Kumu Kahua Theatre and Bamboo Ridge Press Reveal Winners For October and November Go Try PlayWrite Contest

 The October Go Try PlayWrite winner is Randy Otaka for his piece I'll Shoyu!! Randy Otaka is in his third year of teaching at Wheeler Middle School, now as an Innovations (Intro to Computer Science) teacher. He is also the school Robotics coach, and was fortunate enough to support a team to the Vex IQ Worlds tournament last year. An acupuncturist, Randy still teaches courses on finding acupuncture points and on Tuina (Chinese massage) among other things. In his free time, he enjoys sleeping, spending time with his family, weeding (pulling, not smoking), and writing. You may sometimes find him stealing power and wifi at some cafe, riding the frequencies of the brainwaves of caffeinated strangers to write another response to yet another monthly prompt. As his students have taught him, it is better to be "cooking," than to be "cooked."

The October 2024 Prompt was: A shoyu prompt. Write a ten page maximum scene about a conflict at a family party arising from which shoyu to use on a dish, Kikkoman or Aloha. I know there are other brands and please feel free to include them, but I think that local Hawai‘i households divide along these two brands. The conflict can arise from either the use of shoyu in preparation of a dish or use after the dish has been made as a garnish.

The Novmber Go Try PlayWrite winner is Mia Bauer for her piece The Liar

Mia Bauer is a twenty-year-old writer who has always depended on the kindness of strangers. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut, most of the time.

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. 

The November 2024 Prompt was: A liars prompt. Write a ten page maximum scene about a childhood incident in a politicians life that teaches them to lie to get what they want. This is the opposite of the Washington myth of chopping down the cherry tree. The lie should echo in future lies in the politicians life without outright stating the future lie. For example, “I didn’t let the dog out of the yard. The new kids stole it. I don’t know why. Maybe those kids…”

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. 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. 

Entries are now being accepted for the December Go Try PlayWrite Contest!

December 2024 Prompt: Liars prompt part 2. For every successful lie, there’s someone who believes it. Write a ten page maximum scene or an eight page maximum monologue of someone, when confronted with facts, still believes the lie. No other qualifiers or examples just the warning from Voltaire, “Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”