Kumu Kahua 2024 Playwrighting Winners Span Continent
Congrats to the winners of Kumu Kahua Theatre’s annual Playwriting Contest, presented in partnership with the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Theatre & Dance Department!
This year’s winner of the Hawaiʻi Prize is Shanti Reinhardt for her play YAMAGUCHI STORE. A graduate of the American Conservatory Theatre, Shanti is an actress and playwright who was raised in the Hawaiian hānai tradition by a Filipino/Hawaiian family on the island of Kaua‘i.
The Pacific Rim Prize goes to Brandon Zang for his play GINKGO EXPRESS. Brandon is a science fiction and fantasy playwright who uses worldbuilding to distance, deconstruct, and dissect modern-day issues; he is currently an MFA playwright at Boston University.
The Resident Prize goes to Justina T. Mattos for her play ALAULA. A writer, director, and drama professor, Justina serves as chair of the Performing Arts department at UH Hilo and has been affiliated with Kumu Kahua since the 1980s, when she performed in the statewide tour of TWELF NITE O WATEVA! under the mentorship of Kumu Kahua founder Dennis Carroll.
Bonus congrats for our recent Go Try PlayWrite winners Kirk Johnson (for his play I WAS AFTER ALL) and 7-time (!!!) reigning champion Lee A. Tonouchi (for his play DA CHREE LOCAL RULES OF DRIVING)!
To learn more about Kumu Kahua and the UHM Dept of Theatre & Dance’s annual Playwriting Contest, visit kumukahua.org/playwriting-contest
To learn more about the monthly Go Try PlayWrite competition, presented in partnership with Bamboo Ridge Press, visit kumukahua.org/gotryplaywrite
Keep on writing!
Kumu Kahua 2024 Playwrighting
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