University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Performing Arts Center to close for first major renovation since opening

Since it opened in 1974, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s 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.

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

The transformation into a more modern space will focus on cosmetic and functional upgrades to the exterior, lobby, restrooms, inner auditorium and box office — “things that enhance a patron’s experience,” said Lee Barnette-Dombroski, manager of the Performing Arts Center.

There will be new aisle lights, house lights and carpeting.

“These areas will be completely modernized, which we know will be noticed right away,” Barnette-Dombroski said. “Right now, it’s like you are stepping into a time capsule to the 1970s.”

The renovations will take about eight months.

“This has been a long time coming,” Barnette-Dombroski said. “It 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.”

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.

With the upcoming closure of the center, the theater team is concentrating its energy into a condensed fall 2026 “mini-season.” Patrons can look forward to a vibrant lineup before the construction crews roll in.

The fall season will include the 10th anniversary of the Dance Collective, which brings together the island’s most talented and passionate choreographers and dancers from the Center Stage Dance Alliance, Island Dance Academy, N2 Dance and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s dance department.

“The Dance Collective is a fan-favorite event that audiences really love, so I’m glad that we can have a great 10th anniversary in the fall,” Barnette-Dombroski said. “We’ll have some smaller shows and events for the season, and we’ll announce those sometime this month.”

This season also will include an in-house holiday musical production of “Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical.”

“Our 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,” Barnette-Dombroski said. “I know that the Performing Arts Center is used for more than just the University of Hawaiʻi, especially in the spring, and we plan to help them find a temporary venue while we close.”

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 Hawaiʻi at Hilo Performing Arts Center website.

And when the construction is completed around August of 2027, Barnette-Dombroski said the center will be “more welcoming and comfortable for everyone that comes through.”