The Hendrix-Murphy Foundation announces the winners of the 2024-2025 Student and Alumni Playwriting Contests.
“Duelling Hamlets” by Dawn Branch ’05 from North Hollywood, Calif. received first place in the alumni contest, and “No Return” by Rhett Booher ’24 of Little Rock received second place. “Have You Seen Any Signs?” by Madeline Mundkowsky ’26 from Midland, Texas, an English-creative writing major, received first place in the student contest, and Jake Nurkin ’26, a computer science major from Hattiesburg, Miss., received second place in the student contest for “Backwoods Beast.” Mundkowsky and Nurkin are Murphy Scholars in Literature and Language.
The Playwriting Contests, co-sponsored by the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation and the Hendrix Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, were judged by a professional playwright and were open to current Hendrix College students and all Hendrix alumni. Cash prizes of $750 and $400 were awarded to the first and second place winners of each contest, respectively.
Hendrix College recently suffered the loss of alumnus Werner Trieschmann ’86, who was not only an award-winning playwright, journalist, and educator but also a former faculty member, current Hendrix parent, and beloved iconoclast. He died in December 2024.
It’s hard to conceptualize the drama scene in Arkansas in the last 40 years without Werner Trieschmann, whether in the role of playwright, reviewer, actor, or educator. Due to Trieschmann’s mark on theatre, the Student and Alumni Playwriting Contests will now be known as the Werner Trieschmann Playwriting Contests.
Late in their undergraduate careers, Trieschmann and fellow theatre student Doug Blackmon ’86—future journalist and Pulitzer-winning historian—along with theatre faculty members Dr. Rosemary Henenberg and the late Professor Frank Roland were central in creating the playwriting contests. The competition for Hendrix students and alumni was later connected to an annual staged reading event, Playwright’s Theatre.
“Werner’s commitment and contributions to the Hendrix Theatre Department and to the Hendrix-Murphy Programs can’t be underestimated,” said Danny Grace, originator of Playwright’s Theatre. “The nurturing of new plays and playwrights by way of the Hendrix Murphy Playwriting Contest and Playwright’s Theatre are a direct result of the spark provided by Werner.”
Trieschmann honed his craft as a cast or crew member on numerous productions as a Hendrix Player, including “Our Town,” “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” “Talley’s Folly,” “The Happy End,” “Mrs. McThing,” “The Winter’s Tale,” “Bingo,” and “August Snow.”
“When he became a student at Hendrix, Werner proved himself to be a leader, an actor, a writer, eventually a playwright, and a source of the joy to be found in any group he worked with,” said Dr. Rosemary Henenberg.
"Werner contributed so much to dramatic literature at this college and beyond," said Hope Coulter, director of the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation and associate professor of English at Hendrix. "There could be no better tribute than renaming the playwriting contests in his memory."
One play of significant promise will be selected for a staged reading in Hendrix College’s annual Playwright’s Theatre in fall 2025. Playwright’s Theatre, now in its 24th year, was developed in its current format by retired faculty member Danny Grace. It furthers the efforts of the contests by giving the playwright the opportunity to hear their work read aloud by actors in front of a live audience.
More details about Playwright’s Theatre will be announced in summer 2025.
About the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation
The Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language were founded in 1978 by a gift from Charles H. Murphy, Jr., former CEO of Murphy Oil Corporation, in memory of his mother Bertie Wilson Murphy. Their mission is to enhance and enrich the study of literature and language at Hendrix College. For more information, visit hendrixmurphy.org.
About Hendrix College
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges and celebrated among the country’s leading liberal arts colleges for academic quality, engaged learning opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The Hendrix College Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at hendrix.edu.