Playwright

Zharia
O'Neal

(she/her)

Zharia O’Neal is a playwright, poet, and storyteller hailing from the British Virgin Islands. She writes b/Black comedy that investigates goodness, memory, and the sh*t she’s afraid to ask out loud. O’Neal is a 2023 Artist-in-Residence at Headlands Center for the Arts, 2022 William S. Yellow Robe Jr. Playwright-in-Residence at Sound Theatre Company, Humanitas Play LA Prize Winner, and a USC International Artist Fellow. She is a part of Geffen Playhouse’s 2025/2026 Writers’ Room. Her works have been commissioned by Diversifying the Classics and Sound Theatre Company and include: Roost (O’Neill National Playwrights Conference Semifinalist), Seven Stage Circle (Princess Grace Award Finalist, Ashland New Plays Festival Finalist), and Fling. M.F.A.: Dramatic Writing, University of Southern California.

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