Musical Comedy submissions for the 2023 Hawaii Comedy Festival are now open.
The submission deadline is Friday, June 16th. 
Accepted musicals will be notified by Friday, June 30th.

Calling All Aspiring Comedy Writers

The 2023 Hawaii Comedy Festival is now accepting writing submissions for our Original Musical Comedy Night. Under the guidance of a mentor, selected writers will write a 15-20 minute original musical sketch that will be produced at the Doris Duke Theatre in September at our 9th Annual Hawaii Comedy Festival.

What is the Hawaii Comedy Fest Original Musical Comedy Show?

The Hawaii Comedy Fest Musical Comedy Show is a hilarious night of 4-5 original musical comedies created by Oahu-based writers. Original comedies that have premiered on our stage include Crazy Karaoke Asians, Starbucks: The Musical, Colonize Me, and Windbreaker Island. Each musical is 15-20 minutes long and consists of original songs, dance, and music. It is one of our most popular nights and is always a show-stopper!

Commitments:

• Writers must attend all meetings with their mentor and the weekly writer’s room with their producer.
• Writers do not have to be in the same location and are welcome to work from home.
• Writers should be available for the audition and rehearsal process before the show.
• Tentative Schedule:
  • Week of July 3rd – Mentorship Begins
  • Week of July 31st – Last Meeting with Mentor
  • Week of August 5th – Actor Auditions
  • Week of August 14th – Rehearsals Begin
  • Thursday, September 28th – Final Dress Rehearsal
  • Friday, September 29th – SHOW DAY!!

Submission Requirements:

• Title of your musical
• Logline of your musical- tell us in a sentence or two what your musical will be about!
• Short song sample
  • Lyrics only
  • Verse and chorus
• Your musical must not have more than 6 characters
  
  View examples here

Deadlines:

• Submissions must be completed by Friday, June 16th, 2023 at 11:59pm Hawaii Time*
• *Open to Oahu-based writers only

Application Fee:

There is a $125 submission fee* for all Musical Comedy applications.
*100% OF THE FEE WILL BE REFUNDED FOR SUBMISSIONS THAT ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Refunds may take up to 2-7 business days.

Application Fee Includes:

• One-on-one virtual work sessions with your writing mentor.
• Weekly writer’s room with your show producer and fellow writers
• Access to thousands of music tracks for your show-don’t worry about composing your own.
• 5 tickets to your show
• Festival Tee

Why is there an Application Fee?

The application fee ensures participants are engaged and committed while also helping to offset production costs. All submissions that are not selected will be refunded.

The Hawaii Comedy Festival will provide:

• A qualified writing mentor.
• A dedicated show producer to run your show.
• A director and musical director
• Proper rehearsal and performance spaces.
• A small budget for props and costumes.

Those seeking inclusion in our 2023 Musical Comedy Night should submit their original ideas using the form below.

We look forward to reviewing your AWESOME submissions!