FIVE QUESTIONS
Hawai'i Theatre facade gets final face-lift
By Chris Oliver
Advertiser Staff Writer
Sarah Richards joined the Hawai'i Theatre Center as president in 1990. The 1,400-seat theater, a focus for arts, music and cultural performances in downtown Honolulu, is getting a final makeover. We asked her about what's coming.
Q. Hawai'i Theatre Center opened in 1996. How would you describe the theater's impact on the downtown arts scene?
Sarah Richards
A. Profound — because of the number and variety of performances put on here. We have around 75 performing-arts groups who select Hawai'i Theatre as their venue of choice for performances which allow them to be artistically and financially successful.
Q. When will the current face-lift renovation be completed?
A. We're well along in the renovation and restoration of the exterior facade along three sides of the theater and hope to have everything completed by October. This includes installing a replica of the 1936 movie marquee along the entire front of the theater on Bethel Street. The marquee gives us the opportunity for major signage to advertise upcoming shows. Finally there will be a 30-foot-high vertical neon sign on the corner of Bethel and Pauahi which says "Hawai'i" — overall, the same look as the theater had in 1936.
The restoration is being carried out by A.C. Kobayashi with Ferraro Choi & Associates as project architect. The renovation is costing around $4 million and is being paid for from public and private sources. Part of the project includes widening the Bethel Street sidewalk by about four feet to make entry into the theater easier.
Guided tours of the Hawai'i Theatre Center
Q. What do you find are the most successful/popular productions for the Hawai'i Theatre?
A. The theater functions as a venue rather than as a production company, so groups and promoters approach us. We encourage a wide variety of productions from circus, ballet, classical music to cultural performances by Hawaiian artists. We also produce our own Christmas show with the Honolulu Symphony and Jim Nabors.
What's popular here does not necessarily rely on the spoken word. A lively and colorful production with plenty of action and great costumes and sets will go down well. For example, "Stomp" comes to mind as the kind of show that does really well here, as does Iona (Contemporary) Dance Theatre; highlights of "Slava's Snowshow" was another big success. Our Hawaiian Music Series also is very popular.
Advertiser library photo
Q. What is the toughest part about being president — and the best?
Restoration of the Hawai'i Theatre facade includes installation of a replica of the original 1936 movie marquee on the Bethel Street side of the building. The theater in the 1940s is shown here.
A. The toughest part is the relentless quest for adequate revenue, to ensure that we operate in the black, that our revenues exceed our expenses. Year in, year out, I have to make sure that happens. Fifty percent of our revenues come from community support.
This is a wonderful job, and the best part is being in the middle of such a talented arts community working with creative people. ... Every day is different; I interact with so many different groups, City Council, Legislature, the public, performing-arts groups, donors and, of course, my wonderful staff and volunteers.
Q. When you travel, what kind of theater productions do you most enjoy seeing?
A. I'm an opera fan. Last year I saw a performance of Mozart's "Don Giovanni" at the Sydney Opera House performed by the Australian Opera Company, the equivalent of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. To visit the opera house and see this production ... it was magical.
