Meet Henry Ong

Today we’d like to introduce you to Henry Ong.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Henry Ong. I am a playwright. I’d known that I wanted to write very early in life, but my parents were more interested in me pursuing a medical degree. I had to prove to them I had no interest or aptitude in medicine, but to please them, I majored in biology. After graduating with a Science degree, I decided I would follow my own path. I, therefore, went into journalism and enjoyed it for a while. Still, I did not feel fulfilled. I would write plays in secret. My first play, Madame Mao’s Memories, was produced at Theatre/Theater in a very small theater in Hollywood, and it became an instant success.

It was produced nationally and internationally, including at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego and TheatreWorks in Singapore and the Latchmere in London. It established me as a playwright. I went on to write many more plays, including Sweet Karma (about Oscar-winner and Khmer Rouge survivor Haing Ngor), Fabric (Thai sweatshop garment workers slavery case), and Ascent (about a Space Age pioneer, Qian Xuesen). My adaptation of a seventeenth-century Spanish gem (Jealous of Herself) by Tirso de Molina, titled “The Blade of Jealousy” opens on Sunday, June 24.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The Blade of Jealousy began as a commission from Playwrights’ Arena and UCLA’s William Andrews Clark Memorial Library to spur interest in untapped Spanish Renaissance plays. We did two readings (at the Odyssey Theatre and the Road Theatre) as a developmental process. Both readings were well-received. Whitefire Theatre became interested in scheduling it in its season, so we said yes. So far it’s been fairly smooth sailing, but as with any production, there are challenges. Our original cast was not available by the time where we were ready to produce. But I’m glad to say we’re now on track and ready to go!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Henry Ong – what should we know?
If you consider me, Henry Ong (the playwright) as a business, I am a playwright who is motivated to tell stories via the stage. That’s what I specialize in. I am known as an activist playwright, having written several plays on serious topics, such as “Fabric,” about the Thai garment workers slavery case. “Sweet Karma” dealt with the Cambodian holocaust told through the lens of survivor Oscar-winner Haing Ngor. A work-in-progress “Ascent” is about a Space Age pioneer, Qian Xuesen, who was deported back to his native China during the McCarthy era, despite any lack of evidence that he was a Communist.

But I do not only write heavy topics. Occasionally, I veer into adaptations of the classics, e.g. “Rachel Ray” (no, not about the chef but based on a Victorian novel of the same name by Anthony Trollope) and “The Blade of Jealousy” (based on Tirso de Molina’s classic Jealous of Herself) which opens soon. What I am most proud of myself as a playwright is that I have overcome the difficulty of establishing myself as a bona fide playwright in Los Angeles. What sets me apart? I am me, and I write what moves me. If others see fit to produce my work, great. If not, I write to fulfill my artistic soul.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Humility. I came late to the game and so knew that there was a lot I had to catch up with.

I did not major in the Arts. I learned to write by writing. I read a lot of plays, see as much theater as I can–that is my education. I enjoy theater and even appreciate “bad” theater because I learn what works and what doesn’t. I am open to the universe as to what stories to tell. I do not have a game plan, but I really believe that if one is true to one’s self, that is the path.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.henryong.org

Image Credit:
Ivelisse Photography, Tom Carmichael

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