{"id":744521,"date":"2026-07-05T12:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/744521\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T12:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:00:18","slug":"university-of-hawai%ca%bbi-at-hilo-performing-arts-center-to-close-for-first-major-renovation-since-opening-big-island-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/744521\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Hawai\u02bbi at Hilo Performing Arts Center to close for first major renovation since opening : Big Island Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since it opened in 1974, the University of Hawai\u02bbi at Hilo\u2019s Performing Arts Center has hosted a wide variety of events, including musicals and plays led by student casts and crews, traveling performances, local Hawaiian language productions and 51 annual International Nights featuring student performances.<\/p>\n

But after 52 years, the 41,000-square-foot facility needs a facelift. In January, it will close for its first major renovation \u2014 a $6 million update to the public spaces.<\/p>\n

The transformation into a more modern space will focus on cosmetic and functional upgrades to the exterior, lobby, restrooms, inner auditorium and box office \u2014 \u201cthings that enhance a patron\u2019s experience,\u201d said Lee Barnette-Dombroski, manager of the Performing Arts Center.<\/p>\n

There will be new aisle lights, house lights and carpeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese areas will be completely modernized, which we know will be noticed right away,\u201d Barnette-Dombroski said. \u201cRight now, it\u2019s like you are stepping into a time capsule to the 1970s.\u201d<\/p>\n

The renovations will take about eight months. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a long time coming,\u201d Barnette-Dombroski said. \u201cIt is a long closure, but we hope that it will be completed by that time, so that we are ready to welcome students back to campus by the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>University of Hawai\u02bbi at Hilo Performing Arts Center<\/p>\n

Since the majority of the work will be done in the front of the building, the construction will not affect the offices in the back. But the stage will not be usable because of ongoing construction in the auditorium.<\/p>\n

With the upcoming closure of the center, the theater team is concentrating its energy into a condensed fall 2026 \u201cmini-season.\u201d Patrons can look forward to a vibrant lineup before the construction crews roll in.<\/p>\n

The fall season will include the 10th anniversary of the Dance Collective, which brings together the island\u2019s most talented and passionate choreographers and dancers from the Center Stage Dance Alliance, Island Dance Academy, N2 Dance and the University of Hawai\u02bbi at Hilo\u2019s dance department.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dance Collective is a fan-favorite event that audiences really love, so I\u2019m glad that we can have a great 10th anniversary in the fall,\u201d Barnette-Dombroski said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have some smaller shows and events for the season, and we\u2019ll announce those sometime this month.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Dancers with the Ngelekel Belau Club dance to represent part of Palau culture at the 48th annual UH-Hilo International Nights on Feb. 24, 2023. (File photo: Kelsey Walling)<\/p>\n

This season also will include an in-house holiday musical production of \u201cDr. Seuss\u2019s How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur spring season does tend to be the busiest each year, but that is why we are going to try to pack the fall with a lot, so audiences feel satisfied going into such a long break,\u201d Barnette-Dombroski said. \u201cI know that the Performing Arts Center is used for more than just the University of Hawai\u02bbi, especially in the spring, and we plan to help them find a temporary venue while we close.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the time comes, the Performing Arts Center will offer virtual programming and will do some filming on stage when possible. Until then, stay informed of upcoming shows and events on the University of Hawai\u02bbi at Hilo Performing Arts Center website.<\/a><\/p>\n

And when the construction is completed around August of 2027, Barnette-Dombroski said the center will be \u201cmore welcoming and comfortable for everyone that comes through.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since it opened in 1974, the University of Hawai\u02bbi at Hilo\u2019s Performing Arts Center has hosted a wide…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":744522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[319759,192,149557,27829,79,319760,30794],"class_list":["post-744521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-dance-collective","tag-environment","tag-performing-arts-center","tag-renovation","tag-science","tag-theater-events","tag-university-of-hawaii-at-hilo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=744521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/744522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=744521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=744521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=744521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}