On Tuesday, June 17, Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Kevin McCollum ’80 returned to Punahou School to speak with students in the PUEO program during a special visit to Hawai‘i with the national touring production of “Six.” The conversation offered a powerful and engaging experience for students and community members, as McCollum candidly shared stories from his life and career – reflecting on the impact of resilience, risk-taking and the transformative power of storytelling.
During his talk, McCollum spoke openly about his early years growing up in Hawai‘i, where he was raised by a single mother who passed away when he was just 14. At the time, he was an eighth grader taking advanced English and typing classes, preparing to enter high school. Despite the grief, he underwent a personal transformation. He credits his time at Punahou School, where he studied from fourth through eighth grades, along with the support of his extended family and local community, with laying the foundation for his creative path.
McCollum told students that theater became a place of identity and belonging for him, describing it as “a space where you show up in a room full of strangers and leave as family.” He shared how his exposure to performance started young – his mother was a writer and actress, and he often accompanied her to rehearsals and shows. Those experiences, he said, gave him a deep appreciation for storytelling and planted the seeds of his future in the arts.
Reflecting on his teenage years, McCollum talked about moving to Illinois and the cultural shift he experienced. “The arts weren’t cool,” he said, noting how he was teased for being involved in theater. But by the time he graduated high school, he had encouraged even his school’s football team to participate in the school play. “If you’re not afraid to be different – and you’re kind – you can lead,” he told the audience.
McCollum described how his career took unexpected turns. Though he originally trained as an actor, he later pursued a master’s degree in film producing. It was during that time he realized his heart was in live theater. He recounted how his early work producing a national tour of “She Loves Me” taught him the business side of the industry, and how that experience eventually led to producing “Rent” – a defining moment in his career. He shared the emotional story of how “Rent’s” creator, Jonathan Larson, passed away the night before the show’s first preview. “My mission became to share his story,” McCollum said. “That loss gave me purpose.”
Throughout the talk, McCollum emphasized that producing isn’t just about raising money, but about championing stories that reflect the world. He noted that many of his most successful shows – “Rent,” “Avenue Q,” “In the Heights,” “Six” – were created by first-time writers or directors.
These days, McCollum continues to support and uplift emerging artists. During his visit to Punahou, he urged students not to wait for permission to be creative, encouraging them to take initiative in discovering their identities and transforming fear into action. He also emphasized the importance of adopting a “yes, and” mindset – a concept from improv comedy that he uses to describe approaching challenges with curiosity and optimism.