HISTORY

Tree Moss was founded in 2021 as an incubator for emerging and established playwrights across Oʻahu. The collective was started by Creative Lab Hawai‘i (CLH) Playwriting Fellows with a shared vision of fostering a stronger, more connected playwriting community in Hawai‘i.

From the beginning, Tree Moss has been rooted in collaboration. We’ve built ongoing partnerships with Ka Waiwai Collective, which provides our hui with a gathering space to exchange feedback, build pilina, and dream big, and Creative Lab Hawai‘i, which equips us with resources to expand our entrepreneurial literacy, professional networks, and funding opportunities.

In 2023, we expanded our membership to include playwrights across the pae ʻāina and even local and Hawaiian playwrights living outside of Hawai‘i. That same year, Tree Moss was honored with the Catalyst Award Fellowship (under Noa Gardner) from the Dramatists Guild Foundation. With a generous grant from DGF, we have been able to provide stipends to our member playwrights, fund personal projects, cover the cost of theatre tickets, bring in guest speakers, and much more.

The DGF has also kindly supported Tree Moss in speaking at the last two LMDA conferences in Banf (2023) and Kansas City (2024), where our member playwrights have been able to connect with dramaturgs nationwide and share resources to help dramaturgs build skillsets to better support Hawai’i plays and playwrights.

In 2025, we held our first planning retreat, where we mapped out a 1-3-5-year vision for Tree Moss. This plan is designed not only to strengthen our collective but also to contribute to a more vibrant and sustainable future for all Hawai‘i playwrights.

Since its founding, Tree Moss has helped workshop over 20 new plays, many of which have been produced in theatres across O‘ahu, Maui, Hawai‘i Island, and the continental United States in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, as well as internationally at festivals in Japan, Singapore, and Edinburgh. 

Several of these works have gone on to receive prestigious honors, including selection for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, The Orchard Project, The Relentless Award, and more.