WordWave One-Act Winners Performance 2026

WordWave: Playwright Contest Winners Performances Friday May 1, 2026 7:00 PM  Valhalla Tahoe – Boathouse Theatre & Grand Hall Tickets: $30 GA | $27 Members | $20 Students Saturday May 2, 2026  7:00 PM  – Reception to Follow Valhalla Tahoe – Boathouse Theatre & Grand Hall Tickets: $30 GA | $27 Members | $20 Students Two Nights. Three stories. Endless inspiration. WordWave is an annual celebration of the power of words.  The underlying principle of WordWave is that stories, when shared with others, change lives. They entertain, educate, preserve traditions, and help us to connect with each other in profound ways. WordWave provides a venue for locals and visitors to experience these shared stories on stage. WordWave features an annual one-act play writing competition that opens late fall and runs thru mid- January. The contest culminates in a winners’ performance event in the spring. Three submissions will be selected each year as the winners and each winner will receive a cash prize and be offered a 2-night stay in South Lake Tahoe to see their work directed and produced as a staged reading at the historic Valhalla Boathouse Theatre. WordWave’s Annual Writer’s event will be held on May 1-2 at 7pm will include the meet-the-Writer’s Wine & Dessert Reception on May 2 immediately following in the Grand Hall. Special thank you to our Reception sponsor, Cork and More!   Congratulations to our 2026 Winning Play Writers! “The Rules” Domenick Scudera Domenick Scudera is Professor of Theater at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA, where he co-founded the Theater & Dance department, directs plays, and teaches courses in performance, directing, and theater history.  As a playwright, Domenick has written full-lengths and one-acts that have been produced from Alberta to Tampa.  The Half of It, his original full-length play inspired by Vaudeville drag pioneer Bert Savoy, was recently chosen as co-winner of Carnegie Mellon University Press’ New Play Competition and will be published by CMU Press in 2026. Domenick’s full-length adaptation of Gilgamesh is available through Gitelman & Good Publishers.  His short play, In the Same Boat, is published in the Smith & Kraus anthology, We/Ourselves: 10-Minute Plays Celebrating Gender Diversity. Synopsis: Estranged brothers Leo and Mario reunite for their mother’s funeral after five years apart. During a tense car ride from JFK to Long Island, they clash over identity, tradition, sexuality, and family “rules.” As old resentments surface—about Mario’s drag career and Leo’s rigid worldview—they gradually confront their pain, finding empathy, acceptance, and a tentative path toward reconciliation. “How Do You Recognize Crazy” KATHARINE REX Katharine is a playwright, improviser, improv coach, and actor. She has been making up and telling stories forever. Some of them are even true. She is thrilled to have her short play, “How Do You Recognize Crazy,” included in the 2026 Valhalla Word Wave Play competition. Sy...