Location of Maui Academy of Performing Arts

The Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) is a nonprofit

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

company that produces community theater and offers classes to children and young adults. Over the years, the mainstay of the Academy has been their drama, dance, and summer programs. MAPA was founded in 1974 as the Maui Youth Theater by Linda Takita (daughter of

Frankie Yankovic Frank John Yankovic (July 28, 1915 – October 14, 1998) was an American accordion player and polka musician. Known as "America's Polka King", Yankovic was considered the premier artist to play in the Slovenian style during his long career. He ...

). In 1998 it purchased a . building in

Wailuku Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census. Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the early 20th centur ...

as its main production location. During this time, the Academy has had over 500 productions. Some notable students and actors are Hawaiian music artists

Kealiʻi Reichel Carleton Lewis Kealiinaniaimokuokalani Reichel (born June 26, 1962) popularly known as Kealii Reichel, is a popular and bestselling singer, songwriter, choreographer, dancer, chanter, scholar, teacher, and personality from Hawaii. He has spent ...

Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom is an American vocalist and songwriter. Hanaialiʻi is a six-time Grammy_Award_for_Best_Hawaiian_Music_Album, Grammy Award Nominee. She is best known for reinvigorating the Hawaiian tradition of female falsetto singing. ...

, Eric Gilliom, screenwriter

Gregory Poirier Gregory Stephen Poirier (born 19 May 1961) is an American film and television writer, director, and producer. Life and career Poirier was born in Kula, Maui, Hawaii, and attended the Maui Academy of Performing Arts. He wrote the screenpl ...

, and actor, screenwriter, director Brian Kohne. Every year, the Academy performs for over 25,000 elementary and pre-school students in roughly 200 schools across the state of Hawaii. Its Voices Drama Education Program teaches literacy skills through drama to over 5000 students in Maui County. The Academy has a yearly summer musical production and a spring dance concert. The dance program has attracted guest choreographers from as far away as New York and Los Angeles.

Donations and grants

As a non-profit organization, the Maui Academy of Performing Arts has received donations and grants from federal, state, and private sources, including the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, the Hawaii Community Foundation, the Samuel N and Mary Castle Foundation, the Alexander & Baldwin Foundation, the McInemy Foundation, the Hawaii Childrens Trust Fund, and the Children's Justice Center

References

External links

* Culture of Maui Theatres in Hawaii Performing arts centers in Hawaii Buildings and structures in Maui County, Hawaii Education in Maui County, Hawaii 1974 establishments in Hawaii Arts organizations established in 1974 {{Hawaii-stub