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Julia Cho

ジュリア・チョ

Julia Cho

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1975-07-05 （Los Angeles, California, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
West Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Career

Occupations
Playwright, Television writer, Screenwriter
Active Years
2001-

Education

Amherst College
Degree: BA
Country: United States
University of California, Berkeley
Degree: MA
Country: United States
New York University
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
The Juilliard School
Degree: Graduate diploma
Country: United States

Awards

Windham–Campbell Literature Prize
2020
Organization: Windham–Campbell Prizes (administered by Yale University)
Result: 受賞
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
2010
Work: The Language Archive
Organization: Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
Result: 受賞
L. Arnold Weissberger Award
2004
Work: BFE
Organization: Unknown
Result: 受賞
Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwriting Award
2005
Work: Durango
Organization: National Theatre Conference
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

99 Histories

2002 Play

Drama about Eunice, a young woman who discovers an unexpected pregnancy. She recalls childhood as a musical prodigy and confronts a dark family past. Explores memory, mother-child bonds, and the Korean concept of chung.

memorymother-child relationshipstraumadiaspora

The Language Archive

2009 Play

Depicts a dedicated linguist, George, who becomes unable to express himself after his marriage breaks up. Themes of language, love, and loss. Winner of the 2010 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

languagelovelossbreakdown of communication

Office Hour

2016 Play

Written in response to the Virginia Tech shooting; through a conversation in office hours the play examines notions of 'good' and 'bad', violent tendencies among students, and stereotypes about perpetrators.

violencemoralitycollege lifeprejudice

Aubergine

2017 Play

Explores Asian American identity through family and memory, incorporating discussions of food, diaspora, and the experiences of 1.5 and second-generation immigrants.

identityfamilyfooddiaspora

BFE

2003 Play

Depicts the life of fourteen-year-old Panny in her first year of high school, exploring childhood and the transition to adulthood.

coming of ageyouthidentity

The Architecture of Loss

2004 Play

Explores the aftermath of a son's disappearance and return, depicting multiple perspectives on loss and family impact.

lossfamilymemory

Durango

2006 Play

Story of Boo-Seng Lee, a Korean immigrant single father raising two sons in the American Southwest, contrasting the idea of the American Dream with reality.

immigrationfamilyAmerican Dream

The Winchester House

2006 Play

V's story about confronting the past and choosing whether to tell the original narrative or to create a new one.

memoryself-explorationnarrative

The Piano Teacher

2007 Play

About Mrs. K's nostalgia and the effects of reconnecting with former piano students; examines how memory can be both comforting and revealing of darker truths.

nostalgiamemoryloneliness

Bibliography

  • 99 Histories
  • BFE
  • The Architecture of Loss
  • Durango
  • The Winchester House
  • The Piano Teacher
  • The Language Archive
  • Office Hour
  • Aubergine

Adaptations

  • Turning Red (writer)
  • Elio (co-writer)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
contemporary realismsubtle psychological characterizationdialogue-driven structure
Recurring Motifs
memoryfamilyfooddiaspora

Legacy

Julia Cho is known for plays that weave Korean American experience, family, and memory. Active across theatre, television, and film, she has received international recognition including the 2010 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the 2020 Windham–Campbell Literature Prize.

Quotes

  • The play at its core is also just a play about life: about the things that we carry with us, the things that we eat, and why we eat the things we eat.
    Source: Author's comment / article about Aubergine (2017)

Trivia

  • Awarded the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize in 2020.
  • Contributed to the screenplays of Pixar films Turning Red (2022) and Elio (2025).
  • Won the 2010 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for The Language Archive.