Kumu Kahua Theatre and Bamboo Ridge Press Announce The Winner of the August 2023 Go Try PlayWrite Contest
For Immediate Release 09.18.2023
Kumu Kahua Theatre and Bamboo Ridge Press Announce
The Winner of the August 2023 Go Try PlayWrite Contest
Where: Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant Street, Honolulu
Contact: Sara Ward, officemanager@kumukahua.org, 536-4441
HONOLULU HI – The August Go Try PlayWrite winner is Randy Otaka for his piece The Single
August 2023 prompt: A super powers prompt. Write a ten page maximum scene or a five page maximum monologue about a society where everyone has the same super power, but one individual loses that power. The scene is about incidents that happen to that individual, or the monologue is about what goes through their mind as they deal with their new existence.
Born and raised in Mililani, Randy Otaka is completely bereft of any super powers. He can't even fly. He does have a persistent habit of trying to do things that he has no business (i.e. expertise / experience / natural talent) doing. Take writing plays, for example. After all, what does a lowly middle school special education teacher, robotics coach, acupuncturist, and former (almost) monk know about writing plays? Nothing at all. But still he tries his hand at it, with spare thoughts and spare moments. Occasionally, he produces something (almost) meaningful. In doing so, he secretly hopes that his efforts will inspire other "super powerless" people to do ridiculous, impractical, unrealistic, and impossible things... like "go try playwrite!"
Each month Kumu Kahua Theatre co-sponsors this playwriting contest with Bamboo Ridge Press in their combined effort to nurture local playwrights and authors. The monthly Judges are theatre practitioners from the Hawaii theatre community. All plays submitted are read by Kumu Kahua Theatre Artistic Director, Harry Wong III.
Kumu Kahua Theatre is now accepting entries for the
September 2023 Go Try PlayWrite Contest.
September 2023 Prompt: A Karen vs. Karen prompt. Write a ten (10) page maximum scene about a conflict between at least two (2) “Karens.” The two “Karens” are both perpetrator and victim. All the usual “Karen” tropes apply, but for the purposes of this a prompt, a “Karen” is defined loosely as a person who demands civility for themselves from someone, but goes about it in the most uncivil way.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT
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; instructions on this format can be found here: https://www.dramatistsguild.com/script-formats courtesy of the Dramatists Guild.
There will be one winner each month. Scripts will be submitted to the judges anonymously. Winners will receive $100.00 and a subscription to Bamboo Ridge Press.
Look for further future projects using scripts submitted for this contest - coming soon!
Kumu Kahua productions are supported in part by the NME Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Island Insurance Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 and the American Rescue Plan of 2021, McInerny Foundation (Bank of Hawaii, Trustee); The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaiʻi, The AAPI Community Fund, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaiian Electric Company, Alexander & Baldwin, The John R Halligan Charitable Fund, Spectrum/Charter Communications, Vacations Hawaiʻi, ABC Stores, the Gloria Kosasa Gainsley Fund, Hawaiʻi Public Radio, The Kim Coco Fund for Justice of the Iwamoto Family Foundation, Edric Sakamoto, Ron and Rachel Heller, and other foundations, businesses, and loyal patrons.