The March People’s Choice Award goes to…

The people have spoken… The March People’s Choice Award goes to Howard Ho for his short play Jie Jie, presented as a staged reading live at The Producers Club and simulcast on March 25th. Congratulations, Howard!

Courtesy of Howard, we’re pleased to share the first few pages from the award-winning script. Enjoy!

Jie Jie
by Howard Ho

CAST
JADA – Female – 20s – Asian – A UC Berkeley student
CHRIS – Male – 50s – White – A celebrated director who works in Hollywood, British accent
WU – Female – 40s-60s – Asian – A Chinese woman in a qípáo, equal parts auntie and scholar

JADA, a young Asian American female student, and CHRIS, British
Hollywood director, are standing in a classroom at the University of
California, Berkeley campus. He is holding an Oscar Award statue.

JADA
Hi, Welcome Mr. Nolan! I’m Jada, and I’ve been assigned to give you access to any room you’d like. And can I just say it’s such an honor you’d come all the way to Berkeley after your big night at the Oscars!

CHRIS
Yes, we expected to win many awards…and we did!

JADA
Very cool. Can I get a selfie?

CHRIS
Oh, I’d rather not. If you get one, then you post it on Instagram and soon everyone in the department would have to get one. It’s the proverbial snowball effect. And besides, I’m here on a slightly secretive mission…which involves the cyclotron and beta decay and well…I don’t mean to bore you…but you get the idea.

JADA
Yeah, on Barbenheimer Day…I’m ashamed to say I opted to watch Barbie-

CHRIS
That’s entirely fair…and I even expect it! But at the risk of being rude, I was hoping I could spend a moment alone here in this hall. Would you mind?

JADA
Of course not. I’ll be outside if you need me for anything.

JADA exits.

CHRIS
(whispering)
Hi, it’s Academy Award winner Chris Nolan here! Robert, are you there?

Nothing happens. CHRIS amps himself up to try again.

CHRIS
(fanatically)
J. Robert Oppenheimer, reveal yourself! I’ve heard that your ghost roams the halls here at the Berkeley Physics department where you first worked on the bomb. I’ve brought you this!
(holds up an Oscar statuette)
It’s an Oscar, our Oscar. I wanted you to know your story has been told with great distinction…by yours truly…and that perhaps you may rest a bit easier knowing your legacy will live on and be known / by millions for years to come…

WU
(an offstage voice)
Aiya! Who are you?

WU, a Chinese grandmother in a traditional Chinese qípáo dress, enters.

CHRIS
Oh, my goodness. I was told I’d have the room to myself. How much of that did you hear?

WU
All of it.

CHRIS
Please don’t tell me you were recording. If the press got a hold of me talking to the ghost of Oppenheimer, I’d be a laughingstock.

WU
Haha, Chinese talk to ghosts all the time with their ancestors! It’s not funny to me.

CHRIS
Oh thank goodness. So you’ll keep this between us?

WU
Hush hush.

CHRIS
Splendid. Well, good day to you.

WU
You want me to leave?

Join us for Best of PlayGround(NY) ’24, live at The Producers Club and simulcast on April 22! For more info, click here!