GARY T. KUBOTA / GKUBOTA@STARBULLETIN.COM Maui OnStage is starting a $1.5-million fund-raising campaign to renovate the historic Iao Theatre in Wailuku. OnStage executive director Darla Palmer, pictured last week, said the county and federal governments are also contributing $400,000 toward improvements at the site.

Iao Theatre getting
helping hands

Government money and private
efforts will support a spruce-up

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By Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.com

WAILUKU >> The age of the historic Iao Theatre is showing again, despite a facelift seven years ago.

The building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has gutters along the roof with dry rot, its front walls are missing tiles, and the paint is fading on its sign along Market Street in Wailuku.

Maui OnStage executive director Darla Palmer, whose group coordinates the use of the theater, said the federal and county governments are contributing $400,000 toward renovation.

Maui OnStage, which has a lease on the property from the county until 2004, also plans to raise $1.5 million for its building and maintenance fund.

Palmer said government money will be used for replacing dry rot in gutters, portions of the roof with termite damage, and also developing a road in the rear of the building.

"The facility is adequate right now, but it really needs to be improved for groups to feel at home here," Palmer said.

She said the $1.5 million building fund will be spent to make the theater more suitable for small and mid-size productions.

"We can seat 450, but we don't have all the chairs. We have 320 seats, including the folding chairs," Palmer said.

Back stage, the dressing room needs a coat of paint or drywall to cover the plywood walls, an additional room could be used to build theatrical sets, and makeshift repairs have blocked air-conditioning ducts.

Palmer said theatrical sets are now built on stage, limiting practice sessions for performers.

The theater was built in 1928, when Wailuku was the hub of shopping and commercial activity on Maui.

The building has a kind of Spanish-Southern California influence in its design, with multiple arches and red tile roof, and has a lot of sentimental value.

The late Maui Mayor Hannibal Tavares recalled watching movies on the balcony with his wife -- a memory that helped him to later see the value in its restoration.

But by the early 1980s, the center of retail activity in the central valley had shifted to shopping centers in Kahului.

The theater was on the brink of being demolished in the early 1980s when the county purchased the building and land under Tavares' leadership.

Since it went through structural repairs, including a new roof and restored ceiling in 1995, the theater has served as the site for scores of theatrical productions, movies, fund-raisers, and community activities, such as Christmas celebrations for neighborhood children.

It has also served as a venue for theatrical productions for island playwrights such as Wayne Moniz and former TV newscaster Lee Cataluna.

Palmer said the schedule this year includes the annual "Rocky Horror Picture Show" on Oct. 31-Nov. 3, a hoolaulea, a fashion show, and a benefit for local gymnastic and dance groups led by Maui performing artist Judy Roldofino.

Disney officials used the theater last week to conduct audition workshops for those interested in becoming performers aboard its cruise line, theme parks, and resorts.

Palmer said the Maui Symphony is also interested in using the theater for conducting band practices.

Businesses in Wailuku say the theater serves as a way of attracting residents and visitors into the town.

Jocelyn Perreira, executive director of Wailuku Main Street Association, said she looks forward to the theater expanding its community use so that they are able to attract more visitors and residents.

"It's one of the cornerstones for the revitalization of Wailuku," Perreira said.