David Quang Pham

David Quang Pham is an award-winning composer-playwright and science communicator in Washington Heights. Their stage musicals include ELLIPSES (2023 Theatre About Science International Conference, 2022 O’Neill semifinalist) and TURNOVER: A NEW LEAF (2024 Philadelphia New Musicals Festival’s Best Book, Best Director Awards – Aliyah Curry, Best Musical nomination), one acts LIFE AFTER with composer Marie Incontrera and lyricist Stephanie L Carlin and CHECK OUT with composer Eric Grunin and lyricist Valerie Work. He is also an aspiring animation screenwriter, studying under David N Weiss and Kimberly Barrante at Sundance Collab.

David’s storytelling combines genre elements, significantly drawn from fantasy and science fiction. His comic writing alternates fluidly between wordplay and elevated language. Common themes in his work include human nature, coming-of-age, parent-child relationships, environmentalism, queer identity, immigration, and technology. His pentatonic music composition blends pop, punk, and Vietnamese folk elements to create sung melodies that reflect his family’s Eastern influences. They are under the mentorship of composers Janelle Lawrence and Gonzalo Valencia-Peña.

David’s plays have been produced by or developed at Musical Theatre Factory, The Tank, Theatre 71, Abington Art Center, Queer Theatre Kalamazoo, and Signature Theatre’s Sigspace. He is a veteran of several professional development programs, most recently NYPL’s Across a Crowded Room (2021, 2023, 2024). He is the 2024 Great Performances Artist Fellowship Award recipient, 2022 Harriet Tubman Effect Institute commissioned composer, 2021 Playwrights Foundation Literary Fellow, and 2020 Working Title Playwrights Apprentice.

When not writing songs full of science puns, David plays trombone for Queer Big Apple Corps, Musicians United for Social Equity, and professionally for Marching Band Casting. He performs the đàn tranh zither, recently for Mekong NYC’s 2025 Lunar New Year event. They hold a B.S. in Astrophysics and minor in theatre from Michigan State University. Be up to lightspeed at sciencetheatre.us and @sciencetheatre.