The Kahilu Theatre staff is comprised of both full and part time employees as well as independent contractors, all who generously share their passion and expertise in support of our organization's mission and vision. Mahalo!
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Sara Nealy – Executive Director
sara@kahilutheatre.org
Sara brings arts leadership from two San Francisco arts organizations where she implemented critical financial management, expanded engagement with diverse cultural communities, developed strategic artistic collaborations and partnerships, and introduced an increasingly ambitious program of productions.
Sara was selected by Musical America for their “MA:30 Profiles in Courage” roster for her cogent leadership.
Before moving to San Francisco, Sara resided with her family in North Kohala, where her children attended Parker School, and Sara danced with Halau ‘o Ha’alelea under the direction of the late beloved kumu hula, Raylene Ha’alelea Kawaiae’a Lancaster.
Sara’s work in Hawai’i included marketing communications and film production for a variety of cultural organizations and corporate clients, particularly for the Earl and Doris Bakken Foundation, North Hawaii Community Hospital, Nā Kālai Wa’a, the Kohala Center, Friends of the Future, Five Mountains Hawai’i, and Cyanotech. In 2009, she was the Director of Sales and Marketing at Kona Village Resort. |
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Eric Kwan – Director of Operations
eric@kahilutheatre.org
Born and raised in Asia and Australia, Eric has lived on the Island of Hawaiʻi for more than a decade. He has spent over 30 years in the hospitality industry in sales and marketing with Hyatt Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Mandarin Oriental Hotels.
This is Eric’s second go-around with Kahilu Theatre where he oversaw the Box Office before its ‘intermission’. Prior to rejoining the Theatre, he worked with Louis Vuitton and was a travel consultant arranging customized itineraries for travels around the globe.
Eric’s hospitality industry experience includes opening hotels and resorts in the U.S. and international destinations, regional/international sales responsibilities, sales training, coaching, customer relations development, and feasibility studies for new hotel/resort projects.
Food and travel are two of Eric’s passions. Education is a third – Eric strongly believes that a well-rounded education is important to every child. |
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Renson Madarang – Director of Programming
renson@kahilutheatre.org
Renson stems from a large and complex family tree deeply rooted along the steep cliffs of Hāmākua.
Born and raised in the islands to a multi-ethnic ʻohana, he is of Filipino, Native Hawaiian, and Portuguese descent.
Renson is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools and completed his graduate studies in Music and Voice Performance at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa before pursuing a Doctorate in Voice from Indiana University.
With a professional career spanning the stage, classroom, as well as the administrative office, Renson possesses a uniquely-balanced and multi-faceted perspective of the Arts as both an industry and craft. His aloha and devotion to the people of Hawaiʻi brought Renson home, invigorated by a passion for servant leadership and the desire to uplift the next generation of Hawaiʻi’s performing artists.
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Patty Bird – Digital Content & Marketing Manager
patty@kahilutheatre.org
Patty hails from Valparaiso, Indiana, and has spent the majority of her life in the Midwest. She has her B.A. in Acting with a concentration in Education, and has been acting, teaching, directing, and providing marketing/publicity for professional theatres in Chicagoland, for the past 30 years. Patty is excited to bring her talents to Kahilu and looks forward to sharing her theatrical passions with the community.
Fun Fact: One of Pattyʻs life goals is to go in a shark cage and take pictures of a great white shark up close and personal! |
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Adam Palya – Video Producer
adam@kahilutheatre.org
Originally from Southwestern Pennsylvania, Adam spent the last 12 years in Los Angeles working in television production. Starting as a production assistant on Hannah Montana and working his way up to Associate Producer on Disney, plus original programming and various projects in between, Adam is excited and grateful to bring his experience and skill set to help expand the reach and content creation of Kahilu Theatre and Kahilu.TV.
Fun Fact: Adamʻs personal record on a pogo stick is 2,222 bounces. |
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Lehua Kaluna – Box Office Coordinator
lehua@kahilutheatre.org
With more than ten years' experience in the hospitality industry, including public-facing positions with the Waikoloa Beach Marriott and Hilton Grand Vacations, customer service is second nature to Lehua. Originally from Oahu, she moved to Hawai'i Island with her parents in 1990 and she and her husband have called Waimea home for the past five years.
As a longtime lover of music and the arts, Lehua is honored to be joining the Kahilu ‘ohana and helping to create a positive theatregoing experience for our entire community. |
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Andy Behrle – Gallery Director
gallery@kahilutheatre.org
Andy Behrle was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts. In college, he majored in Studio Art and Philosophy & Religion, with focuses on bronze casting and world religions. He received is Master of Fine Arts (Sculpture) from Arizona State University in 2003. Behrle worked for many years in Arizona as a museum exhibitions professional for contemporary galleries and museums, including Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Arizona Museum for Youth (now known as i.d.e.a. Museum), while also teaching coursework in Sculpture at Scottsdale Community College. He left the Southwest for Birmingham, Alabama in 2009 where he worked for Birmingham Museum of Art and later as the master carpenter of Birmingham Children's Theatre. In 2013, Behrle relocated to rural Washington state where he focused on his own studio art practice while serving as a stay-at-home parent. During this time, Behrle's artwork was featured in a dozen solo art exhibitions, numerous museum exhibitions, and international art festivals in North American, Europe, and Africa. Since moving to the islands in 2018, he has created site-specific artworks for Wailuku, Maui and Honolulu Museum of Art. He is excited to bring his passion and experience to Kahilu Theatre and further connect to the island's art scene. |
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Ashley Jones – Programming Administrator
ashley@kahilutheatre.org
Ashley was raised in North Carolina where she earned a degree in Psychology from the UNC Charlotte. After working at a medical billing office for 2 years, the pull of the islands took her to Oahu and there she met her husband in 2012. In 2014 they moved to the Big Island and Ashley became a volunteer at the theatre. Her husband’s job temporarily took them back to the mainland which enabled Ashley to care for their two children while completing an MBA. The family returned to the Big Island late in 2017, and Ashley is very happy and grateful to be back in one of her favorite towns in the world. She is passionate about music and the performing arts and is very excited to return to the Kahilu theatre.
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Paul Buckley – Technical Director
paul@kahilutheatre.org
Paul has been the Technical Director at Kahilu since 2013. He is also the owner of Waimea Music Center since 1994, providing professional audio, lighting, video, and rigging services for Hawaii and the mainland. In his spare time, Paul has served as the audio engineer for many local and national acts, and touring engineer for Henry Kapono, Kealii Reichel, and Kalani Peʻa.
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Sam Peele – Production Manager
sam@kahilutheatre.org
Since he was born in England Sam has spent most of his life living on one island or another, whether it has been England, Bermuda, or Manhattan. Once he arrived on this Big Island, he really felt that he had found his home. His passion for theatre was truly sparked in high school when he stage managed his first few productions and directed a show as a senior. Sam started working at the Kahilu at the start of 2014 as the stage manager. He has stage managed most of the Kahilu Produces shows since then and has loved every minute of it. Sam has a keen passion for history, especially local, and also enjoys writing when he’s not working on a stage. Sam lives with his wife, Emma, up on the Mauka and is honored to serve the community that embraced him since he first arrived. Fun Fact:Despite having lived and worked on a cattle farm for 8 years Sam didn't know how to milk a cow until he came to hawaii. |
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