Kumu Kahua Theatre and Bamboo Ridge Press Unveil Winners of Fall 2025 Go Try PlayWrite Contests

Kumu Kahua Theatre and Bamboo Ridge Press have announced the October and November winners of their monthly Go Try PlayWrite playwriting contest, which invites writers to create short works in response to a themed prompt.

The October Go Try PlayWrite winner is Spiff Wiegand for The Fellowship of Christmas. The October 2025 prompt asked writers to explore an elven rebellion at Santa’s workshop, submitting either a ten-page maximum scene or an eight-page maximum monologue. Entries could depict the beginning, middle, or aftermath of the revolt, or examine its effects beyond the North Pole.

The November Go Try PlayWrite winner is Elena Naskova for Spare My Life. The November 2025 prompt challenged writers to create an eight-page maximum monologue from the perspective of a turkey attempting to convince a specific individual either to spare them or to eat them, with equal attention paid to the turkey and the person being addressed.

Naskova was born and raised in Macedonia and immigrated to the United States in her mid-twenties. After living in Los Angeles for thirteen years, she moved to Seattle, Washington, where she currently resides. She is the mother of two young adults, including a recent graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her plays and monologues have been staged, read, and published internationally in the United States, Canada, England, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates, and have received multiple awards. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Each month, Kumu Kahua Theatre co-sponsors the Go Try PlayWrite contest with Bamboo Ridge Press to support local playwrights and authors. A different judge from the Hawaiʻi theatre community is selected each month, and all submissions are read by Kumu Kahua Theatre Artistic Director Harry Wong III.

Contest rules require entrants to submit either a five-page monologue or a ten-page scene based on the monthly prompt. Prompts are released on or by the first day of each month, with submissions due on the final day of the month. Scripts must be written in traditional play format, following guidelines provided by the Dramatists Guild of America, and are submitted anonymously. One winner is selected each month and receives $100 and a subscription to Bamboo Ridge Press.