PJ O'Neal
PLAYWRIGHT | SONGWRITER | FOOD WRITER

PLAYWRIGHT | SONGWRITER | FOOD WRITER

PJ O’Neal (He/Him) is a multi-disciplinary artist, playwright, food writer, and educator. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and a facilitator for The Tank NYC’s Lit Council for male playwrights of color. Previous work include a solo musical, CODE RED which had its world premier at the Borderlight Theatre Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the inaugural winner for the Curtain Rising Award in 2025 for his play STINGER that had an industry reading April 2025, produced by NewYorkRep and Sea Dog Theater. His play I Was Raised By Television was also a finalist for the Black Broadway Men’s Jesse L. Kearney Playwriting Initiative. He received his MFA in playwriting from Hunter College, where he is also an Adjunct Lecturer in the Theatre Department. His food writing can be found in publications such as Allrecipes, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and The Spruce Eats.
Artist Resume (pdf)
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A formerly incarcerated and renowned chef, is set out to mentor high school dropouts through culinary arts. He must face new fame, success, family, trauma, and the horrors of mass incarceration.
DRAMA, FULL-LENGTH, 3M / 2W
Workshop/Reading, Curtain Rising Reading Festival, Sea Dog Theatre/NewYorkRep, directed by Dominique Rider (April, 2025) Winner, Curtain Rising Reading Festival Award
Staged Reading, New York, NY, The TANK, directed by Ashley Thomas (June 2024)
A beloved and queer restaurant in the Meatpacking District of New York City is on the brink of closing due to gentrification
COMEDY, FULL-LENGTH, 4M / 3F
Staged Reading, New York, NY, The Loewe Theater at Hunter College, directed by Emil Weinstein (May, 2025)
Inspired by and adapted from Willa Cather's "Paul's Case," the New York City drag queen, LaRouge, puts on a one-woman show about her journey from the mundane Midwest to the invigorating New York City.
Music available for streaming!
COMEDY, SOLO SHOW, 1M (NB)
Production, New York, NY, The TANK, directed by Alexander Scelso (September, 2025)
Borderlight Theatre Festival, Cleveland, OH, Cleveland Playhouse, directed by Alexander Scelso (August, 2023)
A coming-of-age story of a young Black boy defined in three stages of his life; childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This family drama chronicles the complexities of single parenting, and the influence of television has on young minds who often have nowhere else to rely on but the black box in their living room.
DRAMEDY, FULL-LENGTH, 2M / 3W
Finalist, Black Broadway Men's Jesse L. Kearney Playwriting Initiative Award

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