Qui Nguyen Will Be Honored At The 2026 William Inge Theatre Festival

Emmy Award-winning writer, filmmaker, and playwright Qui Nguyen will be the 2026 Playwright Honoree at the 43rd William Inge THEATRE FESTIVAL in Independence, Kansas, where he will receive the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award.

The festival, produced by Independence Community College, will take place April 23–25, 2026, and will highlight Nguyen’s career and contributions to American theatre. The selection recognizes his body of work defined by originality, cultural resonance, and a distinct approach to storytelling.

Nguyen is widely known for a theatrical voice that blends emotional depth with pop-culture influences and genre-bending structure. He co-founded the company Vampire Cowboys, a leader in “geek theatre,” and has written plays including Vietgone, Poor Yella Rednecks, Bike Wreck, She Kills Monsters, Revenge Song, Soul Samurai, The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, Alice in Slasherland, Fight Girl Battle World, and Living Dead in Denmark. She Kills Monsters recently received a 2024 Kennedy Center College Theatre Festival Gold Medallion Award.

His screenwriting and directing work spans projects for Marvel Studios, Netflix, AMC, SYFY, and PBS. Nguyen wrote Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, and served as writer and co-director for Disney’s Strange World. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America and serves on the board of New Dramatists.

"We are thrilled to honor Qui Nguyen for the adventurous spirit and heartfelt storytelling he brings to the American theatre," said Ashley Hovell, Director of the William Inge Center for the Arts. "His unique voice, infused with humor, imagination, and cultural resonance, represents the very best of contemporary playwriting."

The festival’s programming will include performances, workshops, readings of new plays, and events honoring William Inge’s legacy. Founded in 1981 and named for Pulitzer Prize– and Oscar-winning dramatist William Inge, the festival has welcomed writers such as Arthur Miller, Stephen Sondheim, Wendy Wasserstein, and Lynn Nottage. It is designated the Official Theater Festival of Kansas, as recognized by the state legislature in 2009.