Photo Coverage: First Look at Worthington Community Theatre's TARZAN / July 30, 2019 by David Hwang

Based on Disney's epic animated musical adventure and Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan features heart-pumping music by rock legend, Phil Collins, and a book by Tony Award-winning playwright, David Henry Hwang. High-flying excitement and hits, like the Academy Award winning "You'll Be in My Heart," as well as "Son of Man" and "Two Worlds," make Tarzan an unforgettable theatrical experience.

Washed up on the shores of West Africa, an infant boy is taken in and raised by gorillas who name him Tarzan. Apart from striving for acceptance from his ape father, Tarzan's life is mostly monkey business until a human expedition treks into his tribe's territory, and he encounters creatures like himself for the first time. Tarzan struggles to navigate a jungle, thick with emotion, as he discovers his animal upbringing clashing with his human instincts.

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Stars on the Moon: 9 Shows to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Lunar Landing / July 30, 2019 by David Hwang

From Spaceman Off-Broadway in 2019 to the Andy Warhol-produced Man on the Moon in the ‘60s, these cosmos-set shows are out of this world.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 touched down on the moon and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on it. To celebrate the anniversary, Playbill has gathered a list of space–related shows ranging from operas set on the moon to an Olivier Award–winning musical.

Appleseed Community Theatre presents 'Tarzan' / July 30, 2019 by David Hwang

Join the cast of Appleseed Community Theatre’s “Tarzan” for a jungle journey full of humor, heart and adventure, beginning July 19 at the Fine Arts Center, 1301 Lancer Boulevard in La Crescent.

Based on the epic Disney animated film and Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Tarzan of the Apes,” the stage musical features the familiar music of Phil Collins and a book by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang.

American Theatre Wing Appoints Jane Chu, Clint Ramos and More to Board and Advisory Committee / July 30, 2019 by David Hwang

The American Theatre Wing has announced new appointments to its Board of Trustees and Advisory Committee.

The American Theatre Wing Advisory Committee provides support and guidance to the Board and staff of the Wing as they implement the Organization's goals and objectives.

"I am thrilled that these remarkable individuals care so passionately about the American Theatre that they are joining the Wing's ranks, devoting their time, energy, and resources to help ensure excellence in our field," remarked David Henry Hwang, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

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Music Critics Association of North America Best New Opera Award / July 30, 2019 by David Hwang

Music Critics Association of North America (MCANA) announces that its 3rd Annual Award for Best New Opera has been given to composer and sound artist Ellen Reid and librettist Roxie Perkins for p r i s m.

p r i s m received its premiere as part of Los AngelesOpera's Off Grand series on November 29, 2018, commissioned and co-produced by Beth Morrison Projects. The opera, which addresses the psychological effects of surviving sexual assault, is a haunting, kaleidoscopic work of opera-theatre that traverses the elasticity of memory after trauma. Ellen Reid's music uses choral and orchestral manipulation to deliver an eerily distinct sonic world. This past April, Reid won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Music for prism.

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Top 10 Upcoming Live-Action Disney Movies After Lion King / July 30, 2019 by David Hwang

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You may have noticed that Disney, might not be content with the success of its Pixar releases, Marvel movies, or Star Wars series, has started remaking its classic animated films in live-action form. Now with a winning formula, Disney has a ton of other live-action modifications in the works.

Read about Hunchback of Notre Dame and more at College Candy

16 Broadway Shows That Closed Before Opening / July 10, 2019 by David Hwang

From ailing stars to jailed producers, the stories behind some of Broadway’s shortest runs are the stuff of legend.

We all know the Broadway shows that run for years and years, like The Phantom of the Opera or Chicago, but sometimes Broadway shows are more short-lived—sometimes they don’t even make it to opening night. As any theatre super-fan can tell you, some of Broadway’s shortest runs remain fans’ favorite shows, and catching a legendary production during a brief run can lead to major bragging rights in theatre circles.

Face Value
Began previews March 9, 1993
Closed March 14, after eight previews
David Henry Hwang’s first Broadway play, M. Butterfly, was quite a success when it opened on Broadway in 1988, winning the Tony Award for Best Play in 1989. Hwang reunited with Butterfly’s star, B.D. Wong, for Face Value in 1993, with Jane Krakowski and Mark Linn-Baker also among the cast. Loosely based on the controversy surrounding the casting of Miss Saigon on Broadway in 1991, Face Value was intended to be a farce about multi-racial casting, but critics in Boston didn’t find it very humorous. It ultimately lasted only eight performances on Broadway. The experience became the inspiration behind Hwang’s Yellow Face, which premiered in Los Angeles in 2007 before playing Off-Broadway at the Public Theater, where it won the Obie Award for Playwriting.

Tarzan swings into Candlelight / June 30, 2019 by David Hwang

Jane (Katie Jackson) and Tarzan (Barret Harper) touch hands in a scene from Candlelight Dinner Playhouse’s “Tarzan.” (Courtesy of Candlelight Dinner Playhouse)

“Tarzan” is one of the most famous stories in our history,” Arpan said. “It’s been translated into so many languages and globally it’s a very popular story.”

So when Arpan was brought on to direct a musical production of “Tarzan” at Johnstown’s Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, she decided to use it as an opportunity to determine what went wrong with the Broadway show—and how it could be corrected.

2019 Tony Nominating Committee additions / June 30, 2019 by David Hwang

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced the nominating committee for the 2019-20 Broadway season. The Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

The nominating committee attends all productions during the Broadway season and meets on the date designated by the administration committee to determine, by vote, the Tony Award nominees for that season. The 2019-20 committee of Tony mominators will include 54 members. Members of the committee serve a three-year term.

The nominating committee attends all productions during the Broadway season.

Asian American Arts Alliance Career Roundtable Event / June 15, 2019 by David Hwang

The Asian American Arts Alliance announces the launch of a new initiative to support Asian Americans pursuing careers in the arts. Table Dish, A4's new professional development series, will bring experts in specific disciplines together with aspiring professionals in a roundtable setting to answer questions, provide advice, and create networking and mentoring opportunities.

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Soft Power, The Visitor, and More Part of The Public's 2019–2020 Season / June 7, 2019 by David Hwang

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The Public Theater has unveiled its 2019–2020 season, which will launch this fall with the New York premiere of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori's new musical-within-a-play, Soft Power.

Kicking of the new season in September will be Soft Power, directed by Leigh Silverman with choreography by Sam Pinkleton. The show rewinds recent political history and plays it back, a century later, through the Chinese lens of a future, East-meets-West musical. The new collaboration from Tony-winning playwright Hwang (M. Butterfly) and Tony-winning composer Tesori (Fun Home) arrives Off-Broadway following a world premiere in Los Angeles and subsequent San Francisco production.

Bid to Have Your Script or Play Reviewed by David Henry Hwang / June 4, 2019 by David Hwang

Meet with and have your script or play reviewed by Tony Award winner, playwright/screenwriter David Henry Hwang.

David Henry Hwang's stage works include the plays M. Butterfly, Chinglish, Yellow Face, Kung Fu, Golden Child, The Dance and the Railroad, and FOB, as well as the Broadway musicals Aida(co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 revival) and Disney's Tarzan.

Read more at Broadway World

Photo Flash: Ali Ewoldt, Ann Harada, David Henry Hwang And More Celebrate Jason Ma's GOLD MOUNTAIN In Salt Lake City / May 27, 2019 by David Hwang

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Zions Bank in partnership with Spike150, CRWDA and Ogden Musical Theatre presented Gold Mountain, written by 2017 ASCAP Foundation's Cole Porter Award recipient Jason Ma as a series of semi-staged concert performances at the Regent Street Black Box at The Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City and in partnership with Ogden Musical Theatre, at the historic Peery's Egyptian Theater in Ogden, May 8 - May 11.

See more at Broadway World

A paper son’s journey to Gold Mountain / May 21, 2019 by David Hwang

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once wrote, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

My journey to Promontory Summit in Utah to attend the Golden Spike’s 150th Anniversary began with a flight from Sea-Tac airport to Salt Lake City. The Golden Spike’s 150th events celebrate the contributions of the nearly 20,000 immigrant workers from different continents and cultures who helped to complete the first Transcontinental Railroad, nearly 150 years ago. Among them, historians estimate over 15,000 Chinese worked on the railroad during construction. The conference celebrating the Golden Spike’s 150th Anniversary was organized by the president of the Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association, Hon. Michael Kwan.

The week-long conference consisted of lectures, field trips, plays, and concerts that tell the story of the Chinese railroad workers. We attended “The Dance and the Railroad,” a play written by David Henry Hwang; “Gold Mountain,” a play written by Jason Ma; and “Salute to the American Dream: 150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike,” with the Tabernacle Choir and Utah Symphony at Temple Square, conducted by Mack Wilberg and featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Megan Hilty.

My CinemAsianAmerica / May 21, 2019 by David Hwang

For a years, I’ve had the idea to publish a photo book with stills from my films. Finally, after making my 7th feature The Unbidden, I’ve decided to take the plunge. Because I wanted to have complete control of my publication and distribution, I decided to try to publish it on Blurb.

The majority of the creative work came in selecting the images and making them look good. I had a really fun and nostalgic time in digging out photos from my films with my first experimental feature Flow having made in 1995. The evolution of my feature films not only reminds me of my growth as a filmmaker but it reflects the technological evolution of filmmaking from analog to digital. I feel lucky to have gone through this 2-decade of artistic journey.

David Henry Hwang

Tony-winning author of M. Butterfly

“Director Quentin Lee has created cutting-edge artistic works that have been before their time, and Cinemasianamerica is a testament of his vision over the years. These images hold up in 2019 and document the expressive power of some of best-loved actors and writers in the Asian Pacific American community.”

Santa Fe Opera announces plans to stage world premiere of M BUTTERFLY / May 16, 2019 by David Hwang

SANTA FE, N.M. -- World-premiere operas derived from the gender-bending Broadway hit "M. Butterfly" and from meditations on Victorian-era repression in Bram Stroker's "Dracula" are coming to the Santa Fe Opera and its open-air stage in the high desert.

Photo Flash: David Henry Hwang, Ali Ewoldt & More Attend SLAC's Utah Premiere Of DANCE AND THE RAILROAD / May 16, 2019 by David Hwang

On May 6th and 7th, the Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC), Utah's leading destination for brave, contemporary theatre, presented the Utah premiere of David Henry Hwang's 1981 play, THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD. The special event is being presented as part of statewide festivities organized by Utah's Transcontinental Railroad 150th Celebration Commission, also known as Spike 150, which was founded by the Utah State Legislature and Governor Gary Herbert.

Read more at Broadway World

Overhauled ‘Flower Drum Song’ hits Palo Alto / May 15, 2019 by David Hwang

“Flower Drum Song” is a San Francisco story, but it changed a lot on its way back to the Bay Area. Originally a 1957 novel by Chinese-American author C.Y. Lee and set in San Francisco, it quickly was turned into a 1958 Broadway musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein. After being adapted into a 1961 film, the musical fell into disuse, considered condescending and stereotype-ridden despite the creators’ best intentions.

Producing Honcho Thomas Schumacher on Disney Theatrical discusses Aida / May 15, 2019 by David Hwang

AN AIDA REVIVAL IS COMING
“I love Aida. We’re in the middle of developing Aida. We are going to do a reading very soon. David Henry Hwang is doing some stuff with the script. The director is Schele Williams, who was Nehebka in the original production.

New-York Historical Society Presents Excerpts Of David Henry Hwang And Huang Ruo's Opera, AN AMERICAN SOLDIER / April 30, 2019 by David Hwang

On April 23rd, the New-York Historical Society's latest installment of the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series showcased An American Soldier, a two-act opera composed by Huang Ruo, featuring a libretto by David Henry Hwang, in the Robert H. Smith Auditorium at the New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024.

Louise Mirrer, Ph.D., president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society, introduced the program. Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang moderated an intimate conversation with Huang Ruoand David Henry Hwang, exploring their highly acclaimed work, which was hailed by the New York Times as among the Best Classical Music of 2018.

Read more at Broadway World