Signature Theatre's 35th Anniversary Gala / March 26, 2026 by David Hwang

Get an inside look into Signature Theatre's 35th Anniversary gala, held March 19 at NYC's Edison Ballroom, with the photos in the gallery below. The evening raised $680,00 for the company.

Signature also announced its newest Resident Artist, Obie Award winner Eisa Davis(Warriors), as well as two productions set for the 2026–27 season: Lauren Yee's semi-autobiographical play King of the Yees with Tony winner Francis Jue in the cast, and Davis' Angela’s Mixtape, which explores the artist’s own family life and her relationship to her aunt, legendary activist Angela Davis.

The evening was attended by Signature playwrights, artists, and supporters including Heather Christian, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Samuel D. Hunter, David Henry Hwang, Bill Irwin, Zoe Kazan, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, Billy Porter, and more.

Four-time Emmy Award-winner and three-time Academy Award nominee Laura Linney was in attendance in honor of her father, the late playwright and Signature Resident Romulus Linney, whose work comprised Signature’s first ever season. The Pershing Square Signature Center’s Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre is named after him.

Philip Glass Spreads His Wings / March 26, 2026 by David Hwang

Philip Glass Spreads His Wings on the First Complete Recording of 1000 Airplanes on the Roof

Portland’s Third Angle played the piece under an airplane in McMinnville, the subsequent recording is pure science-fiction.

The power of place and context are not lost on Third Angle New Music. Founded in 1985, the Portland nonprofit curates site-specific experiences featuring music by young composers and venerated 20th century legends, often commissioning brand new pieces for their performances. For example, in January, Third Angle tucked musicians into the nooks and crannies of Central Eastside experimental playground Hopscotch, using the venue as a concert hall for four different versions of Steve Reich’s Counterpoints.

On March 6, Philip Glass’ Orange Mountain Music record label released a recording of 1000 Airplanes on the Roof, a 1988 “science fiction music drama” composed by Glass, with libretto written by David Henry Hwang. Recorded by Third Angle between October 2023 and March 2024, this is the first ever complete recording of the one act piece.

Anna Deavere Smith, David Henry Hwang debut first Artists on Artists talk at Signature Theater / March 13, 2026 by David Hwang

Playwrights Anna Deavere Smith and David Henry Hwang in conversation with Gaven D. Trinidad (center) at the Signature Theatre on February 26, 2026. (Johnny Knollwood photo)

Playwrights Anna Deavere Smith and David Henry Hwang were joined in conversation by moderator Gaven D. Trinidad for a discussion on the pair’s experiences navigating the theater world at the Signature Theater on Feb. 26. The actor and librettist discussed breaking down cultural barriers and representation in the medium throughout their storied careers as part of the first edition of “Artists on Artists,” a series at Signature Theater that seeks to connect audiences directly to the artistic community in Midtown Manhattan. The pair gathered with Trinidad in the lobby of the theater, which he highlighted as a vital resource for artists. The lobby space is large with lots of seating, a cafe and restrooms that are available for members of the artistic community to meet, work, and take a load off in the city.

Smith, a former artist in residence at Signature, is considered a pioneer of “verbatim theater,” and has appeared as an actress on shows that include “The West Wing,” and “Nurse Jackie.” Hwang, well known for works including “M. Butterfly,” is one of the first Asian American voices to land a Broadway production. The pair recalled the lack of diversity in stories as they rose through the ranks of theatredom. “All the material we were given was by white heterosexual males,” Smith said of her time studying as one of the first students to earn a Masters of Fine Arts in acting at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, recalling how she sat in the basement of her local bookstore, combing through books for scenes and plays written by voices more similar to her own. She remarked that Hwang was a pioneer in being not only one of the first Asian American playwrights to hit Broadway, but one of the earliest voices to provide an alternative perspective to those of white heterosexual men. Hwang credits growing up around a successful family of artists for allowing him to blossom in the field. “I saw people who looked like me as actors and directors and administrators,” he remembered. The conversation served as a reminder — the importance of free artistic expression amidst attempts by the Trump administration to “erase history and culture,” according to Hwang — urging audience members to keep creating. “They are really scared of what we do.”

After Leaving the Kennedy Center, an Opera Company Shows Signs of Life / March 13, 2026 by David Hwang

Washington National Opera’s new production of Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha,” which opened at Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University on Saturday.Credit...Elman Studio

“Are we glad to see you,” Timothy O’Leary said to a full house at Lisner Auditorium on Saturday. “Welcome to the uninterrupted, slightly relocated 70th anniversary season of Washington National Opera.”

The audience applauded, and O’Leary, the opera company’s general director, continued. “We deeply appreciate your understanding and your solidarity, and your belief in creative freedom,” he said.

After yet more applause, he concluded: “Thank you for believing in the idea of American civil society whereby institutions that are mission-based like this are created and nurtured by we the people, and they are governed and owned by we the people.”

Without ever naming it, O’Leary was speaking about the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. That was Washington National Opera’s home until January, when it abruptly severed ties with the performing arts institution, joining an exodus of artists who have come to see it as a cultural proxy for President Trump and his political allies.

When O’Leary was done and it was time for the show, the genial plucks of a banjo at the start of Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha” doubled as a kind of declaration. Washington National Opera had pulled off the risky, difficult feat of abandoning its home, and all the security that came with it, and opening a new production within two months.

Going Out: Top 20 arts & nightlife events, March 12-20 / March 13, 2026 by David Hwang

Unlike a certain undeservingly Oscar-nominated actor, we love ballet and opera, specifically San Francisco Ballet, now that the taint of their potential performing at the illegally renamed Trump-Kennedy Center is scratched. You can enjoy their amazing dances, as well as wonderful visual arts, performing and nightlife activities, including Oscar watch parties, chosen here for your perusal.

M. Butterfly @ San Francisco Playhouse
David Henry Hwang’s drama about a Peking opera performer’s secretive romance with an American Vietnam-era diplomat; thru March 14. $52-$145, 450 Post St. http://www.sfplayhouse.org (Read our review .)

First Complete Recording of 1000 Airplanes on the Roof / March 13, 2026 by David Hwang

Philip Glass Spreads His Wings.

Portland’s Third Angle played the piece under an airplane in McMinnville, the subsequent recording is pure science-fiction.

YELLOW FACE Equity Actors - Oregon Shakespeare Festival Auditions / March 10, 2026 by David Hwang

LORT Rep Producer / Theatre Company: Oregon Shakespeare Festival
$1,245 weekly minimum (LORT B+)
Artistic Director: Tim Bond
Director: May Adrales
Writer: David Henry Hwang
Casting Director: Katja Zarolinski, CSA

SEEKING

Equity actors for the role of HYH / AS CAST in YELLOW FACE.

[HYH / AS CAST] 50s–60s. He/him. Asian American. Versatile, comedic, doubles as multiple roles which may include HYH (DHH's father), Frank Chin, BD Wong, Wen Ho Lee, Bernard Jacobs, Frank Rich.

OTHER DATES

Audition Date(s): TBD
Callback Date(s): TBD — Late March / Early April 2026
Rehearsal Date(s): June 16, 2026
Preview Date(s): Aug 05, 2026
Closing Date(s): Oct 23, 2026

Read more at Broadway World

East West Players Reveals Full Cast For David Henry Hwang’s Updated FLOWER DRUM SONG / March 6, 2026 by David Hwang

This new production of David Henry Hwang's refreshed FLOWER DRUM SONG will make its world premiere.

East West Players has announced the ensemble and understudy cast for the world premiere of Tony-winner David Henry Hwang's refreshed 2026 book for RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S FLOWER DRUM SONG. Helmed by EWP Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystalº, this reimagined golden-age musical will open April 2026 at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center's iconic Aratani Theatre, serving as the grand finale of EWP's 60th Anniversary Diamond Legacy season and the final production before the 880-seat venue undergoes a major renovation.

Joining the previously announced principal cast and creative team, the ensemble and understudy cast includes: Joven Calloway* (Ensemble), Ethan Yaheen-Moy Chan (Ta/Chao/Ensemble Understudy), IJay Espinoza (Ensemble), Sierra Goria (Ensemble Female Swing), Sally Hong* (Ensemble, Dance Captain), Tony Jin (Ensemble Male Swing), Esther Lee* (Ensemble, Linda Understudy), Brian Liebson* (Ensemble), Emma Park (Ensemble), Gemma Pedersen (Ensemble/Mei-Li & Linda Understudy), Avelina Sanchez (Ensemble), Hillary Tang* (Ensemble), Ai Toyoshima* (Ensemble), Haoyi Wen (Ensemble), and Paul Wong* (Ensemble/Chin & Wang Understudy).

Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco Chinatown, Hwang's 2026 revision of RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S FLOWER DRUM SONG explores themes of immigration, assimilation, tradition, and community with renewed urgency and heart. The story follows Mei-Li, a young Chinese opera performer fleeing communism, as she arrives in America and is drawn into the vibrant world of the Grant Avenue nightclubs. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's classic songs and beloved characters make their long-awaited return to Los Angeles for the first time since the premiere of Hwang's adaptation at Center Theatre Group's Mark Taper Forum over twenty years ago.

Read more at Broadway World

Why seeing 'M. Butterfly' and 'Madame Butterfly' is a must! / February 23, 2026 by David Hwang

‘M. Butterfly’ and ‘Madame Butterfly’ confront opera’s most uncomfortable fantasy.

Even if I hadn’t already known that David Henry Hwang’s 1988 play inverts and triumphs over the unabashed racism of “Madame Butterfly,” San Francisco Playhouse’s production gave me an unmissable clue not to take the coy protestations of opera singer Song at face value. She’s actually a man, played by Edric Young — even if white French diplomat Gallimard (Dean Linnard) can’t or won’t acknowledge it.

The transcendent, mysterious power of Hwang’s play, directed by Bridgette Loriaux, is that it aims higher than low-hanging fruit. It’s easy to say Puccini’s opera of Asian female self-sacrifice to white male callousness is racist. It’s easy to make fun of Gallimard and his real-life inspiration, Bernard Boursicot, a diplomat who was convicted of espionage for sharing state secrets with the man disguised as a woman who seduced him.

YELLOW FACE at Oregon Shakespeare Festival / February 23, 2026 by David Hwang

A smart, semi-autobiographical comedy about the masks we wear.

When DHH—a Chinese American playwright and staunch activist—protests the casting of a white actor in Miss Saigon, he never imagines he’ll make the same mistake himself. But after accidentally casting a white actor in the lead Asian role of his own play, he scrambles to cover his tracks, spinning an increasingly ridiculous web of half-truths, media frenzy, and personal contradictions. Pulitzer Prize finalist Yellow Face is a laugh-out-loud mockumentary that skewers the worlds of theatre, identity politics, and public image with razor-sharp wit. Fresh off a thrilling Broadway run, David Henry Hwang’s hilarious and thought-provoking Tony-nominated play comes to OSF in a new production directed by May Adrales (Vietgone).

Read more at Broadway World

M. BUTTERFLY & More Lead San Francisco / Bay Area's Winter 2026 Top Theatre Shows / February 10, 2026 by David Hwang

Check out our top shows for Winter 2026 in San Francisco / Bay Area

San Francisco / Bay Area is never lacking outstanding theatre, whether epic Broadway shows, engrossing dramas or bold fringe offerings. BroadwayWorld is rounding up our top recommended theatre every month.

We understand the importance of choosing the perfect show, especially for new theatregoers. That's why our experienced editorial team meticulously reviews a wide range of productions each month. We consider various factors including a producer's track record, audience reviews, and overall production value, to bring you the very best recommendations for the following month.

See what the experts recommend! Check out our editorial team's top picks for the best shows to see in San Francisco / Bay Area for Winter 2026.

Read more at Broadway World

Woodie King Jr., Founder of New Federal Theatre, Dies at 88 / February 6, 2026 by David Hwang

Woodie King Jr., founder of New Federal Theatre and a prolific producer and director for over five decades, died on January 29 at the age of 88, following emergency heart surgery.

Born in Bladon Springs, Alabama, he began his career as an arc welder at the Ford Motor Company, before working for the city of Detroit as a draftsman. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Lehman College in New York City, an an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College. In 1965, King joined Mobilization for Youth, where he spent the next five years as cultural director.

King founded New Federal Theatre in 1970, aiming to give voice to Black playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and young people. Its mission was “to integrate artists of color and women into the mainstream of American theater by training artists for the profession and by presenting plays by writers of color and women to integrated, multicultural audiences.”

To date, New Federal Theatre has produced over 450 plays, including works by the likes of Ntozake Shange, Amiri Baraka, Leslie Lee, David Henry Hwang, Ron Milner, and countless others. Among the now-famous actors who got early career opportunities with the company are Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Laurence Fishburne, Leslie Uggams, S. Epatha Merkerson, Garrett Morris, Glynn Turman, Phylicia Rashad, Robert Downey Jr., Ruby Dee, and Chadwick Boseman.

David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and the Railroad premiered at the New Federal Theatre in 1981.

‘M. Butterfly’ still asks unsettling questions about race, power and desire / February 6, 2026 by David Hwang

It really happened: In 1986, a French diplomat convicted of espionage claimed he was unaware that the Peking opera singer who’d seduced and entrapped him over two decades was actually a man.

The punch lines wrote themselves and “M. Butterfly,” now in a San Francisco Playhouse production, begins with allusions to them. But David Henry Hwang’s Tony Award-winning script inspired by those true events is much more interested in what they say about centuries of racism, sexism and imperialism.

San Francisco Opera’s 2026-27 season underscores a new reality / February 6, 2026 by David Hwang

San Francisco Opera will again mount a six-opera season in 2026-27, reinforcing that the reduced schedule — now in its third consecutive year — has effectively become the company’s new normal.

The Opera is seeing significant, positive audience trends. The 2024-25 season sold at 82% of capacity and the 2025-26 season is expected to match that. Among the company’s biggest draws last fall was its world premiere of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s “The Monkey King” — with Shilvock reporting they sold out of “every single seat, before we even opened the first curtain.”

East West Players' Revised Flower Drum Song / January 31, 2026 by David Hwang

The production will use David Henry Hwang’s newly updated 2026 book.

Casting and creative team information has been revealed for the East West Players production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song, featuring Tony Award winning-playwright David Henry Hwang’s newly updated 2026 book. The musical will run at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center’s (JACCC) Aratani Theatre April 16-May 31, with an official opening night set for April 23.

The cast will include Grace Yoo (Hadestown) as Mei-Li, Emily Kuroda (Gilmore Girls) as Madame Liang, Marc Oka (The King and I, Flower Drum Song) as Wang, Scott Keiji Takeda (Sumo 相撲) as Ta, Gedde Watanabe (Pacific Overtures) as Chin, Krista Marie Yu (Last Man Standing) as Linda Low, Kenton Chen (The Sing-Off) as Harvard, and Cooper Bennett as Chao. Further casting is to be announced.

8 Things To Do In Northern CA If You Don't Care About The Super Bowl / January 31, 2026 by David Hwang

The Super Bowl is Sunday, Feb. 8, and will be hosted in Santa Clara. But it’s not the only event competing for attention in Northern CA.

We’ve rounded up eight events in the Bay Area to appeal to a variety of tastes, including plenty of non-football related events such as comedy shows or plays to attend. Plus we threw in a couple of tailgates and watch parties for those interested in the game.

San Francisco Playhouse presents “M. Butterfly”

When: Sun, Feb 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM

Where: San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St, SF, CA, 94102

Details: The San Francisco Playhouse will present the Tony Award-winning drama, "M. Butterfly," by David Henry Hwang, known for works like "Chinglish" and "Yellow Face." Inspired by the real-life trial of Bernard Boursicot, the play captivatingly reinterprets Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” through the story of a French diplomat's two-decade affair with a Chinese opera singer, exploring complex themes of cross-cultural relations, gender identity, illusion, desire, and radical politics. The production is directed by Bridgette Loriaux, who was the movement director for the Playhouse’s "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," and stars Dean Linnard as the diplomat, Gallimard, opposite Edric Young as the opera singer, Song Liling.

Grace Yoo, Emily Kuroda and More to Star in Updated FLOWER DRUM SONG at East West Players / January 31, 2026 by David Hwang

East West Players has revealed the principal cast and creative team for the world premiere of Tony-winner David Henry Hwang’s newly updated 2026 book for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song.

Helmed by EWP Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal, this reimagined golden-age musical will open April 2026 at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center’s (JACCC) iconic Aratani Theatre, serving as the grand finale of EWP’s 60th Anniversary Diamond Legacy season and the final production before the 880-seat venue undergoes a major renovation.

Read more at Broadway World

GRAMMY NOMINATIONS 2025: BEST OPERA RECORDING / January 24, 2026 by David Hwang

The 2025 GRAMMY nominations are here and we're going to help you to untangle it all right up until the big event, continuing with the Best Opera Recording category.

Take a listen to the nominated recordings below--who do you think will win?

See the full list of nominees in every category here.

San Francisco Playhouse presents “M. Butterfly” / January 24, 2026 by David Hwang

San Francisco Playhouse will present the Tony Award-winning “M. Butterfly”, written by David Henry Hwang (“Chinglish”, “Yellow Face”, “Soft Power”, and operas “The Monkey King”, “Dream of the Red Chamber”). Inspired by the real-life trial of Bernard Boursicot, this breathtaking drama reimagines Puccini’s opera “Madama Butterfly” through the story of a French diplomat’s 20-year affair with a Chinese opera singer. This trailblazing and poignant play illuminates the radical politics of cross-cultural relations, gender identity, illusion, and desire. Bridgette Loriaux, who provided movement direction for last season’s hit production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” at San Francisco Playhouse, returns to direct this production. Dean Linnard stars as French diplomat Gallimard opposite Edric Young as Chinese opera singer Song Liling.

Four 2025 book releases for theater lovers / January 24, 2026 by David Hwang

As the year closes, four publications from the fall and winter of 2025 offer exciting reading for lovers of entertaining and significant theater. They include the books of two recent productions that garnered both critical acclaim and awards, a trilogy of works presenting the culture, history, and perspectives of Indigenous people – all published by Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the largest independent publisher of dramatic literature in North America – and a research volume of the bloodiest shows from the early history of Broadway.

Yellow Face – The latest 2024 Broadway production from Tony winner, Pulitzer Prize finalist, Grammy recipient, and the most produced living American opera librettist David Henry Hwang, which debuted Off-Broadway in 2007, takes a hilarious, quasi-autobiographical, self-deprecating look at the debacle that ensued when the thinly fictionalized character DHH inadvertently cast a white actor in the lead Asian role in his 1993 play Face Value, a send-up of anti-Asian stereotypes inspired by his public protest of the controversial “yellowface” casting in the 1991 Broadway transfer of the London production of Miss Saigon.