About Alice, or When Social Distancing Ends / June 18, 2020 by David Hwang

In this excerpt from a new journal by theatre artists, the author recounts how she confronted racism in a loved one with more love.

The Flashpaper: Theatre’s Thoughts on Right Now is a new, print-only journal that lets theatre artists respond to urgent current events in any genre they choose. In the first issue, available now at TheFlashpaper.com, a dozen contributors have replied to the prompt, “What will it be like when social distancing ends?” with everything from original plays and manifestos to photo essays and hand-drawn comics. The point is to give theatremakers a platform that doesn’t require a theatre, while delivering a physical object to audiences.

Crucially, The Flashpaper is also a revenue source for artists. All proceeds go to the contributors, the journal’s two self-employed staffers, and the nonprofit Indie Theater Fund. Issue 1 features work from Clare Barron, the National Asian American Theatre Company, and the Living Theatre, among others. It includes a foreword from David Henry Hwang and an afterword from Sarah Treem. It also features the following essay from Kelley Nicole Girod, who is both a playwright and the founder of the Obie-winning The Fire This Time Festival. Below, in an online-exclusive sample, Girod explores how social distancing, racial justice, family, and forgiveness have intersected in her life during quarantine.

Theater Artists Decry Racism in Their Industry / June 12, 2020 by David Hwang

More than 300 signed a letter saying theater was a “house of cards built on white fragility and supremacy.”

More than 300 theater artists — black, Indigenous and people of color — on Monday published a blistering statement addressed to “White American Theater” decrying racial injustice in their industry.

“You are all a part of this house of cards built on white fragility and supremacy,” said the statement, which was published on the web. “And this is a house that will not stand.”

The signatories include the Pulitzer Prize winners Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda; the film and television stars Viola Davis and Blair Underwood; and many Tony Award winners, including the actor and director Ruben Santiago-Hudson and the playwright David Henry Hwang, who is the chair of the American Theater Wing.

David Henry Hwang renders America's racial tensions as a musical fever dream / June 9, 2020 by David Hwang

Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (FOB, M. Butterfly, Yellow Face) has been confronting the racial tensions at the heart of America throughout his career. His new show Soft Power, 'a musical within a play' with music by Jeanine Tesori, tackles America's waning international influence during the Trump era. He joins us from his New York home under curfew following the unrest triggered by the murder of George Floyd.

Watch the interview at The Stage Show

Playbill Vault’s Today in Theatre History: June 8 - FOB / June 9, 2020 by David Hwang

David Henry Hwang's drama FOB, set in a small restaurant in California, opens Off-Broadway in 1980 on its way to winning an OBIE for Best Play.

1980 The dichotomy between Chinese traditions and Americanization is the focus of FOB, which opens at The Public Theater. David Henry Hwang’s drama, set in a small restaurant in California, wins Obies for Best Play and for star John Lone.

Read more at Playbill

Experiences on Broadway on STARS IN THE HOUSE / June 9, 2020 by David Hwang

Stars in The House continued this afternoon (2pm) with Brenda Braxton and Raymond J. Lee This episode was in support of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Raymond talked about raising a five-year-old daughter and the state of the world. "We want to take our daughter to a protest so she learns. We've been slowly talking to her about it, especially being a biracial girl, I want to make sure she's equipped for the world."

Raymond chimed in, "With SOFT POWER, David Henry Hwang was our writer but everybody else was white so we would have pow wows or we would be in a circle and they would check in with us and say 'are we going the right way? Are we being sensitive? Is this what a Chinese person would do?' They really sat there and listened to us and learned from us and then applied it to the show."

Read more at Broadway World

Asian Americans: Inclusion/Exclusion Today / May 30, 2020 by David Hwang

New York Historical Society Museum and Library presents: Agnes Hsu-Tang talking with writer David Henry Hwang and composer Huang Ruo. Their collaborations include: AN AMERICAN SOLDIER and M. BUTTERFLY the opera.

We Are One Public: Support The Public Theatre / May 30, 2020 by David Hwang

A One Night Only Virtual Event to Support The Public Theater

Monday, June 1, 2020 Streaming on The Public's website, YouTube, and Facebook.

Co-Chairs: Kwame Anthony Appiah, Candia Fisher, Joanna Fisher, Laure Sudreau, and Lynne Wheat
Honorees: Audrey & Zygi Wilf
Artistic Honoree: Sam Waterston

WE ARE ONE PUBLIC will include performances and appearances by Antonio Banderas, Laura Benanti, Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Danielle Brooks, Glenn Close, Jenn Colella, Elvis Costello, Claire Danes, Holly Gould, Danai Gurira, Anne Hathaway, Stephanie Hsu, Oscar Isaac, Nikki M. James, John Leguizamo, Audra McDonald, Grace McLean, Sandra Oh, Mia Pak, David Hyde Pierce, Phillipa Soo, Trudie Styler & Sting, Will Swenson, Shaina Taub, Kuhoo Verma, Ada Westfall, Kate Wetherhead, Todd Almond, Troy Anthony Burton, Michael Cerveris, Daniel Craig, Carla Duren, Danaya Esperanza, Jane Fonda, Nanya-Akuki Goodrich, David Henry Hwang, Brian d’Arcy James, Alicia Keys, John Lithgow, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Margaret Odette, Kelli O’Hara, Suzan-Lori Parks, Phylicia Rashad, Jay O. Sanders, Liev Schreiber, Deandre Sevon, Martin Sheen, and Meryl Streep.

Adventure Theatre MTC Presents a Celebration of API Heritage With THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD / May 30, 2020 by David Hwang

Adventure Theatre MTC will present a celebration of API Heritage with a full lineup of API Heritage Month storytimes, interviews, and digital presentations. These online events honor the creativity, tradition, and innovation of the Asian Pacific Islander population and focus upon the impact they continue to make daily through their art. All presentations are free and available streaming live on Facebook.

May 31, 2020

1pm: Storytime with children's book author Ginger Park
2pm: Digital Presentation of the play, The Dance and the Railroad, by Tony Award & OBIE Award recipient David Henry Hwang

Executive Director Leon Seemann, Education Director Margo Brenner Collins, and Artistic Director Chil Kong shared that this Sunday's lineup brings highlights the contemporary artists who are adding to our history as a society.

Says Artistic Director, Chil Kong, of this weekend's presentations, "Our conversation with David Henry Hwang on May 17th was so impactful, we had to follow it up with one of his beautiful plays. The Dance and the Railroad showcases how cultural knowledge can be educational and artistic all at the same time."

Read more at Broadway World

Stars to come out to support NYC's The Public Theater / May 30, 2020 by David Hwang

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is a star in his own right but even he has had to gulp at the wattage on tap for the upcoming benefit for New York City's fabled Public Theater.

Meryl Streep, Antonio Banderas, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alicia Keys, Daniel Craig, Danielle Brooks, Glenn Close, Elvis Costello, Claire Danes, Danai Gurira, Anne Hathaway, John Leguizamo, Audra McDonald, Sandra Oh, David Hyde Pierce and Sting are just some of stars expected to attend the June 1 virtual event, called “We Are One Public.”

“It is a pretty impressive list,” said Ferguson, who will be the host. “I can't believe I'm going to have a one-on-one conversations with these people. Some are friends, but I also have to prepare that I'm going to have a conversation with Sting — which is really mind-blowing.”

Other participants include Laura Benanti, Todd Almond, Troy Anthony Burton, Michael Cerveris, Carla Duren, Danaya Esperanza, Jane Fonda, Nanya-Akuki Goodrich, David Henry Hwang, Brian d’Arcy James, John Lithgow, Phillipa Soo, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Nikki M. James, Margaret Odette, Kelli O’Hara, Suzan-Lori Parks, Phylicia Rashad, Jay O. Sanders, Liev Schreiber and Martin Sheen.

The event is free and will be livestreamed on The Public’s website, YouTube channel and Facebook page. The celebration replaces The Public's annual gala held beside the stage where it offers Shakespeare in the Park.

Every Live-Action Remake Disney Is Currently Working On / May 30, 2020 by David Hwang

Disney’s Live-Action Remake Machine is in high gear! The studios has already turned out several successful remakes of their animated films, including Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Maleficent, Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book and The Lion King and it doesn’t look like they are stopping anytime soon.

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang is reportedly writing the movie, and Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are said to be doing the music. Josh Gad is also reportedly producing the film.

Jin Ha Is A Breakout Broadway Star / May 30, 2020 by David Hwang

Sam Boyd's anthology rom-com series Love Life is one of several original series debuting on HBO Max, and Season 1 centers on the many loves of Anna Kendrick's Darby. Darby's first major (and thus, doomed) relationship is with Augie Jeong, a witty reporter she meets at karaoke. Love Life's Augie is played by Jin Ha, a Broadway performer who you may also recognize as Jamie from FX's mind-bending Devs. Here's everything you need to know about the Love Life star.

According to Jin Ha's website, Ha is a Korean-American actor and a graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts MFA Acting program. Per NBC News, Ha originally intended on pursuing a career in finance, but he pivoted after acknowledging that acting was his true passion. After graduation, Ha hit the theater circuit, notably playing Aaron Burr in the Chicago company of Hamilton in 2017. He was also the understudy for King George.

He then performed as Song Liling in the 2017 Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly. (B.D. Wong, who originally played the role, won a Tony for his performance in 1988.) Unlike the problematic Madam Butterfly, which ends with the Japanese protagonist committing suicide because her white lover abandons her, M. Butterfly is based on a true story of a French diplomat who falls in love with a man masquerading as a female Chinese opera singer.

Fil-Ams involved in award-winning theater shows / May 29, 2020 by David Hwang

NEW YORK — Filipino American set designer Clint Ramos has won this year’s Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Scenic Design for his work on the play “Grand Horizons.”

Outer Critics Circle (OCC) is an organization of writers covering the New York theater industry for out-of-town news and media outlets.

OCC president David Gordon said, “The Outer Critics Circle has thought long and hard about a way to honor the nearly 200 productions that opened [2019 to 2020], while also respecting those shows that were canceled, postponed, or forced to close shortly after opening.

Filipino American theater makers were involved in productions that won in different categories.

One of the two winners of Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical is David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s “Soft Power,” staged at The Public Theater.

Disney Theatrical Productions Reveals Next Steps for Hercules and The Jungle Book Musicals, Aida Revival, More / May 29, 2020 by David Hwang

Following the news that the musical adaptation of Frozen would not reopen on Broadway once the industry reaches the other side of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Disney Theatrical Productions has offered a glimpse of what's to come—at least on stages beyond New York's theatre district.

Also heading across the pond instead of its initial U.S. plans is the revival of Elton John, Tim Rice, and David Henry Hwang's Aida. The new production, directed by Schele Williams, will premiere in Germany in spring 2022, as opposed to a 2021 North American tour launching at Paper Mill Playhouse. No word yet on new dates for a U.S. bow.

Read more at Playbill

Mint Book Club: May Selection M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang / May 29, 2020 by David Hwang

May is Asian Pacific American History Month — an umbrella that encompasses way too many people, cultures and amazing books for a one-to-three-books-a-month book club to adequately cover.

This month, I chose three books that deal with the relationship between the East and the West. These books deal with cultures clashing, adjusting and changing. They offer insight into how many of us perceive Asian cultures and the problems with those perceptions.

As always, you’re required to read every book. I’ll know if you haven’t.

M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang

This one is a play, but honestly, I know you read Shakespeare in high school. Set up a Zoom call and act this one out if you have to, but we should all read more plays anyway.

French officer Rene Gallimard is stationed in China and falls in love with an opera singer. Fast forward twenty years and he’s in prison for treason. Throughout the course of this play Gallimard tells what led to this, how he should’ve seen it coming and why he didn’t.

It’s hard to talk about “M. Butterfly” without giving away spoilers. This play has a lot to say about the relationship between the West and Asia but again, it’s very hard to be specific without giving away the plot. I’ll just say that the relationship between Gallimard and Song Liling (the singer) has much more to it than you’d expect. Trust me.

Re-Imagined AIDA Will Not Premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse; Plans Underway for German Production in 2022 / May 29, 2020 by David Hwang

As BroadwayWorld first reported last year, a new North American tour of Elton John and Tim Rice's Tony-winning Broadway smash Aida was previously set to premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2021. Plans have changed however. BroadwayWorld has learned that the musical will no longer be a part of the upcoming Paper Mill season. A rep confirmed: "We look forward to continuing our partnership with Disney on Aida and other projects in the future."

The new production, updated and re-imagined, retains the beloved Tony and Grammy-winning score and features a book revised by David Henry Hwang, who co-authored the acclaimed original production with Linda Woolverton and Robert Falls.

Read more at Broadway World

Anton Sattler, 2020 Bridge Award Winner! / May 16, 2020 by David Hwang

The Final Selecting Judge was David Henry Hwang.

"I was deeply impressed and moved by the quality and range of the Bridge Award finalist plays. They all exhibited great skill, intelligence, craftsmanship, and most importantly, were personal expressions of unique voices and experiences. I felt each author telling the story they needed to tell -- first for themselves, and then for others. Several, but not all, of the plays captured military or veteran life, delving into an experience which has become marginalized in our country and is often portrayed stereotypically.

All the finalist plays dealt in some way with the experience of otherness -- feeling like an outsider, struggling to find an authentic place in our communities, our nation, and our world. Though I could easily have given the Award to any of these works, I could only pick one.”

Look Back at Disney's Tarzan on Broadway / May 16, 2020 by David Hwang

The stage adaptation of the classic animated film opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre May 10, 2006. The musical, based on the classic Disney animated film, played 35 previews and 486 performances before closing July 8, 2007, earning a Tony nomination for Best Lighting Design of a Musical.

Adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel, Tarzan tells the story of the young son of an English couple who is raised by a tribe of gorillas and his journey when an English naturalist crosses his path. The musical featured music and lyrics by Phil Collins and book by David Henry Hwang.

Read more at Playbill

David Henry Hwang to Take Part in Adventure Theatre MTC Digital Presentations Celebrating API Heritage Month / May 13, 2020 by David Hwang

Read more at Broadway World

2020 Outer Critics Circle Award Honorees / May 13, 2020 by David Hwang

The OCC celebrated up to five honorees in each of its 26 categories this year due to the COVID-19 crisis

Watch the full announcement above. As previously announced, in lieu of selecting traditional nominees with one winner from each category, the 2020 Outer Critics Circle Awards celebrate up to five honorees in each of its 26 categories. The adjustment is to make room for a greater celebration in light of the public health crisis.

Soft Power, with a book and Lyrics by David Henry Hwang, and music and additional lyrics by Jeanine Tesori.

Read more at Playbill

Breaking News: Drama League Announces 2020 Nominations / May 13, 2020 by David Hwang

The Drama League has announced the 2020 Drama League Awards Nominees for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much- coveted Distinguished Performance Award.

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Soft Power

Directed by Leigh Silverman
Book and Lyrics by David Henry Hwang, Music and Additional Lyrics by Jeanine Tesori. Public Theater

Read more at Broadway World