Howard Ho

Howard Ho is a playwright and composer. His play BEETHOVEN'S THIRD was a winner of the 2024 Samuel French OOB Festival. His full-length play RESET was produced at Moving Arts in 2023. RESET is an O'Neill National Playwrights Finalist and a Bay Area Playwrights Semifinalist. Previously his play VARIOUS EMPORIA was also an O'Neill Finalist. His short works WHERE I’M FROM and END OF THE LINE were both Finalists in the Samuel French OOB Festival. WHERE I’M FROM was previously featured in Center Theatre Group’s Community Stories and is currently being developed into a full-length musical. END OF THE LINE is published by Theatre Now New York and is licensed by MTI. His musical PRETENDO was featured in Center Theatre Group’s Library Reading Series and featured in Compose LA. He’s been a member of...

Howard Ho is a playwright and composer. His play BEETHOVEN'S THIRD was a winner of the 2024 Samuel French OOB Festival. His full-length play RESET was produced at Moving Arts in 2023. RESET is an O'Neill National Playwrights Finalist and a Bay Area Playwrights Semifinalist. Previously his play VARIOUS EMPORIA was also an O'Neill Finalist. His short works WHERE I’M FROM and END OF THE LINE were both Finalists in the Samuel French OOB Festival. WHERE I’M FROM was previously featured in Center Theatre Group’s Community Stories and is currently being developed into a full-length musical. END OF THE LINE is published by Theatre Now New York and is licensed by MTI. His musical PRETENDO was featured in Center Theatre Group’s Library Reading Series and featured in Compose LA. He’s been a member of writers groups at Moving Arts, The Vagrancy, Playground-LA, Playground-NY, and Company of Angels. He has sound designed over 50 shows with nominations from the Ovation Award and the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. His Youtube channel (youtube.com/HowardHoMusic) dissecting musicals has over 120,000 subscribers and was recognized by Lin-Manuel Miranda. His journalism has been published in Entertainment Weekly, LA Times, Howlround, and American Theatre magazine. He holds a Musicology degree from UCLA and a Master of Professional Writing degree from USC. Instagram: @howardwho

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Scripts

Beethoven's Third

by Howard Ho

4
Cast Size
3
Genre
comedy,
farce,
satire,
science fiction

On the eve of a revolutionary new path toward his artistic destiny, Ludwig Van Beethoven is visited by two strangers who reveal the true nature of his artistic genius.

On the eve of a revolutionary new path toward his artistic destiny, Ludwig Van Beethoven is visited by two strangers who reveal the true nature of his artistic genius.

Reset

by Howard Ho

5
Cast Size
4
Genre
drama,
mystery/thriller,
political,
science fiction,
tragedy

Finalist, O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2023

2020 Chernobyl. A man takes part in a secret new life-changing treatment that promises he will attain his “best self.” But what he thinks is a self-help retreat turns into a mind-bending quantum physics experiment that will reveal the devastating truths of what the future actually holds for him. Could his “best self” be the key to mankind’s salvation?

Finalist, O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2023

2020 Chernobyl. A man takes part in a secret new life-changing treatment that promises he will attain his “best self.” But what he thinks is a self-help retreat turns into a mind-bending quantum physics experiment that will reveal the devastating truths of what the future actually holds for him. Could his “best self” be the key to mankind’s salvation?

Where I'm From

by Howard Ho

Cast Size
4
Genre
comedy,
drama

When a co-worker asks Howard out to lunch in the San Gabriel Valley, the Asian American enclave where he grew up, Howard reexamines his relationship with his hometown and his identity.

When a co-worker asks Howard out to lunch in the San Gabriel Valley, the Asian American enclave where he grew up, Howard reexamines his relationship with his hometown and his identity.

Parity

by Howard Ho

Cast Size
1
Genre
biography,
docudrama/historic,
drama,
young audiences

PARITY was a law of physics until a Chinese American woman disproved it against all odds. This is the true story of Chien-Shiung Wu 吴健雄 AKA the First Lady of Physics and the Queen of Nuclear Research.

PARITY was a law of physics until a Chinese American woman disproved it against all odds. This is the true story of Chien-Shiung Wu 吴健雄 AKA the First Lady of Physics and the Queen of Nuclear Research.

Various Emporia

by Howard Ho

4
Cast Size
5
Genre
comedy,
dark comedy,
drama,
farce,
melodrama,
political,
satire,
tragedy

Finalist, O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2017

As Charles and Nancy Unger prepare to perform in a church production of The Mikado, their daughter Hannah returns from college challenging their use of yellowface. To prove he has no bigotry, Charles urges Hannah to invite local store owner Mr. Chung to dinner, which turns into a disaster when the Ungers' estranged adopted Chinese son visits on the same...

Finalist, O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2017

As Charles and Nancy Unger prepare to perform in a church production of The Mikado, their daughter Hannah returns from college challenging their use of yellowface. To prove he has no bigotry, Charles urges Hannah to invite local store owner Mr. Chung to dinner, which turns into a disaster when the Ungers' estranged adopted Chinese son visits on the same night.

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Disappointment Island

by Howard Ho

1
Cast Size
6
Genre
comedy,
dark comedy,
drama,
political,
verse

A crackpot Chinese billionaire dies leaving behind a joint trust fund to his two sons, one a Chinese American wannabe rapper and the other an illegitimate Chinese Mexican never-do-well. Trouble is, the inheritance comes with horribly offensive strings attached. Will the brothers follow the money or their hearts?

A crackpot Chinese billionaire dies leaving behind a joint trust fund to his two sons, one a Chinese American wannabe rapper and the other an illegitimate Chinese Mexican never-do-well. Trouble is, the inheritance comes with horribly offensive strings attached. Will the brothers follow the money or their hearts?

End of the Line

by Howard Ho

Cast Size
4
Genre
adventure,
comedy,
fable/folktale,
fantasy,
musical,
young audiences

Four worker ants set out on a routine mission to retrieve tasty morsels for their colony and end up on the quest of a lifetime. When faced with a fork in the road, will they return home empty handed or receive a hero’s welcome for discovering the “legendary stuff” long prophesied by their ancestors?

Four worker ants set out on a routine mission to retrieve tasty morsels for their colony and end up on the quest of a lifetime. When faced with a fork in the road, will they return home empty handed or receive a hero’s welcome for discovering the “legendary stuff” long prophesied by their ancestors?

The Nightingale Mixtape

by Howard Ho

1
Cast Size
5
Genre
adaptation,
comedy,
dark comedy,
fable/folktale,
fantasy,
farce,
musical,
parody/spoof,
political,
satire,
translation

A hip-hop adaptation of The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen. When the Emperor sends his Courtier out to find the famed songbird Nightingale, it turns out she is actually a fierce female rapper with a lyrical agenda to stop the Emperor's colonialist regime. Unfortunately, while the Emperor loves Nightingale's melodic virtuosity, he can't understand her words.

A hip-hop adaptation of The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen. When the Emperor sends his Courtier out to find the famed songbird Nightingale, it turns out she is actually a fierce female rapper with a lyrical agenda to stop the Emperor's colonialist regime. Unfortunately, while the Emperor loves Nightingale's melodic virtuosity, he can't understand her words.