On Saturday, May 25, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa will host a celebration of the life and work of long-time faculty member Glenn Cannon, who passed away on April 20. Members of the UH and Honolulu theatre and film communities will gather to remember Cannon at UH Mānoa’s Kennedy Theatre, 3 p.m. The theatre will open its doors at 2:30 p.m., and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Cannon came to the University of Hawaiʻi in 1968, and directed more than 50 productions in his time at the Department of Theatre and Dance. He served as a representative to the University of Hawaiʻi Professional Assembly and was instrumental in starting the Academy for Creative Media on the Mānoa campus.
Cannon mentored several generations of young actors, and in the days after his death, his Facebook page was filled with former students recalling his influence and wishing his family well. “Glenn touched thousands of students and audience members in his career at Kennedy Theatre and in the community. He didn’t just teach, he changed people’s lives,“ said Paul Mitri, chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance.
He was also a fixture of the Honolulu theatre community, regularly directing at theatres around the city and winning a dozen Poʻokela Awards for excellence from the Hawaiʻi State Theater Council, including the Pierre Bowman lifetime achievement award in 2009.
Cannon’s family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his memory to support the students of the UH theatre and dance program. Checks may be made out to the UH Foundation with the notation “For Glenn Cannon Fund,“ and mailed to the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, P.O. Box 11270, Honolulu, HI 96828-0270.
For more about Cannon read the UH news release.
