1980

Met at Pat's at Punaluu's with George Hermen (DOE information specialist and author of over 100 plays), Jane Campbell (HTY), Ron Bright (Castle), Sandra Erlandson (Leilehua), Sue Loudon (Baldwin), Jim Nakamoto (McKinley) to birth ADE.  Ron Bright serves as our first president. 

The Gofer newsletter is born and goes to every drama teacher in HI.

First Actor Factor Workshop held at Punahou - 300 students attended.

Invited by Sarah Uejio to teach a Midsummer Night's Dream at Farrington HS for one GT class.  Dept. Chair Sherilyn Tom invites GK & WD to work with every incoming student, focusing on audience manners, in hopes that the school can once again have large auditorium assemblies.

1981

With help of Bart Kane (former state librarian), ADE incorporated and obtained 501(c)(3) status.

While looking for a drama handbook at the state DOE headquarters, GK ran into Language Arts Specialist Richard Nakamura who was searching for ways to resuscitate the flagging Hawaii English Project.  He asked if dramatists could propose a project like the Poets were doing.  GK said "sure when do you need it?" He said tomorrow.  Luckily, we are used to dreaming on cue. We proposed sending 21 artists to an elementary, intermediate, and high school in each of Hawaii’s 7 districts as a drama education pilot under the HEP auspices.  Total cost = $35,000.  Richard said "go for it!"

Ron Bright works with us during the summer and at WD's request, authors his dream project for when he retires: a Castle Performing Arts Center which Kengo Takata smiles at but files.

1982

After 3 years of audience training at FHS, auditorium can now have assemblies because every student has experienced first hand thrill and shakes of standing in the solo spotlight before 1200 seats and reciting a few lines from Shakespeare. 

Amy Abe, who boasted the state's only full line of drama at Waipahu HS, carries the ADE banner for a drama coaching fee, which is passed unanimously by the HSTA teachers' union.  For the first time drama educators receive $800 honorarium in recognition of the hundreds of hours invested in after school rehearsals.  ADE’s goal #3 is accomplished!

The HEP bites the dust, and rising up fresh borne from the ashes, is the Gett!ng Dramat!c project, featuring teams of 2 drama educators in each classroom.  This program becomes the fee for service workhorse of ADE.  Since 1982, over 400 teachers and 10,000 students have annually applauded the mix of action and reflection that propelled residencies on 3/4 of the DOE campuses.  Each student receives 3-8 hours of indelible instruction from a pair of dynamic artist-educators selected from ADE's highly regarded pool of freelance actors, directors, film makers, choreographers and playwrights.

"Performer Fitness" & "Audience Readiness," the GD classroom manifesto, is written by Walt Dulaney & artist-educator Roman Galvan coins the Performer P's - Projection, Pronunciation, Poise Personality!

Jay Siska of Mid-Pacific Institute is elected ADE president.  ADE Co-sponsor MANOA VALLEY benefit w/ UH.  ADE proudly sports one of only a handful of givers' plaques in the Kennedy Theatre lobby.

1983

SFCA funds "No Act, Eh?" - a grant revolving around a touring show to the most challenging of school audiences:  33 intermediate schools statewide.  Each fall a troupe of 4 professional actors carries the ADE mission onto cafeteria stages from Kaimuki to Keaau playing groups of 200-450 adolescents at a crack.

1984

Ann Sheridan of Kahuku HS is elected president.  ADE is the first group to be awarded the Alfred E. Preis Award by the Hawaii Alliance for Arts in Education for outstanding contribution to arts education in Hawaii.

Nancy Ahuna joins the good ship ADE on Labor Day as ADE’s first office manager!

GK and WD are invited to Guam & Saipan for drama workshops.

1985

State Foundation on Culture & Arts funds "T-Shirt Theatre" -- an acting company based out of tough inner city Kalihi.

Sherilyn Tom asks if we can take talented FHS kids further.  GK & WD do a gangbuster summer workshop, can’t let the kids go, so apply to the SFCA whose funding births T-Shirt Theatre.

Under Charles Toguchi's senate stewardship and Windward District's Kengo Takata's guidance [he remembered the file in his cabinet], the Castle Performing Arts Learning Center is born.  All of the state's 36 learning centers follow the $60,000 prototype that Ron Bright produced.  Among those were six Performing Arts Learning Centers, all of whose artistic directors consulted with ADE staff.  ADE’s goal #2 is accomplished.

After three false starts with various experts, financial consultant and personal friend Roy Helms gets ADE computerized with Open Access software and a financial program that can track seven different accounts simultaneously and turn out income statements and balance sheets for tax purposes.

1986

GK takes a sabbatical from all but financial aspects of ADE and honchoing the GD project.

1987

GK returns to direct TS Theatre, run GD & finances, and teaches selected GD residencies.  WD continues to teach every incoming student at Farrington and the entire 7th grade at Kalakaua Intermediate.

Thanks to Sarah Richards, then executive director of SFCA, there is 2nd year funding of T-Shirt Theatre and the No Act, Eh? project is still intact.

1988

SFCA funded "Stagefright Cable Network" written and directed by Roman Galvan and featuring Buz Tennent, Cynthia See, and Kathy Edwards tours statewide for over 10,000 intermediate students on 33 campuses.

1989

1990

GK & WD invited to International Thespian Society in Cincinnati as consultants.

1991

1992

1993

WD, Ron Bright, Sue Loudon, & Arnold Meister collaborate with Leila Naka of DOE to write K-12 drama curriculum.  ADE’s goal #4 is outlined but not yet implemented statewide.

1994

GK & WD awarded Pierre Bowman Lifetime Achievement Po'okelas by the Hawaii State Theatre Council. 

GK & WD awarded Excellence in Student Productions by the State Thespian Society at the Maui Conference under Sue Loudon's stewardship.

1995

Debbie Kermode of Jerry Kermode Custom Carpentry is elected president at Gala 15th Anniversary Meeting. 

GK & WD & Nan annual pension fund is started.

1996

ADE suffers 70% cut in SFCA funding but ends the year in the black thanks to Artist-in-the-Schools contracts awarded to 15 schools for Gett!ng Dramat!c residencies.

1997

Chuck McLemore of Creative Fund Raising brings in $18K to match $20.3K Capacity Building Initiative begun by staff and Board Pres.  Kermode.  ADE goes into the red for first time in its financial history.

Red ink for 2nd year in row.

Over $30K in grants have been received and 90% of SFCA has brightened tills before Christmas thanks to contracts officer Charlie Medeiros. 

Milton Kwock steps in to preside as Debbie & Jerry bid farewell to Hawaii.

House-cleaning at T-Shirt Theatre.  All young adult FHS alumni assistant directors make a hasty departure as Terry Lynn Pershing comes on-board. 

GK’s father, Sadao Kon, dies at 87 and fall contracts are in suspense as George spends time with his mother on Maui. 

In response to superintendent Le Mahieu’s “standards” driven agenda, many key principals seek early retirement in December ‘99 without designating or training successors, resulting in loss of 2/3 AIS contracts.  WG freeze salaries in Jan ‘00 to carry ADE thru financial shortfall.

Teachers’ Strike postpones Berlin show, directed by legendary Ron Bright. 

GK takes Hawaii Writers’ Workshop & participates in first Arts First Workshop sponsored by HAAE. 

RB restages THAT RASCAL BERLIN & Principal Payne permits TST to stage a 2 hr show during school time as well as charge admission for the first time in TST history.

Linda Harris agrees to help ADE with strategic plan and ends up joining the board and recruiting several board members.  Her sessions prompt us to consider who are ADE’s “stakeholders.”  It is a revelation that our GD artists need to be at the center of our planning.

Grace Hummerickhouse joins the team. 

Cheryl Fisher steps into Nancy Ahuna’s long unfilled shoes as office manager.  Hooray!

For 5 years founders GK and WD have worked for half their salaries.  In fall 2003, Board voted to re-establish salary at ¾’s of the sum they received in the ‘90s.

Colleen Allen from George’s AIMT massage school, helps out in the office for several months and stays till she’s found her replacement.

Rona Suzuki is elected president as Milton Kwock leaves both ADE and the Business Action Center to head up another agency. 

Alohalani Hose, triathlete and pet lover comes to manage the ADE office. 

Edmund Lee heads up year 2 of Farrington’s fledgling drama class with TST alumni Jonah Moananu, Paul Parel & Nate Corpuz.

ADE celebrates it’s 25^th birthday, it’s the quarter century mark for the good ship ADE! 

30 alumni, including Scot Ah Yuen and Ac’Lynne Uesugi from the inaugural TST company, return to perform a giant company “Lichee.”

The first student board member and TST vet of 6 years, David Abadilla graduates and vows to continue as member of the ADE board.

CPAC students go to WORK.

CPAC students "Get Healthy"!