Late Night Theatre Company Presents COME PLAY WITH US! New Plays Festival

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's Department of Theatre & Dance and Kennedy Theatre will present Late Night Theatre Company's new playwriting showcase, Come Play with Us! New Plays Festival. 

This festival is a part of Kennedy Theatre's 61st season, which celebrates the past, present, and future of theatre and dance at UHM Kennedy Theatre. The Come Play with Us! New Plays Festival, will showcase five different short plays, written by various student artists in the University of Hawaiʻi Department of Theatre & Dance: Q-Pass, Anatomy of Shame, Unfinished Canvas, We are Stars, and Ad Astra. 

Come Play with Us! New Plays Festival runs March 1-2, & 7-8, 2025, Friday/Saturday at 11:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 2nd at 7:30 p.m. performed in the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at UHM's Kennedy Theatre. Tickets range from $5-$10 and will only be sold in-person at the Kennedy Theatre Box Office starting one hour before each show.

Q-Pass by Emmanuel Mante is a unique contemporary piece of theatre. The show follows an aspiring theatre artist named Jack and a choreographer, Rey, living their lives while grappling with their own inner turmoil and budding romance.

Unfinished Canvas by Teyha Hale follows Heather and Kehau, two friends looking at a painting in an art gallery. They both have strong, differing opinions about art and what the artist is conveying. The main themes in this piece are self-discovery and dealing with past struggles.

We are Stars was written and directed by Mariah Isabella Chavez. We are Stars is an experimental spoken word piece inspired by the Bible verse Matthew 5:14. The message is simple: we are powerful beyond measure, beyond any narrative or conditioning or stereotype. We are light. We are stars! According to Chavez, “That power is in our words; we shape reality not only through our words, but also through our thoughts, and self-talk.”

Ad Astra by James Rosenlee follows Ellia Aster, the newest ensign aboard a spaceship, the USS Titan. After a failed simulation exercise, she gets sent on a mining mission with a fellow ensign she's struggling to get along with. When their shuttle gets stuck in the middle of a dark matter storm, Arivva and Ellia have to learn to work together—and open up their pasts—in order to get out.