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T he year 2020 looked like it would be a good one for Hawai‘i’s performing arts industry. Diamond Head Theatre and the Honolulu Theatre for Youth were financially stable and expanding their audiences, Kumu Kahua Theatre was preparing for its 50th season, the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra welcomed a new director, and the Hawai‘i Opera Theatre was working on making its opera more relevant to the Islands.
Then, the coronavirus forced them to lower their curtains midseason. Stay-at-home and social distancing mandates shut down in-person performances, and while the organizations were assisted by Paycheck Protection Program loans and other financial support, revenues shrank. ....