned income, and largely by philanthropy as a non-profit organization. In addition to a full Season of concerts and musical theatre, we offer amazing gallery exhibitions and important arts education classes, camps, and workshops for you, our neighbors and visitors, from keiki to kupuna.
Our aim is to offer art-infused programs that will delight your senses, provoke relevant discussion, and give students many ways to find and share their voice. Please let us know how we are doing.
Your enthusiasm and aloha truly inspires us,
Mimi Kerley
Board President
Grants from the State of Hawaii, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, County of Hawaii, Hawaii Council for the Humanities, The Robert Emens Black Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation, The Richard Smart Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation, The Susan M. Kosara Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation, The Kukio Community Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation, Western States Arts Federation, Ke Kai Ala Foundation, Atherton Family Foundation, Dorrance Family Foundation, Holland Foundation, James C. Shingle Family Foundation of the Hawaii Community Foundation, John M. Ross Foundation- Bank of Hawaii, and the Serendipity Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation make the arts come alive at Kahilu Theatre.
