Day 301: Honoka’a People's Theatre, Honoka’a, Hawai’i
📌APIA Every Day (301) - The Honoka’a People’s Theatre, located on the Big Island of Hawai’i, was established in 1930 by Japanese immigrant Hatsuzo Tanimoto. At a time when local entertainment catered mostly to single men, the theatre provided a space for families to enjoy live shows and films together. For decades, it served as the cultural heart of Honoka’a, serving as a significant gathering space for Japanese, Filipino, and Native Hawaiian communities on the island to enjoy cultural entertainment.
In the early 1920s, there was a marked period of increased theater construction across the Hawaiian Islands. It was during this time that Hatsuzo Tanimoto initially bought land for the People’s Theatre in 1929. It opened the following year with 650 seats and dedicated spaces for an auditorium and performance stage. Eventually Tanimoto’s son, Christian Yoshimi Tanimoto, took over booking movies and devised a schedule where the theatre showed Japanese films on Mondays, Filipino films on Tuesdays, and family entertainment on the weekends. At this time, Christian and his wife Peggy Tanimoto lived in an apartment above the theatre. Peggy, active in the Honoka’a community, would organize various live performances at the theatre and around town, including classical Japanese dances and Hula presentations.
In the 1980s and ‘90s, following Christian’s death, the People’s Theatre struggled to stay open and went through multiple management changes. After manager James Carvalho retired, Dr. Tawn Keeney, a local physician, leased the theatre in 1982. With Peggy’s passing and the brief closure of the theatre, Keeney bought the property in 1990 and began renovations to restore the aging building. Three years later, the theatre reopened with an updated screen, sound system, and modernized facilities while also retaining its old 35mm film projectors.
In the 2000s, events like the annual Hāmākua Music Festival helped to revitalize use of the theatre, bringing musicians from all over the region to perform. Around this time, Lanakila Mangauil founded a hula halau (hula school) in the building and The Honoka’a Community Theatre Group began writing plays for original live shows. However, in 2014, the theatre faced the possibility of closure as Hollywood shifted away from producing movies in a 35mm film format. In response, over 500 local families raised $120,000 to buy a new digital projector for the auditorium, saving the theatre.
The Honoka’a People’s Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 in recognition of its cultural importance to the local community. Now a 525-seat venue with an expanded stage, it continues to show films, host musical performances, and organize cultural events. Recently in 2024, the theatre screened a documentary highlighting the region’s plantation history during Honoka’a’s inaugural Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival.
Written by Avneet Dhaliwal
LEARN MORE:
NPS: Honoka’a People’s Theatre NRHP Form
History | Honoka'a People's Theatre
The NY Times: Saving the People’s Theater in Hawaii
Hawaii News Now: Fundraising saves historic Big Island theater
Big Island Now: Inaugural Hāmākua festival celebrates history, legacy of sugar era on Big Island
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