FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  May 10, 2006   Release M-50-06

MAYOR PRESENTS $90,000 GRANT TO HAWAII THEATRE

            Mayor Mufi Hannemann presented a $90,000 check to Hawaii Theatre Center at the Theatre’s Annual Black Tie event Friday, May 5, 2006, at the Kahala Hotel and Resort.

            The funds issued through the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts will help cover costs of producing the theatre’s annual Hou Hou series of performances by local artists.

            “Hawaii Theatre serves as a conduit not only for artists and musicians but as a gathering place to build communities,” said Hannemann. “Hawaii Theatre is an historic landmark in its own right. In addition, since it reopened 10 years ago as a state-of-the art performing center, it has been a focal point of the resurgence of Chinatown and of the culture and arts community we are developing there.” 

            This year’s grant is identical to one given last year to the theatre to help encourage the performing arts in Honolulu.

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Contact:

Michael Pili Pang, Director, Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, 523-4674

Bill Brennan, 527-6928