8th Annual
Kona Chocolate Festival & Symposium

The Na`alehu Theater organization, is a community based non-profit organization, founded in 1993, with a keen interest in economic development, youth programs and Hawai`i’s cultural, theatrical and historical past. We embrace a strong commitment to these resources and pursue opportunities to demonstrate this responsibility through the delivery of comprehensive, collaborative, community-based programs. Through its programs, the Na`alehu Theatre supports economic development, bring master artists and musicians to teach in the community, and provides a high-tech theatre arts program for at risk youth that includes photography, video and editing and graphic design. The Na`alehu Theatre has also strengthened the collaborative bonds between several community organizations that have embarked on the difficult task of drug prevention from a community level.

The Na`alehu Theatre has successfully received and administered more than $800,000 in support funding. The Na`alehu Theater has had a business incubator in place for more than eight years that provides administrative development services to organizations, including Na`alehu Main Street, Ka`u Gallery Cooperative, Halau Hula O Kou Lima Nani E, and Kulana Huli Honua.  In addition to these we have successfully completed several other community based collaborative projects with UH Cooperative Extension, Family Support Services, and Alu Like.  We served as lead agency for the Ka`u USDA EZ/EC application, Fiscal Agent for the Federal EDA/County of Hawaii R&D planning grant that funded researching and writing the Na`alehu Strategic Development Plan.  The Theater proposed and funded an $89,780 HUD grant and more than $90,000 in private and community contributions to establish a self-sustaining, community-led water organization. These funds also helped to continue our on-going youth apprenticeship programs that have helped to expand appropriate economic opportunities for this, remote, very low-income community whose poverty rate is currently 51% (U.S. Census 2000 Database).

The Na`alehu Theater was an active participant in the Ka`u Mural Project, proposed and begun by current Executive Director, Chelle Shand.  Under her management, 20 youth and 8 adults received 60-90 hrs. of professional training in mural painting skills and worked along side professional artists to implement 5 large murals in Ka`u.  These murals are now a part of Ka`u’s community identity, helped to eliminate graffiti, and have been used as a model for numerous other Island wide mural projects. We have supported and collaborated in projects that have provided Ka`u’s youth with computers and training in the skills of computer graphics, Photo Shop and other Adobe software.  With these skills, youth produced an informational brochure for Ka`u, published a Hawaiian Story book, and developed two independent small businesses that provide graphics services in the community. One program participant works as an ad account agent, copy-writer and layout and designed for the The Ka’u Calendar newspaper.

For 8 years the Theatre has sponsored video training programs for community youth, providing access to video and editing equipment and training. Several students are actively pursuing production projects. Long time participant, Dylan Rush prepared his application project for UCL film school and was accepted based on this work.  The Theater took a lead in the Na`alehu Heritage Corridor workshop where youth were paid to help organize, promote, manage, and publish the planning conference.  We have participated with Alu Like providing summer jobs for community youth including managing a concession, theater operations, and the museum as well as clerical activities.  In 2001, the Theater collaborated with UHM Extension SSG project to provide an instructor, Jerry Tracy, and provided the facility to hold a summer long, live theater workshop for youth. This “youth in theatre” program has been continued annually and expanded to include the activities of this proposal. 

The Na`alehu Theatre has supported George Na`ope in his successful achievement of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship nomination and recent award, Creation of the George Na`ope Kane Hula Festivals in Modesto, CA and Hilo, The George Na`ope Travel to Learn music and hula workshops and tour product (Including this proposal), and has taken the lead in the development of his cultural center, Hale Kia`i O Na Mea Hawai`i, where hula and its related arts can be learned, shared and preserved including Holani a living museum and hula archive honoring the many kumu from Hawai`i Island.

In addition to the “youth in video” project, Hip Hop dance classes, hula classes and workshops, Slack-key workshops and ukulele lessons have been provided. These classes have expanded to include classes and concerts in the Na`alehau Elementary School and the Pahala Schools. More than 300 youth have been exposed to and had the opportunity to learn from Hawai`i’s Hoku Hano Hano and Grammy award winning musicians including Cyril Pahinui, Ledward Kaapana, George Kahumoku, Jr., Keoki Kahumoku, Danial Ho, Herb Ohta, Jr., Sonny Lim, Kunia Galdera, and Dennis and David Kamakahi.

As drug use, and particularly the use of meth, has become a basic concern for residents of Ka`u as it has for many of Hawai'i’s communities, often limiting the ability of children, youth and families to strengthening their capacity to participate in a rapidly changing society.  Naalehu Theatre most recently, funded by a 5 year Hawaii Island Meth Initiative grant, that supports the Ka`u “youth in theatre” program while successfully delivering programs that ensure Ka`u’s youth have quality activities that were drug, tobacco and alcohol free. The receipt of the HIMI supporting grant and matching funds continues to support meth prevention programs, community resiliency and capacity building, and strongly advances our goals of continuing our high-tech apprenticeship program and utilizing our organizational skills to take an active role in drug use prevention through asset building from the grassroots base.