Hawaii Theatre Newsroom

The February Go Try PlayWrite winner is Bella Poynton for her piece GIRLAXY WARS! -or- Hell For Dude-Bros and Other Misogynist Jerks. Bella Poynton is a playwright, actor, and theatre historian.

E ola ka lāhui!

Kumu Kahua Theatre will present the world premiere of THE MAGIC OF POLLY AMNESIA, written and directed by Tony Pisculli. Learn more about the upcoming show here!

What did our critic think of GREASE at Diamond Head Theatre? Leave 2025 behind, put your gladrags on, and lace up your saddle shoes, because Grease has arrived at Diamond Head Theatre, and tonight everybody's gonna party like it’s 1959!

UHM Department of Theatre & Dance and Kennedy Theatre will present the 2025-2026 Production Season. See the lineup and learn more!

Mānoa Valley Theatre has revealed its highly anticipated 2025-2026 season which includes Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Dial M for Murder, Spring Awakening, Yellow Face, and more.

Kumu Kahua Theatre will host acclaimed magician Matthew Singer with a two-evening engagement, showcasing some of the world's finest magic in its intimate setting. Learn more here!

Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) and the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts have announced the winner of the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Hawai'i Final. Learn more here!

RENT is as relevant as ever, and UHM did it justice.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth and the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts have revealed the winner of the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Hawai’i Final. Learn more!

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's Department of Theatre & Dance and Kennedy Theatre will present I AM MULAN, a world-premiere existential dramedy written and directed by MFA candidate Elizabeth Ung.

Diamond Head Theatre has unveiled its 2025-2026 season lineup today in a showcase attended by subscribers. This season features six shows featuring contemporary sensations, beloved family favorites and timeless classic crowd-pleasers.

Mānoa Valley Theatre will present the poignant and powerful musical, Parade, by Alfred Uhry, running March 20th – April 6th. Learn how to purchase tickets.

Kumu Kahua Theatre, in collaboration with Bamboo Ridge Press announced the March prompt for their monthly play writing contest, Go Try PlayWrite. Learn more here!

This is a multi-lingual production featuring English, Mandarin, and Cantonese languages. Performances in the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre run Wednesday, April 9 through Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday April 13, 2025 at 2 p.m.

Explore Hawai'i's vibrant theatre scene with upcoming shows like 'Escape to Margaritaville' on Hawai'i Island, 'Aloha Kaua' in Maui, and 'Grease' on O'ahu, running through May 2025. Discover show dates, venues, and captivating stories in this spring preview.

A bright new addition has set up “shop” at Kumu Kahua: The Improv Superette, the newest improv group on O’ahu, featuring a large cast of talented Poly improvisers playing classic improv games, served with two scoops of local flavor.

Keeping it local since 1971, Kumu Kahua Theatre has been named a grantee of Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Equitable Access Arts & Culture program. Kumu Kahua has been awarded $57,000 from the program’s two-year* general operating support funding, with a focus on nonprofit organizations that are actively assessing and addressing access to Arts & Culture through programs and strategies.

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's Department of Theatre & Dance and Kennedy Theatre will present Late Night Theatre Company's new playwriting showcase, Come Play with Us! New Plays Festival.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth and the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts will present the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Hawai’i State Final. The event will take place at Tenney Theatre at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in downtown Honolulu. Learn more.

Kumu Kahua Theatre, in collaboration with Bamboo Ridge Press have announced the February prompt for their monthly play writing contest, Go Try PlayWrite. Learn more here!

There is magic afoot at Diamond Head Theatre with the Tony-winning American classic Master Class, penned by the late great Terrence McNally. With beautiful set design (and cameos!) by Randy Tandal, deft direction by Bryce Chaddick, and an incomparable performance by leading lady Amy K. Sullivan, this one is not to be missed.

From Kāne'ohe to The Lion King on Broadway, Ezekiel talks about hard work, dedication, inspiration, and what it takes to make it to the Great White Way.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced the Grant Recipients for 2025. Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) will receive $50,000 for the development and creation of the original play, Joseph Kekuku and the Voice of the Steel Guitar.

The December Go Try PlayWrite winner is Sean Gref for his piece The Burger and the Duck. Sean Gref (he/him) is an early-career playwright from San Diego, CA. Learn more here!