Diamond Head Theatre was the big winner at the 2016 Po‘okela Awards on Monday night, receiving 35 awards in 15 of the 29 award categories at the Hawaii State Theatre Council’s annual celebration of local excellence at the Ko‘olau Golf Club in Kaneohe.

Manoa Valley Theatre was second, with 25 awards in 17 categories. The University of Hawaii-Manoa theater program was third with 21 awards in 17 categories.

All the World’s a Stage, Chaminade University, the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival, Hawaiian Mission Houses, Kumu Kahua Theatre, Leeward Community College, Paliku Theatre and The Actors’ Group also received awards for excellence.

The big changes this year are the creation of a new category — nontraditional — and the revival of the category for new locally written scripts.

The category of locally written scripts went dormant several years ago when so few newly written scripts were being produced for performance that almost any new script could win by default.

The nontraditional category was created to better recognize shows that don’t neatly fit the standard division between plays and musicals. The immediate beneficiary was UH Manoa. Its production of “Subali-Sugriwa: Battle of the Monkey Kings,” an Indonesian story, earned the university seven of its 21 awards this year, but the new category seems likely to benefit other groups as well.

Also notable was Jason Kanda’s performance as the title character in Kumu Kahua’s production of “Joker,” which earned him the best leading man award, his second, for the role. He received an award in the same category last year for playing the character in a production of “Joker” by another Honolulu theater group in 2014.

Director Joyce Maltby, a longtime mainstay of island theater whose 23-year tenure as head of the Hawaii Pacific University theater program ended in 2015, added another “Pokie” to her collection with an award for her work directing “Mothers & Sons” at The Actors’ Group.

Under the original adjudication process used during the first two decades of the Po‘okela Awards program, a panel of adjudicators each made individual preliminary nominations and then met for a second round of voting to select a maximum of three honorees in each category. Under the current system, each adjudicator selects honorees without consulting with the others.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth does not participate in the Po‘okela Awards program and is the only major theater company on Oahu whose performers, playwrights and tech staff cannot be honored for their work. The theater company chooses not to enter.

Here are the winners in the major categories. Under Po‘okela Awards rules, anywhere from two to 10 people can be honored.

Here is the complete list of 2016 Po‘okela honorees:

LEADING MALE IN A PLAY

Ari Dalbert, “Harold and Maude” (MVT)

Gabriel Adam Brading, “Richard III” (LCC/LWT)

Jason Kanda, “Joker” (KKT)

Matthew Mazzella, “Equus” (MVT)

Reb Beau Allen, “Winter’s Tale” (HSF)

LEADING FEMALE IN A PLAY

Danielle Zalopany, “Not One Batu” (KKT)

Rachael Uyeno, “Proof” (AWS)

Rachael Uyeno, “One Flea Spare” (UHM)

Victoria Gail-White, “Harold and Maude” (MVT)

FEATURED MALE IN A PLAY

Jim K Aina, “Joker” (KKT)

Paul T. Mitri, “Proof” (AWS)

FEATURED FEMALE IN A PLAY

Haley Adamic, “Equus” (MVT)

Katrina McIntosh, “A Raisin in the Sun” (TAG)

Lala Buzzell, “Harold and Maude” (MVT)

Lelea‘e “Buffy” Kahalepuna Wong, “Not One Batu” (KKT)

Lillian Jones ,“Raisin in the Sun” (TAG)

LEADING MALE IN A MUSICAL

Timothy Antoine Callais, “Sunday in the Park with George” (UHM)

Chandler Bridgman, “Lysistrata Jones” (MVT)

Kyle Malis, “The Who’s ‘Tommy’” (MVT)

Reyn Halford, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (MVT)

LEADING FEMALE IN A MUSICAL

Alison Aldcroft, “Mamma Mia!” (DHT)

Alison B. Maldonado, “Sister Act” (DHT)

Lelea‘e “Buffy” Kahalepuna Wong, “Lysistrata Jones” (MVT)

Jennifer Sojot, “A Christmas Story” (DHT)

Vanessa Manuel Mazzullo, “Promises, Promises” (DHT)

FEATURED MALE IN A MUSICAL

Fedrico Biven, “Camelot” (DHT)

Laurence Paxton, “Promises Promises” (DHT)

Michał Nowicki, “Camelot” (DHT)

Timothy Jeffryes, “The Who’s ‘Tommy’” (MVT)

FEATURED FEMALE IN A MUSICAL

Rachael Uyeno, “Sunday in the Park with George” (UHM)

Brooke Alcuran, “Camelot” (DHT)

Liz Stone, “Mamma Mia!” (DHT)

Sarah Halford, “Mamma Mia!” (DHT)

Shannon Winpenny, “Promises, Promises” (DHT)

Stacey Pulmano, “Mamma Mia!” (DHT)

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY

“The Mousetrap” (DHT)

“Gorilla” (UHM)

“Commedia Rep” (HSF)

“Othello” (HSF)

“The Tempest” (HMH)

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

“First Date” (MAM)

“Side by Side by Sondheim” (PKU)

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE IN A NON-TRADITIONAL PRODUCTION

“Subali-Sugriwa: Battle of the Monkey Kings” (UHM)

DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

Joyce Maltby, “Mothers & Sons” (TAG)

Wil Kahele, “Joker” (KKT)

Mark Branner, “Freud’s Last Session” (AWS)

Betty Burdick ,“Harold and Maude” (MVT)

Victoria Gail-White, “In the Next Room” (MVT)

Alex Munro, “Equus” (MVT)

DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Kimee Balmilero, “Mamma Mia!” (DHT)

Ahnya Chang, “Camelot” (DHT)

Gary E. Morris,,“First Date” (MAM)

Rob Duval, “The Who’s ‘Tommy’” (MVT)

John Rampage, “Promises Promises” (DHT)

DIRECTOR OF A NON-TRADITIONAL MUSICAL

Kirstin Pauka, “Subali-Sugriwa: Battle of the Monkey Kings” (UHM)

MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Emmett Yoshioka, “Promises Promises” (DHT)

Megan Mount, “Sunday in the Park with George” (UHM)

Melina Lillios ,“The Who’s ‘Tommy’” (MVT)

Timothy Carney, “First Date” (MAM)

MUSCIAL DIRECTOR – NON-TRADITIONAL PRODUCTION

I Made Widana, “Subali-Sugriwa: Battle of the Monkey Kings” (UHM)

DANCE CHOREOGRAPHER

Brad Powell, “Lysistrata Jones” (MVT)

Christine Yasunaga, “A Christmas Story” (DHT)

John Rampage, “Promises, Promises” (DHT)

Katherine L. Jones, “The Who’s ‘Tommy’” (MVT)

CHOREOGRAPHER/MOVEMENT – NON-TRADITIONAL PRODUCTION

I Made Widana and Anna Reynolds, “Subali-Sugriwa: Battle of the Monkey Kings” (UHM)

OVERALL PLAY

“Equus” (MVT)

“Freud’s Last Session” (AWS)

“Joker” (KKT)

“Mothers & Sons” (TAG)

“Not One Batu” (KKT)

“The Zoo Story” (TAG)

OVERALL MUSICAL

“First Date” (MAM)

“Sunday in the Park with George” (UHM)

“The Who’s ‘Tommy’” (MVT)

“Mamma Mia!” (DHT)

OVERALL NON-TRADITIONAL PRODUCTION

“Subali-Sugriwa: Battle of the Monkey Kings” (UHM)

COSTUME DESIGN

Karen Wolfe, “Camelot” (DHT)

Carlynn Wolfe, “In the Next Room” (MVT)

Jennifer Hart, “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” (MVT)

Karen Wolfe, “The Mousetrap” (DHT)

Katie Patrick, “Sunday in the Park with George” (UHM)

Rose Wolfe, “The Tempest” (HMH)

Grace Capellas, “First Date” (MAM)

Stephanie Brown Jones, “The Butterfly” (UHM)

SOUND DESIGN & ENGINEERING

Cameron Olson, “Mamma Mia!” (DHT)

Daniel Yoo, “First Date” (MAM)

Denny Hironaga, “#iambadatthis” (KKT)

Kerri Yoneda, “The Mousetrap” (DHT)

Peggy Anne Siegmund, “Othello” (HSF)

Richard Greaver, “Sunday in the Park with George” (UHM)

Richard, Karen & Ian Valasek “A Raisin in the Sun” (TAG)

Walid Alhamdy, “The Who’s ‘Tommy’” (MVT)

SET DESIGN

Willie Sabel, “A Christmas Story” (DHT)

Andrew Doan, “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” (MVT)

DeAnne Kennedy, “In the Next Room” (MVT)

Emma Robinson, “One Flea Spare” (UHM)

Jennifer Eccies, “Sunday in the Park with George” (UHM)

Reb Beau Allen, “Not One Batu” (KKT)

Rethi Chhoeun and Claire Paul, “First Date” (MAM)

Willie Sabel, “Camelot” (DHT)

Willie Sabel, “The Mousetrap” (DHT)

LIGHT DESIGN

Brian Shevelenko and I Made Moja, “Subali-Sugriwa: Battle of the Monkey Kings” (UHM)

BullDog, “Not One Batu” (KKT)

Christina Sutrov, “The Mousetrap” (DHT)

Dacia Samilo, “First Date” (MAM)

Dawn Oshima, “Mamma Mia!” (DHT)

Dawn Oshima, “A Christmas Story” (DHT)

Donald Ranney Jr., “Frangipani Perfume” (LCC)

Stephen Clear, “Camelot” (DHT)

Walid Alhamdy, “Harold and Maude” (MVT)

HAIR, MAKE-UP & WIG DESIGN

Friston Ho‘okano, “The Mousetrap” (DHT)

Friston Ho‘okano, “Camelot” (DHT)

Kamuela Dawn Napoleon, “Othello” (HSF)

Katie Patrick, “Sunday in the Park with George” (UHM)

Lisa Ponce de Leon, “Harold and Maude” (MVT)

Lisa Ponce de Leon, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (MVT)

Grace Capellas, “First Date” (MAM)

HAWAII RESIDENT PLAYWRIGHT’S ORIGINAL WORK

Tammy Haili‘opua Baker, “My Boy He Play Ball” (KKT)

Yilong Liu, “Joker” (KKT)

Susan Soon He Stanton, “#iambadatthis” (KKT)

GUEST ARTIST (NON-RESIDENT)

Mark Kanemura (choreography), “Mamma Mia!” (DHT)

Hannah Ii-Epstein (playwright), “Not One Batu” (KKT)

I Ketut Wirtawan (Indonesian cultural instructor), “Subali-Sugriwa: Battle of the Monkey Kings” (UHM)

Donovan Oakleaf (actor), “Freud’s Last Session” (AWS)

ADJUDICATORS’ SPECIAL AWARDS

Nick Ash (puppet design), “Gorilla” (UHM)

Frances Hisashima (props) “A Christmas Story” (DHT)

Amy Allyssa Johnson (original music), “Winter’s Tale” (HSF)

Laurence Paxton (vocal coaching), “Sunday in the Park with George” (UHM)

PIERRE BOWMAN AWARD

Sandra Finney

EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE AWARDS

AWS: Rachael Uyeno

Aloha Performing Arts Company: Engela Edwards

Chaminade: Christopher Patrinos

DHT: Suzanne Maloney

HSF: Cindy Meiers

HMH: Peggy Krock

KKT: Brian Onaga

LCC: Paul Kuehn

MVT: Alice Tucker

Maui OnStage: Anthony Levoy III

Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts: Nicole Chung

PKU: Andrew Doan

PlayBuilders Hawaii: Mark Merriam

TAG: Brian Gibson and Dennis Proulx

Kennedy Theatre: Andy Lee

Waimea Community Theatre: Kurt and Rhonda Simon

(AWS = All the World’s A Stage; DHT = Diamond Head Theatre; HSF = Hawaii Shakespeare Festival; HMH = Hawaiian Mission Houses; KKT = Kumu Kahua Theatre; LCC/LWT = Leeward Community College; MAM = Chaminade University; MVT = Manoa Valley Theatre; PKU = Paliku Theatre; TAG = The Actors’ Group; UHM = University of Hawaii-Manoa)