David Quang Pham is a musical theater science communicator authoring regionally and Off-Broadway-produced science musicals. As a Vietnamese American scientist, Eastern fables and modern science inform his stories. His notable musicals that personify astrophysics, quantum mechanics, climatology, chemistry, entomology, and botany are respectively: Ellipses (2024 Syracuse NWNV semifinalist, 2023 Theatre About Science International Conference, 2023 Musical Theatre Factory at Signature Theatre, 2023 Milky Way Theatre Company at Theatre 71, 2022 Colorado New Musical Festival, 2022 O'Neill Theater Center semifinalist, 2021 Working Title Playwrights), Tour (2020 Downtown Urban Arts Festival finalist), The Seasoned Veteran, Chemicals in the Water, The Bookworms, and Turnover: A New Leaf (2025 Queer Theatre Kalamazoo, 2024 The Tank’s Pridefest, 2024 Theatre on the Verge at Abington Art Center, 2023 Undiscovered Countries Infinite Festival). He collaborated with Stephanie L. Carlin and Marie Incontrera on Life After (2023 NYPL Performing Arts at Bruno Walter Auditorium). He is writing Parallel University, an interactive musical, and other non-fables: The Control Freaks and The Poster Child, a TYA fantasy musical.
Milky Way Theatre Company produced a sold-out industry reading of Ellipses in Theatre 71 at Blessed Sacrament during their 2023 Off-Broadway New Works Festival. Ellipses also performed internationally at the Theatre About Science International Conference in Coimbra, Portugal. At Theatre on the Verge’s New Musicals Festival, Turnover was nominated for Best Musical and won Best Book and Best Director (Aliyah Curry). Fang Tseng recently directed The Tank’s 2024 PrideFest concert reading. Queer Theatre Kalamazoo is producing Turnover to finish their 11th season from May 16-18, 2025. Milan Levy is directing this production.
After completing an astrophysics and theatre education at Michigan State University, he studied playwriting as the 2020-2021 New Play and Dramaturgy Apprentice of Working Title Playwrights, Atlanta. He was the 2021-2022 Literary Fellow of Playwrights Foundation, San Francisco. Composer Janelle Lawrence mentors him, helping to forge his broad range of musical styles including pop, punk, tango, and Cai Luong. commissioned his music. His interviews with composers for Kennedy Center’s BIPOC Critics Lab are published in The Public and TheaterMania. Alexis Hauk interviewed him in the American Theatre Magazine’s Winter 2024 issue. He also consults on stories that explore STEM. His recent dramaturgical credits are Millennials are Killing Musicals by Nico Juber (2022 29-hour reading, Open Jar Studios) and Allies by Michael McGoldrick (2022 PPADC Hamilton Arts Festival). His recent stage management credit is BAS by Janelle Lawrence and Sugar Vendil (2023 JACK). He is a moderator at LMDA; a screenwriter for the We Forgot the Title sketch group; founding member of CreateTheater and the International Dramaturgy Lab; member of ΣΠΣ, ASCAP, and the Dramatists Guild. He plays trombone in the Queer Big Apple Corps, MUSE’s Sitprobe Experience, and professionally in Marching Band Casting. His moonbase is in Washington Heights. His earth is Wyoming, Michigan. Be up to lightspeed at sciencetheatre.us and @sciencetheatre
Translated from Lourdes Guzmán González: David Quang Pham (él) es un dramaturgista de la ciencia. Gracias a viajes juveniles a óperas y campamentos espaciales, ahora escribe cartas de amor a la ciencia y diseña historias desde sus ramas. Después de terminar su educación en astrofísica y teatro en la Universidad del estado de Michigan, estudió una mentoría en Working Title Playwrights (WTP) en Atlanta. Janelle Lawrence es su mentora. Su ópera subatómica, TOUR, es finalista del Festival Downtown Urban Arts 2020. Su mitología cósmica épica, ELLIPSES, es protagonizada por Singularity y sus adolescentes Galaxies y sigue su búsqueda para deshacer el Big Bang, después de que su perro Gravity lo desencadena. Este musical familiar fue desarrollado en talleres anuales con WTP junto con la dramaturgista Jordan Alexandria Ealey. Las canciones serán presentadas en la Universitdad Durban de Tecnología en octubre de 2021. En el Laboratorio Internacional de Dramaturgismo inaugural (International Dramaturgy Lab), su equipo Constellations construyó prácticas dramaturgísticas basadas en cosmología. Es miembro fundador de CreateTheater y miembro de ΣΠΣ, ASCAP y el Gremio de Dramaturgxs (Dramatists Guild).
The formulaic song featuring Max Boone as Parsley and Kimi Handa Brown as Pyrus. Choreography by Director Fang-Tseng, Music Director Carla Mongado, Percussionist Ethan Lucas, Pianist Joshua Erickson, Guitarist Timmy Ong, and Violinist Emerson Cyrus Olson.
The big production number near the end of first act when Milky Way learns to accept their adolescent self. The song is recorded by Working Title Playwrights Acting Ensemble featuring Evan Hill Phillips (Milky Way), Daniel Sakamoto-Wengel (Oort Cloud), Abby Holland (Uranus), Jason-Jamal Ligon (Saturn), Skye Passmore (Jupiter), Daniela Cobb (Mercury), and Minka Wiltz (Sun).
The family favorite song of ELLIPSES. The song is recorded by Working Title Playwrights Acting Ensemble featuring Abby Holland (Triangulum), Jason-Jamal Ligon (Cartwheel), Skye Passmore (Whirlpool), Daniel Sakamoto-Wengel (Andromeda), and Evan Hill Phillips (Milky Way).
"Anomaly is Everything" · ELLIPSES“Anomaly is Everything” is dedicated to Working Title Playwrights. Vocals: Abby Holland & Therecia Lang · Composer & Lyricist: David Quang Pham #Ellipses #AnomalyIsEverything
Posted by ELLIPSES on Friday, January 1, 2021
Gravity is trying to get HD to relax. The song is recorded by Working Title Playwrights Acting Ensemble featuring Vallea E. Woodbury (Gravity) and Daniela Cobb (HD).
HD wants to go to the Edge of the Universe. The song is recorded by MilkyWay Theatre Company's 2023 team featuring Isaac Williams (HD1), Maria Noriko Cabral (Gravity), Joseph Lee (Singularity), Karina Ordóñez (Cartwheel), Kristen Amanda Vargas Smith (Whirlpool), Carla Angeline Mongado (Triangulum), Yoosep Im (Andromeda), and Yasmin Ranz-Lind (Milky Way). The band is Simon Broucke (Pianist), Brandon Jackson (Percussionist), Jason Shu (Violinist), and Isabelle Wood (Guitarist).<
The choreographic opener and motif of the Galaxies. The song is recorded by MilkyWay Theatre Company's 2023 team featuring Flynn Jungbin Byun (Ing), Oscar E Chicaiza (Be), Kenedi Chriske (Tidal), Leigh Dillon (Tidal), Yoosep I (Andromeda), Chyna Jackson (Tidal), Chris King (Tidal), Joseph Lee (Singularity), Sabrina López (Tidal), Carla Angeline Mongado (Triangulum), Maria Noriko Cabral (Gravity), Karina Ordóñez (Cartwheel), Yasmin Ranz-Lind (Milky Way), Kristen Amanda Vargas Smith (Whirlpool), Caitlyn Somerville (Tidal), Eli Wassertzug (Tidal), and Isaac Williams (HD1). The band is Simon Broucke (Piano), Brandon Jackson (Percussions), Jason Shu (Violin), and Isabelle Wood (Guitar).
"Anomaly is Everything" · ELLIPSES“Anomaly is Everything” is dedicated to Working Title Playwrights.
Hard Science
"Big Bang" from Ellipses
The violent altercation between Gravity, Singularity, and HD1. The song is recorded by Working Title Playwrights Acting Ensemble featuring Minka Wiltz (Singularity), Vallea E. Woodbury (Gravity), and Daniela Cobb (HD1).
"Time is Relative" from Ellipses
Cartwheel and Whirlpool discover time together. The song is recorded by Working Title Playwrights Acting Ensemble featuring Jason-Jamal Ligon (Cartwheel) and Skye Passmore (Whirlpool).
"Time is Relative" · ELLIPSES“Time is Relative” premiered for Working Title Playwrights, in celebration of Lunar New Year. This is the first draft's take of this song. This duet has drastically changed in the following drafts. Vocals: Kari Twyman & Skye Passmore · Stage Manager: Alexis McKay · Composer & Lyricist: David Quang Pham #Ellipses #TimeIsRelative
Posted by ELLIPSES on Monday, April 12, 2021"Crunch" from Ellipses
The opening number when Singularity, Cartwheel, Whirlpool, Triangulum, Andromeda, and Milky Way pray together. The song is recorded by MilkyWay Theatre Company's 2023 team featuring Joseph Lee (Singularity), Karina Ordóñez (Cartwheel), Kristen Amanda Vargas Smith (Whirlpool), Carla Angeline Mongado (Triangulum), Yoosep Im (Andromeda), and Yasmin Ranz-Lind (Milky Way). The band is Simon Broucke (Pianist), Brandon Jackson (Percussionist), Jason Shu (Violinist), and Isabelle Wood (Guitarist).
"Entanglement" from Tour
Boson entangles Quark in a research proposal. This song is recorded by Brian Egland (Boson). The guitar is played by Lee Cleaveland.
"Symmetry" from Tour
The opening number when Atom, Lepton, Boson, and the particles start college in the Accelerator. The song is recorded by Diana Easter (Lepton), Brian Egland (Boson), Rina Lubit (Atom), and Rebecca Chan (Particles).
"Symmetry" · TOUR“Symmetry” was unveiled at Musical Cafe: The SF Bay Area Musical Theatre Development Program on September 12, 2020 and at Musical Theatre Factory on September 21, 2020. Vocals: Rina Lubit & Diana Easter & Brian Egland & Rebecca Chan · Composer & Lyricist: David Quang Pham #TourTheMusical
Posted by TOUR on Saturday, November 28, 2020"Backscatter" from Tour
Quark tells Lepton that they are ending their doctoral advisor-student relationship. This song is recorded by Diana Easter (Lepton) and Kami Visitsak (Quark).
"Backscatter" · TOUR“Backscatter” was unveiled at Musical Theatre Factory on June 26, 2020. Vocals: Diana Easter & Kami Visitsak · Narration: Bianca Waechter · Composer & Lyricist: David Quang Pham #TOURTheMusical
Posted by TOUR on Friday, July 10, 2020SPACEY
"Undecided" from Parallel University
The freshman is undecided in their major. This song is recorded by Sophie Sagan-Gutherz and orchestrated by Stephanie Carlin.
"Valence" from Tour
Lepton tries to teach Quark that validation is unnecessary while they juggle orbitals of students. This song is recorded by Diana Easter (Lepton), Kami Visitsak (Quark), and Rina Lubit (Atom).