Keakalehua Playreading Hui, Kumu Kahua Theatre Host Online Tribute For Late Theatre Professional Peter Charlot

Honoring the long and diverse theatrical career of Peter Charlot, Keakalehua Playreading Hui and Kumu Kahua Theatre will host an online tribute on Thursday, September 22. A celebration of Charlot's impact as a playwright, actor, and theatrical thought leader will set the stage for the moving remembrance. Artists from the community will share readings, live performances, and clips from his works throughout the years. Tributes and testimonies will also be presented during the event, hosted for the public on Facebook Live at 5:00 p.m. via Kumu Kahua Theatre's Facebook page.

Charlot's legacy in the local arts community is profoundly felt. He was a founder in Hawaii for the Alliance for Art's Education, Commissioner on Culture & the Arts in Honolulu, Chair of Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network, Chair of Volcano School of Arts and Sciences, and Education Director for the Honolulu Theatre for Youth. Peter also directed productions of the Hilo Community Players' Shakespeare in the Park, co-founded by Jackie Pualani Johnson.

Johnson, a collaborator on the tribute event, said "The Big Island was pleased when Peter chose Hilo and Volcano to ply his talents, from playwriting to producing, directing, and acting. He was at home whether portraying Lear under Kalākauaʻs banyan or taking on George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?, but his written works are truly his legacy. He loved Hawaiʻi and was able to bring an insider's understanding of themes and challenges faced by all who call Hawaiʻi nei their home."

The son of famed artist Jean Charlot, Peter moved with his family from Mexico to Honolulu when he was two years old. He would later live in Volcano, Hawaii with his wife, field geologist Darcy Bevens, and their daughter, Nicolyn. Peter gained a reputation as a talented writer of Hawaiian historical dramas, and was a playwright for Kumu Kahua Theatre, and for the Kalihi-Palama Culture & Arts Foundation.

"Peter's contributions to theatre and community cannot be overstated, with his gifts as an artist and educator as diverse as they are extraordinary," said Kumu Kahua Theatre Managing Director, Donna Blanchard. "While impossible to encapsulate all that he gave us as a creative force and dear friend, through this online tribute we can share a glimpse into his legacy-and connect with the countless people he touched across Hawaii in celebration of a life well lived and loved."

Ever an intellectual, Charlot's interests and writings further explored Neurophilosophy, and he published a book on the topic as it relates to telling stories in the theatre. He continued performing and took on the role of a Living History Interpreter for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, regularly portraying famed geologist Thomas A. Jaggar. For more information about the online tribute to be held in his honor, please visit KumuKahua.org.

Kumu Kahua productions are supported in part by the NME Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Island Insurance Foundation, The American Rescue Plan of 2021, The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaiʻi, The AAPI Community Fund, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaiian Electric Company, Alexander & Baldwin, The John R Halligan Charitable Fund, Spectrum/Charter Communications, ABC Stores, the Gloria Kosasa Gainsley Fund, Hawaiʻi Public Radio, The Kim Coco Fund for Justice of the Iwamoto Family Foundation, Vacations Hawaiʻi, Edric Sakamoto, Ron and Rachel Heller, Lenard and Charlotte Chow, and other foundations, businesses, and loyal patrons.

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