Damon Chua

Inspired by real-life cases of Chinese American scientists wrongly targeted for allegedly carrying out economic espionage for China, this timely play unfolds the ever-present xenophobia and “Yellow Peril” that exist even today. This comic-tragedy follows a fictitious Professor Qiu from an unname top college, forced to confront the harsh reality of his adopted country, even as he break ties with his dearest friend back in China.

Produced by InterAct Theatre Company of Philadelphia, with support from National Endowment for the Arts. Reviews can be found here and here.

The play was previous a Finalist of the 2023 Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative held by Illinois State University, as well as the Third Prize winner of the 2023 Muse of Fire Playwriting Festival held by Atlanta Shakespeare Company.

Set in the Han Dynasty and adapted from the Chinese classics Romance of the Three Kingdom, this play was inspired in equal parts by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and the videogame series Dynasty Warriors. The narrative focuses on two real-life figures, the Qiao sisters, who were not just beauties but combat-ready warriors out to defend their (underdog) country of Wu. Battling sexism in a highly patriarchal setting, the sisters overcame all odds and were instrumental in helping Wu to defeat their enemy in the famous Battle of Red Cliffs.

The play was commissioned by Pan Asian Rep and received support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Reviews can be found here and here.

Production was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, for Fight Choreography by Michael G Chin and Costume Design by Karen Boyer.

Commissioned by Climate Change Theatre Action (CCTA), this short play deals with a serious topic - global warming - through the lens of dark comedy.

The piece has been performed all over the world, from Belize to Canada, China, Germany, India, the Philippines, Singapore (of course), Wales and even Knoxville TN.

It has also been performed at Carnegie Mellon, Claremont College, CSU Bakersfield, Kennesaw State University, Ohio State University, Susquehanna Univertsity, University of Belize, University of New Hampshire, Warren Wilson College and Washington University at St. Louis.

Published together with pieces from CCTA 2019, you can get a copy here and here.

A review of the production in Jamaica.

A student production at the Groton School.

A west coast premiere directed by the incomparable Tim Dang. More about the 2019 production here.

An interview with sound designer and composer Howard Ho on how the soundscape was realized.

Another with choreographer Tom Tsai.

A New York premiere by Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, garnering some of the best reviews I’ve ever had.

Review #1

Review #2

Review #3

Review #4

One-act TYA play (3F/3M)

A new version of The Emperor’s Nightingale.

In this fun and entertaining tale designed for the whole family, Princess Hexiao must battle her half-brother Prince Jia to prove to the world (and herself) she has what it takes to be Court Royal, the Emperor’s trusted regent.

Encountering a rambunctious Tiger, a pair of Pandas and the all-important Nightingale along the way, Princess Hexiao quickly learns what it means (and what it takes) to be a true leader of her people.

A joint production of Theater Mu and Steppingstone Theatre.

A review.

The Princess’ Nightingale is published by Plays for New Audiences.

Full-length play (3F/4M)

Inspired by true events and set in China at the height of World War II, INCIDENT AT HIDDEN TEMPLE relates the story of a young Chinese woman, Ava Chow, a journalism student, who gets separated from her young sister, Lucy, during the wartime chaos. In her desperate search for Lucy, Ava arrives at the headquarters of the famous Flying Tigers, a squadron of American pilots based in Kunming, seeking help.

INCIDENT AT HIDDEN TEMPLE highlights the deep friendship that once existed between the Americans and the Chinese. If history provides a lesson, it is that anyone can play a part, however small, to change its course.  

The play was produced by PAN ASIAN REP in 2017 and directed by Kaipo Schwab.

Review #1. 

Review #2.

One-act TYA play (2F/4M)

An adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Nightingale," the play (written for a TYA audience) is set in China during the Qing Dynasty, specifically the 1720s, and explores the coming-of-age of Prince Bao, who would one day become the Qianlong Emperor, one of the greatest rulers of Imperial China.

The play showcases Chinese songs extant during the period, including "Mo Li Hua" (aka Jasmine Flower) and "Little White Boat."

It also incorporates elements of Chinese calligraphy, cipai (a Chinese poetic verse form), lion dance, Peking opera, puppetry, and xiangsheng (i.e. Chinese cross-talk), among others.     

The play made its world premiere at Adventure Theatre MTC in 2016. The script is published by Plays for New Audiences. 

The production is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. I spoke about it here.

Review #1.

Review #2.

Review #3.

Review #4.

Full-length play (2F/3M) 

The place: Peking, China. The year: 1947, an uneasy time between WWII and the Communist takeover two years later.

Randolph, a fresh-faced American operative, has been sent to the Raymond Chandler-esque Imperial City with an important mission. He soon chances into a staunch Maoist named Chinadoll, his would-be adversary and lover. A cat-and-mouse game ensues, complicated by the actions of the Belgian Ambassador and his current squeeze, the willful Simone.

As Randolph plunges deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness of what was once the most beautiful city in the world, he finds his life imperiled, even as he begins to unravel the mystery of a piece of old home-made film, and the whereabouts of a beautiful woman who seems to have vanished into thin air. 

Ovation Award for Best World Premiere Play.

An excerpt was included in the 2015 Best Women’s Stage Monologues published by Smith & Kraus.

Copies of the full script are available here and here.

Review #1.

Review #2.

Review #3.

Also available as a radio play.

Full-length play (4F/7M)

An experimental, multi-narrative, psychedelia-fueled examination of how the excesses of the sixties caused a backlash and spawned the conservative movement, this docu-fantasy centers on the Apollo 11 moon landing and makes imaginative riffs on real-life characters such as Mary Jo Kopechne (that of the infamous Chappaquiddick ride), Madalyn Murray O’Hair (once the most hated woman in America), Anita Bryant, astronaut Michael Collins, President Nixon, and the Kennedy brothers.

In pitting the conservatives against the liberals, we see the continuing debate between God and science, between seeing and believing.

How it came together.

A review.

Full-length play (3F/4M)

Inspired by real people and events associated with the historic Alexandria Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, the venue of the first Oscar Award ceremony and the home-away-from-home of movie stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino, THE GHOST BUILDING is a tragi-comedy that melds the 1920s silent movie era with the downtrodden downtown Los Angeles of early 2000s, through eerie humor and revelations of dark secrets.

At its center is a murder mystery, the investigation of which is led by the spirited but suave Vernon St. Vicks and adventurous Filipina tourist Cha-Cha Mangabay, in which they venture to release silent picture starlet Daisy Milbrandt from criminal suspicion all those years ago.

Along the way, they encounter resistance and opposition from Daisy’s mom Mrs. Potts, her personal valet Mr. Kipp, and a host of Old Hollywood types. But nothing is as it seems, as mounting twists and turns soon lead the intrepid investigators to a most unexpected climax.

Full-length play (2F/3M)

Long-lost cousins Millie Wu, a Chinese American, and Chan Pui Mun, from southern China, reach across the Pacific Ocean for a family reunion that starts well but soon descends into misunderstanding and conflict, as selfish and economic motives get the better of them.

A BOOK BY ITS COVER is a hilarious yet pointed glimpse of two lives becoming intertwined and whose fortunes reverse, set against a world where China begins to challenge the United States as a world power.

Produced by Grove Theater Center, the play was presented as a part of the National Asian American Festival 2011.

A review.

Ten-minute play (1F/1M)

A married couple deals with the gravity of loss and the loss of gravity, all in their own backyard. 

Ten-minute play (2F/2M)

Online dating is never easy, especially when an Asian mom is involved.

I talked about writing this play here.

Ten-minute play (2F/2M)

In this twisted tale of dark domestic dealings, we ask: does haute cuisine at home automatically translate into a dysfunctional family, or is incest as American as apple pie?

A review.

Ten-minute play (1F/1M)

Is modern technology a boon or bane to young folks trying to hook up? This surprising comedy explores and highs and lows of dating in the twenty-first century.

This was a reading done at the Valdez Theatre Conference (aka Last Frontier Theatre Conderence).