Playwright

Howard Skora is a Los Angeles–based playwright, director, and screenwriter known for his comedic works: Freud on Cocaine, Gaslight House, Damaged Furniture, and Miserable with an Ocean View. With four world premieres at the Whitefire Theatre, he has established himself as a prolific voice in the LA theatrical scene.

Freud on Cocaine, his most recent work, had two sold-out runs in 2023 and 2024, earning seven Broadway World Los Angeles Award nominations.

His 2022 play, Gaslight House, which he also directed, received six Broadway World Los Angeles Award nominations, including Best Play, Best Direction, Best Ensemble Performance, and Best Performer (Alex Skuby), along with numerous five-star reviews. Stage Raw wrote: “Skora comes from a stand-up comedy background, and his mastery of humor shines in the show’s writing… Gaslight House is an unforgettable experience.”

His 2018 play, Damaged Furniture, directed by Jim Fall, ran for six months and was the top-rated original comedy in Los Angeles on Better-Lemons for its entire run, earning a “100% sweet critic rating.” It later garnered an Ovation nomination for Featured Actress in a Play (Jessica Pohly), as well as Best Play and Best Writer nominations at the 2019 Valley Theater Awards.

Skora’s first play, Miserable with an Ocean View, directed by Jim Fall, premiered in 2015 starring Oscar nominee Patty McCormack and ran for five sold-out months. It was named “Most Promising New Play” by Don Grigware in the Broadway World Eddon Awards and earned multiple Valley Theater Award nominations, including Best Play and Best Director.

Skora studied screenwriting at UCLA Extension, where he received the Diane Thomas Screenwriting Award for his screenplay The Trainer. He is also the first-place winner of the 5th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition and used the $10,000 prize to complete Nick Name and The Normals, his first independent feature-length documentary, which premiered in London at the National Film Theatre. He develops most of his work with the members of The Actor’s Gym, run by his longtime mentor, Oscar winner Bobby Moresco, and is grateful to collaborate with the actors and artists who continue to shape his productions. He also serves as a board member of the Desert Playwrights Retreat.