Kumu Kahua Theatre and Bamboo Ridge Press Reveal the May Winner

The April Go Try PlayWrite winner is Derek Kenney for his piece  The Playground Shoe. Derek Kenneyis a neurodivergent playwright, director, and actor out of Oklahoma City. Outside of his artistic endeavors, he has a long standing career in theatre arts administration and enjoys indulging in theatre, film, sports, books, food, family, theology, and basically anything that can keep his quirky brain active. Some of his recently produced written works include Where Is Your Sting? (The Barn Players, Kansas City), The Frontier Casino (The Ritz, New Jersey), and both Stamps and Jameson & Juice (Theatre Crude, Oklahoma City). His play, Cratchit’s Last Boxing Day, is scheduled for publication later this year by Drama Notebook. Derek would like to thank the beautiful people at Kumu Kahua for supporting new works and those who make them. 

Each month Kumu Kahua Theatre co-sponsors this playwriting contest with Bamboo Ridge Press in their combined effort to nurture local playwrights and authors. Each month a different judge is pulled from amongst the theatre practitioners in the Hawaii theatre community. All plays submitted are read by Kumu Kahua Theatre Artistic Director, Harry Wong III. 

May 2025 prompt

A preschool revolt prompt. Write a ten-page maximum scene or an eight-page maximum monologue of group of preschoolers fighting an unfair directive from the school’s administration and teachers. The scene could be about the preschoolers coming to realize their oppression, them organizing, them fighting, them succeeding or failing, or all the stages of the revolt. The monologue could be a preschooler organizing or inspiring, or a teacher trying to quell the upraising. But really, just take the idea/prompt and go for it.

Contest Rules: Each entrant must write a 5-page monologue and/or a 10-page scene based on monthly requirements. Each month a new prompt will be chosen by Kumu Kahua Theatre’s Artistic Director. The prompt will be given on or by the 1st of the month and the due date will always be the last day of the month. All entries must be written in traditional play format.

There will be one winner each month. Scripts will be submitted to the judges anonymously. So please do not put your name on the cover of your script. Winners will receive $100.00 and a subscription to Bamboo Ridge Press. 

Hawaii Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. PARADE (Manoa Valley Theatre)

31.7% of votes

2. IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS (Diamond Head Theatre)

24.4% of votes

3. ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (Manoa Valley Theatre)

10.9% of votes

Vote Now!