Playwriting

Emma enjoys creating stories centering Asian Americans that are filled with love, joy, and comedy. At the same time, telling stories where Asian people can be the bad guys in their mistakes in human ways and having audiences witness our wide ranging identities and experiences is the core of what drives her as a writer. Additionally, she really enjoys co-writing with others and collaboration in development of new stories.

Emma was a member of Theatre Mu’s Emerging Playwrights Cohort, the Women’s Playwright Collective at Staten Island Shakespeare, and a member of PlayPenn’s Playwrights Cohort 2025. She was a semi-finalist for Playwrights’ Center’s Many Voices Fellowship and the Signpost Fellowship.

She is currently studying at Carnegie Mellon University’s MFA Dramatic Writing Program.

Who You Kiss For Fun

Who You Kiss for Fun is a romantic comedy following three Asian-American childhood friends, two of which–Tyler and Julie have been kissing for fun–but as Tyler emphasizes, they are NOT dating.. Meanwhile David struggles with the emasculation he feels as an Asian man and what his feelings are for Julie as they near the end of high school.

CAST

All characters are Asian.

JULIE: 18-year old girl, sarcastic, bold, but keeps a lot of her emotions to herself

DAVID: 18-year old guy, the grown up of the trio, not neccesarily not attractive.

TYLER: 18-year old guy, extremely attractive, the least mature of the trio

Who You Kiss for Fun was developed during the Emerging Writers Cohort with Theatre Mu and has had developmental readings with Picnic Basket Theatre, Jersey City Theatre Center, Frank Silvera’s Writers Workshop, and Melancholics Anonymous.

You may read the script at her New Play Exchange

The Rabbit on the Moon

Synopsis: When you die and you arrive in the afterlife, they tell you how old you are. People say that’s the year of your happiest memory. 

Avery, a depressed father, lands in the afterlife and is reunited with his daughter, Lotte, who passed away as a teenager. Despite being together, Avery can’t shake the fact that his happiest memory happened after Lotte died. 

Avery must go on a journey to figure out what his happiest memory is with the help of his best friend Mars, a little boy named Timmy, and a Rabbit that lives on the moon or risk losing Lotte if he cannot believe in or express his care and love.

CAST

Age is pertinent to the story. If a character is listed as American, they can be of any race. 

AVERY 48, he/him, Asian, a weight of depression is on him, cannot express his emotions and care

LOTTE (pronounced Law-tea) 18, she/her, Asian American, suddenly childlike, suddenly older, always gentle, Avery’s daughter

MARS 37, they/them, American, eternally young in energy, undeniably wise, Lotte’s friend before she died, Avery’s best friend after Lotte died

TIMMY/THE RABBIT 10, he/him, American a cheerful child, a cheerful rabbit

THOM (pronounced Tom) 18, he/him, American, Lotte’s high school boyfriend

PIANIST, any race, she/her

The Rabbit on the Moon was workshopped in Workshop Theatre’s Intensive.

My Best Friend Amy Jo and I Killed President Snow

Amy Jo and Jes probably shouldn't be best friends. They know it. Their friends know it. Even Principal Snow agrees! Yikes! But wouldn’t it be easier to just kill him than to actually deal with their friendship issues??

CAST

JES (16, BIPOC, she/her): the writer and narrator of this play, a prickly presence and sense of humor, has to force her voice to be heard, Amy Jo is her best friend

AMY JO (16, East Asian, she/her): pretty, good at everything, perfect, Jes is her best friend

MT (16, Brown South Asian, he/him): loud and obnoxious sense of humor, Amy Jo’s ex

DANIEL (16, White, he/him): nice jock guy, there for Amy Jo

SAMUEL (16, BIPOC, he/him): on Reddit a lot so he’s well-read

PRINCIPAL SNOW/PRESIDENT SNOW ((33), White, he/him): emotionally intelligent, cares about students and their relationships–possibly too much

An excerpt from My Best Friend Amy Jo and I Killed President Snow was shared at Sewanee Writers Conference.

Manifest Destiny Trilogy
Part 1: It Was Hysteria

It Was Hysteria takes place at the bottom of the ocean in an expanding military base during a future American War on Asia. Tensions rise when the higher ups send a note warning of a spy among them and the racist policies on the surface inevitably still reach them. Meanwhile, a mysterious Sea Monster appears.

CAST

CHARACTERS

All characters live in the United States and are not a part of the states that seceded.

KYLE (they/he)-25-Asian, a journalist paid by the government who writes as an Asian face in support of assimilation and policies the government introduces. Enjoys musing over difficult things. Paige’s childhood friend.

PAIGE (she/they)-25-White, wants to become President of the United States in the next 16 years, at the forefront of advocating against anti-Asian policies

MICHAEL (he/him)-30-Asian, Paige’s bodyguard, holds himself like a hero of the highest morals

LAURA (she/her)-25-Asian, Paige’s Father’s assistant, accepts her place and has learned to smoothly navigate through the harsher realities of the world

JOHN (he/him)-30-White, the team leader, military engineer married to Laura to help protect her rights

THE SEA MONSTER—can grants wishes if you agree to trade your potential away and stay at the bottom of the ocean as a mermaid

Manifest Destiny was a Finalist for Pipeline Theatre Co.’s 2024 PlayLab. and had a staged reading as a part of Limefest at the Tank NYC.