[SOLD OUT] Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice / April 18, 2024 by David Hwang

Discussions Begin at 6:30 Reception to follow at 8:30

Known throughout his lifetime as the “undisputed, unofficial Asian American photographer laureate,” the late photojournalist Corky Lee documented Asian American and Pacific Islander communities for fifty years, breaking the stereotype of Asian Americans as docile, passive, and, above all, foreign to this country. Corky Lee’s Asian America is a stunning retrospective of his life’s work — a selection of the best photographs from his vast collection, from his start in New York’s Chinatown in the 1970s to his coverage of diverse Asian American communities across the country until his untimely passing in 2021.

Speakers include David Henry Hwang, a Tony- and Grammy-Award-winning writer for stage and screen, whose works include M. Butterfly, Yellow Face, Aida, FOB, and Soft Power ; Akemi Kochiyama, a Harlem-based community builder, writer, scholar-activist and co-director of the Yuri Kochiyama Solidarity Project.

BARBICAN REVEALS 2024-25 SEASON / April 17, 2024 by David Hwang

The Barbican has today announced the classical music programme for its upcoming for 2024-2025 season with performances by its resident, associate and partner ensembles as well as international guests.

On the opera stage, composer Rolf Hind presents his Sky in a Small Cage, created with Mahogany Opera, in September, while the BBCSO presents an operatic semi-staging of David Henry Hwang’s Broadway play M. Butterfly with music by Huang Ruo and libretto by Hwang and LOD muziektheater and Toneelhuis tell a story of resistance to colonial injustice in Ghana through Gorges Ocloo’s ‘Afropera’ The Golden Stool in October.

Q&A with David Henry Hwang, ’79, Tony-winning playwright and 2024 Rathbun lecturer at Stanford / April 17, 2024 by David Hwang

David Henry Hwang (Image credit: Courtesy David Henry Hwang)

The career of acclaimed dramatist David Henry Hwang began as a Stanford student in the late 1970s.

“During my time at Stanford, I discovered what I wanted to do for my life’s work and who I am as an AAPI,” Hwang said.

Hwang, who won a Tony Award in 1988 for his play M. Butterfly, will return to campus on Friday, April 12, as the 2024 Rathbun Visiting Fellow to deliver the Rathbun Lecture on a Meaningful Life at Memorial Church at 6 p.m. A program that began in 2008, the lecture – which is open to the public – engages students and other members of the university community in conversations about their personal ethics, beliefs, and motivations.

Hwang’s works have spanned the stage, movies, opera, and television, often with themes of multiculturalism. A professor at the Columbia University School of the Arts, he is a three-time Tony nominee, a three-time OBIE winner, a Grammy winner, and a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in drama.

‘Yellow Face’, ‘English’ & Reimagined ‘The Pirates Of Penzance’ Set Broadway Openings / April 17, 2024 by David Hwang

Daniel Dae Kim to star in David Henry Hwang's 'Yellow Face'
Photo by Tyler Mills

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced the dates for its 2024-25 season, with David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face starring Daniel Dae Kim kicking off the company’s Broadway line-up with an October 1 opening night.

Roundabout Sets 2024–25 Season Opening Nights / April 17, 2024 by David Hwang

The marquee of the newly renamed Todd Haimes Theatre Courtesy Roundabout Theatre Company

The season will feature two Broadway premieres, a Broadway musical revival, and two world premieres Off-Broadway.

Roundabout Theatre Company has set its official opening night dates for the five previously announcedshows in its 2024–25 Broadway and Off-Broadway season.

David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face will open the season October 1 at the Todd Haimes Theatre. Daniel Dae Kim is set to star in the Broadway premiere of the farce, inspired by real events when Hwang mistakenly cast a white actor in the Asian lead of one of his plays. Leigh Silverman will direct.

Read more at Playbill

David Henry Hwang’s 'Ainadamar' Featured in Met Opera’s 24-25 Season / April 7, 2024 by David Hwang

The Metropolitan Opera recently announced their 2024-2025 season, a lineup which will include Theatre Professor David Henry Hwang’s opera Ainadamar.

Composed by Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov with direction by Brazilian director and choreographer Deborah Colker, the Grammy Award-winning opera explores the storied life of gay Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, whose socialist politics and homosexuality led to his assassination by Fascist forces in 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War.

Hwang's libretto explores Lorca's life story through the memories of Catalan actress Margarita Xirgu, who was Lorca’s muse, played by Angel Blue and Gabriella Reyes. Lorca is portrayed by Daniela Mac in a trouser role, and Alfredo Tejada plays the facilitator of Lorca’s assassination, Falangist politician Ramón Ruiz Alonso.

American Composers Orchestra & Perelman Performing Arts Center to Present ‘An American Soldier’ / April 7, 2024 by David Hwang

The American Composers Orchestra and Perelman Performing Arts Center are set to present the New York premiere of composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang’s “An American Soldier.”

The work is based on the true story of Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen, who was found dead in a guard tower at his base in Afghanistan in 2011 will be directed by Chay Yew, will star tenor Brian Vu as Danny Chen, mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen as his mother, soprano Hannah Cho as his school friend Josephine Young, and baritone Alex DeSocio as Sgt. Aaron Marcum, one of the soldiers charged in the investigation.

The cast is rounded out by Ben Brady, Cierra Byrd, James C. Harris, Shelén Hughes, Joshua Sanders, and Christian Simmons.

“An American Soldier” will be performed between May 12 and 19, 2024.

Inside Apex For Youth's Inspiration Awards Gala / April 7, 2024 by David Hwang

The 32nd annual event honored the actor and advocate Constance Wu.

No amount of rain could've prevented the attendees of Apex For Youth's 32nd Inspiration Awards Gala, co-chaired by Melody Lee, Aya Kanai, and Ray Chan, from congregating within Cipriani South on April 2. Constance Wu, the star of Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh off The Boat, was the evening's honoree, chosen because of her contributions to raising awareness around mental health in the Asian-American community.

"It is very flattering and I'm very grateful," she told T&C. In a packed crowd, she was hard to miss. Wu shone amongst the evening's guests–which included fashion designer Maria Cornejo and Peter Som, actor BD Wong, artist KAWS, and playwright David Henry Hwang–donning a silver sparkling dress designed by young Asian-American designer, Andrew Kwon. If that wasn't enough to draw attention, there was a detachable bow on the back of the dress.

Jill Krementz Photo Journal: Celebrating World Theatre Day / April 7, 2024 by David Hwang

See more at New York Social Diary

American Theatre Wing Partners with Drama Book Shop to Launch Monthly Play Reading Club / April 7, 2024 by David Hwang

The club will offer both in-person and virtual programming to engage the theatre community across the nation.

The American Theatre Wing and Midtown's beloved Drama Book Shop have partnered to launch a monthly play-reading club, The Playreaders Club. The club will offer both in-person and virtual programming to engage the theatre community across the nation.

Each play will be selected by a committee of theatre artists, experts and industry members from the American Theatre Wing Board and Advisory members. This includes Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo), Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), Tony Award-winning costume and scenic designer Clint Ramos (Once On This Island), theatre journalist and producer Ayanna Prescod (Pass Over), Tony Award-winning director Leigh Silverman(Violet), journalist and author Patrick Pacheco, and talent agent Ben Sands.

Read more at Playbill

High Fidelity: Audible Rides Audio Boom with Big Investments in Original Content / April 7, 2024 by David Hwang

Daniel Dae Kim among notables producing high-end projects for Amazon-owned audio pioneer.

Kim, the star of ABC’s “Lost” and “The Good Doctor,” sees audio content as a promising canvas for his 3AD production banner. The company signed a first-look development deal with Audible in early 2023, and its first production, a staging of David Henry Hwang’s 2007 play “Yellow Face,” premieres May 2. The work that Kim and Hwang did for the Audible production was the catalyst for “Yellow Face” landing a spot on the Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2025 season, with Kim starring.

“There’s such an opportunity here for content developed for TV and film to have audio companion pieces or to extend cinematic universes in ways that we haven’t thought of yet,” Kim says.

Daniel Dae Kim on ‘Avatar’ and activism / April 7, 2024 by David Hwang

Elvis Mitchell with Daniel Dae Kim at KCRW.Photo credit: Rebecca Mooney.

Actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim has had an active career on screen and behind the camera, He has also routinely used his public platform for good, particularly when it came to denouncing discrimination against Asian Americans during the pandemic.

Kim’s starring roles have included the smash hit TV series Lost and the reboot of Hawaii Five-O. In the fall of 2024, you’ll find him leading the David Henry Hwang drama Yellow Face on Broadway. He’s currently appearing in the Netflix series Avatar: The Last Airbender and is a producer of the ABC drama series The Good Doctor. Kim tells The Treatment about starting out as a young actor and quickly learning that he might struggle to find leading roles. He tells us why he didn’t take the lead role in The Good Doctor for himself. Plus, he shares his excitement about returning to Broadway.

David Henry Hwang Opera An American Soldier Finds Full Cast / March 6, 2024 by David Hwang

David Henry Hwang and Huang Ruo Matthew Murphy

The opera with music by Huang Ruo will be directed by Chay Yew at Perelman Performing Arts Center.

Casting for the New York premiere of An American Soldier has been announced. Huang Ruo's opera, with a libretto by David Henry Hwang, will play at the Perelman Performing Arts Center May 12-19 in a production directed by Chay Yew. Carolyn Kuan will conduct.

An American Soldier is based on the true story of Private Danny Chen, whose death in 2011 was followed by an investigation and subsequent court-martial of his fellow soldiers.

The PAC NYC cast includes tenor Brian Vu as Danny Chen, mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen as his mother, soprano Hannah Cho as his school friend Josephine Young, and baritone Alex DeSocio as Sgt. Aaron Marcum, one of the soldiers charged in the investigation. They are joined by Ben Brady, Cierra Byrd, James C Harris, Shelén Hughes, Joshua Sanders, Christian Simmons, Misoon Ghim, Luke Harnish, and Angela Yam.

An American Soldier will include scenic design by Daniel Ostling, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Jeanette Yew, and multi-media design by Nick Hussong.

Read more at Playbill

Live Performance in New York: Here’s What to See This Spring / February 24, 2024 by David Hwang

Andrew Stenson and Mika Shigematsu in the Opera Theater of St. Louis’s production of “An American Soldier.” A new staging at the Perelman Performing Arts Center will be directed by Chay Yew.Credit...Ken Howard

‘AN AMERICAN SOLDIER’ It’s a small miracle whenever a contemporary opera gets a revival, much less a second production. But this work, by Huang Ruo, with a libretto by David Henry Hwang, is about to get its third, at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. The earliest form of the opera — the tragic true story of Pvt. Danny Chen, who grew up in Manhattan’s Chinatown and enlisted in the Army, then was found dead at his base in Afghanistan — premiered in Washington as a one-act in 2014. I saw an expanded, two-act version at Opera Theater of St. Louis in 2018. Even in rehearsal, I was immediately struck by its smartly controlled stylistic eclecticism, its underlying tension of anxiety and aspiration, and its libretto’s ability to remain propulsive while jumping back and forth between a courtroom drama and flashbacks. This latest staging will be directed by Chay Yew, of “Cambodian Rock Band” and “Sweatshop Overlord.” May 12-19 at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, Manhattan. (J.B.)

The Metropolitan Opera's 2024-25 Season: house premieres of Moby-Dick, Antony and Cleopatra, and Ainadamar in the coming season. / February 24, 2024 by David Hwang

The Met premieres will continue in October with Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar. The opera, with a libretto by Tony winner David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), is based on the life of poet Federico García Lorca, who was arrested and executed by the Falange during the Spanish Civil War because of his politics and his sexuality. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack plays Lorca, who is brought to life in the memories of actress Margarita Xirgu, a role shared by sopranos Angel Blue and Gabriella Reyes. Soprano Elena Villalón plays Xirgu’s student Nuria, and Flamenco singer Alfredo Tejada plays the Falangist politician Ramón Ruiz Alonso. Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducts the production by director-choreographer Deborah Colker, both making their Met debuts.

Read more at Playbill

Disneys Musical TARZAN® verlängert in Stuttgart bis Sommer 2025 / February 24, 2024 by David Hwang

Disneys Musical TARZAN®: Terence van der Loo schwingt sich als Dschungelheld Tarzan durch den Musicalsaal (Bild: Johan Persson / Stage Entertainment)

Disneys Musical TARZAN® feierte im November 2023 ein spektakuläres Comeback in Stuttgart. Nur drei Monate nach der Premiere knackt die Show mit den Welthits von Phil Collins die Verkaufsmarke von 250.000 Tickets. Aufgrund dieses Erfolgs wird die Neuinszenierung bis Sommer 2025 verlängert! Fans können sich bald auch über eine neue Hauptdarstellerin freuen: Ab Ende März 2024 kommt Musicalstar Judith Caspari (u. a. ANASTASIA) auf die Stuttgarter Bühne zurück und übernimmt die Rolle der Jane.

Disneys Musical TARZAN® kommt bei den Zuschauer:innen so gut an, dass Stage Entertainment nur drei Monate nach der Premiere einen Rekordverkauf verzeichnet: „Wir sind absolut überwältigt, welchen Zuspruch Disneys TARZAN® erhält – 250.000 verkaufte Tickets so kurz nach Showstart sind ein unglaublicher Erfolg“, sagt Antonio Schmidt, Leiter des Stage Palladium Theaters, und ergänzt: „Wir haben es geschafft, dass die Gäste selbst zu einem Teil der Show werden – sicherlich eines der spannenden Highlights, das die Neuauflage bereithält und die Musicalzuschauer:innen in ihren Bann zieht.“

Musicalbesucher:innen haben nun bis Sommer 2025 die Möglichkeit, Disneys Musical TARZAN® im Stage Palladium in Stuttgart zu erleben.

The Met Opera’s New Season: What We Want to See / February 24, 2024 by David Hwang

In an effort to program contemporary works, the company will present recent operas by Jeanine Tesori, John Adams, Jake Heggie and Osvaldo Golijov.

Contemporary works will be front and center in the coming season, the Metropolitan Opera announced on Wednesday, with four company premieres among its six new productions.

The 2024-25 season will open in September with “Grounded,” about the toll of drone warfare, by Jeanine Tesori and George Brant, and will also feature the modern works “Moby-Dick,” by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer; “Ainadamar,” by Osvaldo Golijov and David Henry Hwang and “Antony and Cleopatra,” by John Adams. It will be the fifth opera by Adams that the Met has presented, putting him in the same category as Tchaikovsky and Bellini.

David Henry Hwang’s 'Billion Dollar Whale' TV Adaptation Features Team of Columbia Artists / February 17, 2024 by David Hwang

Professor David Henry Hwang is leading the creation of Billion Dollar Whale, a new television series from SK Global and Westward, which Hwang is adapting from the bombshell book of the same name. Hwang also serves as Executive Producer on the show alongside Film alumnus and co-founder of Westward Productions, Beau Willimon '03 (CC '99)—and those aren't the only Columbia connections. Nearly all the members of the show's producing and writing teams are Columbia alumni, many of them graduates of the Theatre Program.

Dramaturgy alumna Anchuli Felicia King ’18 is another executive producer for the series, and Adjunct Assistant Professor Rogelio Martinez '96 is a co-producer. Working closely with Hwang in the writers' room are Playwriting alums Daniel Rattner '20 and Luz Lorenzana Twigg '23—who serve as Writer's Assistant and Production Assistant, respectively—and Sylvia Khoury (CC '12), who serves as Story Editor. Both Twigg and Rattner studied under Hwang, and Twigg was recently published alongside Hwang in Decentered Playwriting, a theatre textbook.

Written by Wall Street Journal correspondents Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, Billion Dollar Whale details the exploits of Malaysian fugitive businessman Jho Low, who manipulated the Malaysian Prime Minister at the time to create a sovereign wealth fund that Low was able to exploit for his own interests. The fraud is considered one of the largest in history and Low is under investigation by authorities in Malaysia, Luxembourg, Singapore, Switzerland, and by the U.S. Department of Justice. The book was a bestseller and made its writers finalists for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize

American Theatre Wing and Drama Book Shop partner for Playreaders Club / February 17, 2024 by David Hwang

Tony Award winners David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori are part of the play-selection committee. (Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images; Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)

A different play will be discussed each month.

The American Theatre Wing, co-presenter of the Tony Awards and an organization dedicated to supporting the growth of American theater, has teamed with theDrama Book Shop to launch the Playreaders Club, a meetup for reading and discussing plays. The monthly meetings will be held virtually via Zoom and in-person at the Drama Book Shop, a midtown Manhattan independent bookstore dedicated to plays, theater-related books and other works of dramatic literature.

Each play will be selected by a committee made up of members of the Wing’s board and advisory committee. This includes Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori, Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, Tony-winning costume and scenic designer Clint Ramos, influencer, journalist and producer Ayanna Prescod, Tony-winning director Leigh Silverman, journalist and author Patrick Pacheco and talent agent Ben Sands.

Surae at Sundance Sits Down with Actor Daniel Dae Kim / January 27, 2024 by David Hwang

SALT LAKE CITY (Good Things Utah) – Surae sat down with Actor and Producer Daniel Dae Kim at Sundance. The prolific actor has appeared on the big and small screen on Lost, Hawaii Five-0, CSI, Star Trek, The S.H.I.E.L.D, Hulk, Joyride. Kim made history last year at Sundance when he brought the first Asian multicultural house on Main Street in Park City for the film festival. For the second year in a row, Sunrise Collective House made a presence at the 40th Sundance Film Festival in partnership with Gold House Co., The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), and Kim’s production company 3AD.

Kim says it’s not just representation but sharing stories of Asian Americans. The other stars who stopped into the Sunrise Collective House were Lucy Liu, Steven Yeun, and Chrissy Tiegen.

Kim is looking forward to several projects this year. He will be starring in the live action series on Netflix: Avatar: The Last Airbender. He’s now heading to South Korea for a film and then will appear on Broadway this fall in the production of David Henry Hwang’s comedy ‘Yellow Face,’ to be directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman.