Ojai Playwrights Conference's CONNECTIONS Benefit

A starry cast, some of whom will perform their own work, has been set for the Ojai Playwrights Conference presentation of "Connections," a virtual celebration to benefit the OPC 2021 season, on Saturday, June 12 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time/ 8 p.m. Eastern Time. A minimum donation of $20 is requested to watch this special 120-minute show.

Brian Cox, Culture Clash, Eileen Galindo, Danai Gurira, Tzi Ma, James and Seamus Morrison, Rose Portillo, Samantha Quan, John C. Reilly, Israel López Reyes, Nikkole Salter, Jimmy Smits, Phillipa Soo and Charlayne Woodard will perform stories exploring the need for more sustainable human 'connections' as we move together toward new horizons.

Produced by OPC Artistic Director/Producer Robert Egan, the previously announced line up of contributing playwrights, many of whose work has been developed at OPC, includes Luis Alfaro, Jon Robin Baitz, Father Greg Boyle, Bill Cain, Culture Clash, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Danai Gurira, Samuel D. Hunter, David Henry Hwang, Julia Izumi, James Morrison and his son Seamus Morrison, Jeanine Tesori and Charlayne Woodard.

Read more at Broadway World

The premiere of "Circus Days and Nights," a new opera by composer Philip Glass, streams online through June 13

Based on poems by Robert Lax, the opera "will take audiences on a spectacular adventure into the world of the circus and the performers who dedicate their lives to this art, capturing a day in their lives as a spiritual ceremony, one which honors the cycle of life and death." Malmö Opera performs the new work whose libretto is by David Henry Hwang and Tilde Björfors.

circusdaysandnights.com.

Read more at Chicago Daily Herald

What to do in Chicago for music fans

Welcome to the highlights of Chicago concerts, festivals and live music. From free shows at Millennium Park to large festivals like Lavinia and Lollapalooza to intimate shows at small local venues, our guides offer all the latest music entertainment. Bookmark this page to stay up to date on concerts and events.

Philip Glass Opera

what: Philip Glass’ new opera “Circus Days and Night” is a wonderful fusion of opera and contemporary circus, with a script by playwright David Henry Hwang. In collaboration with Glass, Swedish contemporary circus group Cirkus Cirkör (directed by artistic director Tilde Björfors) and Malmö Opera, the opera brings Robert Lax’s poetry to life and takes the audience to an adventure into the world of circus and performers. I will guide you. Dedicate your life to this art. 

when: Live stream of World Premiere Opera until June 13th

tickets: $ 12

information: visit malmoopera.se/circus-days-and-nights-in-english..

Read more at Illinois News Today

JOE PAPP AT 100 Event

Actor/Singer Mandy Patinkin, Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Papp biographer Helen Epstein will be among the many celebrities and theater industry leaders confirmed for the 100th birthday commemoration of legendary theatre producer Joe Papp on June 22, 2021.

Born "Yosl Papirofsky," Papp will be the subject of Celebrating 'Yosl' - Joe Papp at 100, hosted by YI Love Jewish and featuring a full day of events, including virtual and in-person celebrity broadcasts. The schedule will include musical performances, plays, monologues, scenes, lectures and testimonials culminating in the celebrity-studded signature Gala event and Exclusive VIP Reception, celebrating the life of the renowned producer who created "Shakespeare in the Park" and The Public Theater in New York City.

A few of the currently confirmed participants include superstar actors/social media celebrities: Mandy Patinkin and his wife Kathryn Grody, Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater, Playwright David Henry Hwang, Stage and Screen star Rex Smith, Author and Joe Papp biographer Helen Epstein, Actress, Producer and Director Morgan Jenness, Actor and Director Mark Linn Baker, and Chair of The Public Theater Board of Trustees Arielle Tepper.

Read more at Broadway World

10 Classical Concerts to Stream in June

The Met Orchestra’s return, an opera from Paris and a Philip Glass circus work are among the highlights.

With in-person performances just beginning to return in many places, here are 10 highlights of the online music content coming in June. (Times listed are Eastern.)

‘Circus Days and Nights’

June 1 at noon; malmoopera.se; there are several more livestreamed performances through June 13.

Circus juggling was one of the highlights of Phelim McDermott’s recent staging of Philip Glass’s opera “Akhnaten.” Might that have given Glass a new idea? Whether it’s coincidence or not, his latest stage work — a collaboration with the librettist David Henry Hwang and the circus director Tilde Bjorfors — is being advertised as a “never-before-seen fusion of circus and opera,” streamed live from the Malmo Opera in Sweden. SETH COLTER WALLS

Read more at New York Times

VIDEO: Arianna Afsar, Courtney Reed, David Henry Hwang, and More Take Part in La Jolla's #StopAsianHate Campaign

La Jolla Playhouse has released a new video in support of Rep. Grace Meng's #StopAsianHate National Day of Action and Healing in March.

Artists Arianna Afsar (Singer/Actress - HAMILTON and Netflix's WEDDING SEASON), Eric Keen-Louie (La Jolla Playhouse Producing Director), Jess McLeod (Director - HAMILTON Chicago and Digital WOW commissioned artist), and Lauren Yee (Playwright - CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND) launched a digital video campaign featuring nearly 40 AAPI artists highlighting the recent rise - and long history - of anti-Asian hate in America.

With support from La Jolla Playhouse, the team partnered with editor Justin Choe to create this compilation to spread further awareness.

To take action or donate to HATE IS A VIRUS's CommUNITY Action Fund supporting boots-on-the-ground community organizations, visit www.hateisavirus.org.

Read more at Broadway World

Star-Studded I'm Still Here Virtual Benefit Will Honor George C. Wolfe and Late Harold Prince

Celebrating the New York Public Library's Billy Rose Theatre Division, viewers can expect archival clips of In the Heights, Sunset Boulevard, and more.

I’m Still Here, a star-studded evening celebrating the 90th anniversary of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ Billy Rose Theatre Division and the 50th anniversary of its Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, will stream on Broadway on Demand June 23 at 8 PM ET.

Honoring Tony-winning directors George C. Wolfe and the late Harold Prince, the evening will feature archival content of several Broadway productions preserved in the archive, including Savion Glover, Jimmy Tate, Choclattjared, and Raymond King in Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk; Meryl Streep, Marcia Gay Harden, and Larry Pine in The Seagull; Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robin de Jesús, Christopher Jackson, Karen Olivo, Andréa Burns, Janet Dacal, Eliseo Román, and Seth Stewart in In the Heights; and Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard.

Read more at Playbill

CIRCUS DAYS AND NIGHTS Will Stream Online This Month

Bringing to life the poetry of Robert Lax, a new genre-defying circus opera by legendary contemporary composer Philip Glass will unite a team of world-class creatives in a collaboration between Swedish contemporary circus company Cirkus Cirkör and Malmö Opera. The world premiere includes a libretto from Tony award-winning writer and three-time Pulitzer finalist David Henry Hwang and direction from Cirkus Cirkör co-founder and artistic director Tilde Björfors.

Faithful to Lax's poetry and spiritual world view, Circus Days and Nights will take audiences on a spectacular adventure into the world of the circus and the performers who dedicate their lives to this art, capturing a day in their lives as a spiritual ceremony, one which honours the cycle of life and death. The show will be performed on Malmö Opera's main stage with live music to an intimate socially distanced live audience and streamed worldwide.

Read more at Broadway World

How the Asian American movement began at Berkeley, sparked creativity and unity

Philip Kan Gotanda (right) performing his original music in 1979 with David Hwang. (Photo courtesy of Philip Kan Gotanda, copyright Diane Takei 2021)

In the second part of a three-part series, playwright and UC Berkeley professor Philip Kan Gotanda discusses how he began to write music during the emerging Asian American movement, which began at Berkeley in the late 1960s. And how, after his music career didn’t take off as he’d hoped, he went to law school, where he wrote his first play. Now, he’s one of the most prolific playwrights of Asian American-themed work in the United States.

In the last episode, playwright and UC Berkeley professor Philip Kan Gotanda shared what it was like growing up in Stockton, California, as a Japanese American after World War II.

Philip Gotanda: I had all this, basically, internalized racism, self-hate, you know, which was not uncommon at that time if you weren’t white. In particular, if you were Asian. You didn’t want to be Asian, you didn’t like being Asian, you didn’t hang with Asians because it was uncool, in my generation.

Today, in the second part of a three-part series, Gotanda discusses how he began to write music during the emerging Asian American movement, which began at Berkeley in the late 1960s. And how, after his music career didn’t take off as he’d hoped, he went to law school, where he wrote his first play.

Read more at Berkley News

Playwrights address ‘Connections’

Playwrights will share a mix of inspiring songs and stories during “Connections,” a virtual presentation by the Ojai Playwrights Conference.

The program will take place at 5 p.m. June 12. It will stream only on that day and time at www.ojaiplays.org/benefit2021/connections.

The theme of human connections will be explored by playwrights Luis Alfaro, Jon Robin Baitz, Father Greg Boyle, Bill Cain, Culture Clash, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Danai Gurira, Samuel D. Hunter, David Henry Hwang, Julia Izumi, James Morrison and his son Seamus Morrison, Jeanine Tesori and Charlayne Woodard.

Read more at Santa Barbara News Press

Isabel Leonard, Pretty Yende, Michael Fabiano & J’Nai Bridges Headline Washington National Opera’s 2021-22 Season

Productions will take place at the Kennedy Center Opera House or Eisenhower Theater

The Washington National Opera just announced its 2021-2022 season, which includes productions of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Bizet’s Carmen, and an intriguing new work, Written in Stone, that is inspired by DC’s Monuments. The latter opera, which opens in March to honor the Kennedy Center’s 50th anniversary, will feature four storylines written by four teams of creative talent (including novelist/librettist A.M. Homes and playwright David Henry Hwang) .

The first piece explores how and why we celebrate certain people and their actions; another focuses on Vietnam War Memorial creator Maya Lin. The second half of the opera celebrates the suffragette movement, and closes with the story of a Black father and son navigating what it means to be Queer in the Black church.

Read more at The Washingtonian

TCG’s virtual ‘60th Anniversary Gala’ to be hosted by Shequida

This Tuesday, May 18, at 7:30 pm, Theatre Communications Group (TCG) – the New York-based national organization for theater, founded in 1961, and now with more than 7,000 individual members and 700 member theaters and affiliate organizations – is holding its 60th Anniversary Gala: Our Stories, followed by an after-party to continue the celebration. The big event, hosted by drag superstar Shequida, will feature songs from Lauren Yee’s Off-Broadway hit Cambodian Rock Band, performed by original NYC cast members Francis Jue, Abraham Kim, Jane Lui, Joe Ngo, Courtney Reed, and Moses Villarama, along with a performance from The Market Theatre Laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A donations-based event, the annual gala, now in its ninth year, will support TCG’s work in leading the theater industry towards a just and thriving ecology. Recent honorees include award-winning playwright and librettist David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America), and Broadway press agent and DKC/O&M President Rick Miramontez.

Read more at DC Metro

Danai Gurira, David Henry Hwang & More to Take Part in Ojai Playwrights Conference CONNECTIONS Benefit 2021

The event will feature an impressive line up of playwrights sharing an array of inspiring songs and stories drawing on the theme of 'connections.

The Ojai Playwrights Conference is presenting "Connections," a virtual celebration to benefit the OPC 2021 season, on Saturday, June 12 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time/ 8 p.m. Eastern Time. A minimum donation of $20 is requested to watch this special 90-minute show.

The event will feature an impressive line up of playwrights sharing an array of inspiring songs and stories drawing on the theme of 'connections,' the necessity for deeper and more sustainable human connections as we move together toward new horizons.

The playwrights, many of whose work has been developed at OPC, include Luis Alfaro, Jon Robin Baitz, Father Greg Boyle, Bill Cain, Culture Clash, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Danai Gurira, Samuel D. Hunter, David Henry Hwang, Julia Izumi, James Morrison and his son Seamus Morrison, Jeanine Tesori and Charlayne Woodard.

A star-studded cast will be announced at a later date.

• Read more at Broadway World

Awakening’ #StopAsianHate PSA Honors Asian Americans in Animation

Oscar-nominated producer Peilin Chou directs powerful short film with the help of artists and creators including Ronnie del Carmen, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Jinko Gotoh, Sanjay Patel, Gennie Rim, John Aoshima, and Henry Yu, in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Oscar-nominated producer Peilin Chou (Over the Moon) has directed a personal, and powerful new video, Awakening, a #StopAsianHate PSA that highlights the contributions of Asian Americans to the art of animation. Released today in response to the rise in Asian violence across the US, and in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), Awakeningbrings together a great line-up of artists and creators that includes Daniel Dae Kim, Bowen Yang, Ken Jeong, Phillipa Soo, Margaret Cho, and BD Wong, as well as animation industry stalwarts Ronnie del Carmen, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Jinko Gotoh, Sanjay Patel, Gennie Rim, John Aoshima, and Henry Yu, among others. The film was officially released this morning by CAPE, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, a group founded in 1991 to advance representation in Hollywood through engaging creative talent and executive leadership, providing cultural consulting, and championing projects to support their success.

Read more at Animation World Network

Watch: CAPE Spotlights Asian-American Artists for AAPI History Month

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the organization CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) has shared Awakening — a powerful video that celebrates Asian Americans, with a spotlight on artists whose work has changed the world. The piece opens with reflections on the growing number of racist attacks against these communities in the U.S. and what it means to be Asian American, before diving into a spotlight on the beautiful, affecting contributions AAPI artists have made to the world of animation.

“This past March, the morning after the incidents in Atlanta, like many I felt horrified, angry and completely helpless. I wanted so badly to take action, and figure out a way to contribute something positive, but I felt overwhelmed and paralyzed about what any one person could do in the face of such senseless acts and so much hate. After a day of reflection, as a filmmaker and producer, I decided to approach this the only way I knew how — by telling stories,” said Oscar-nominated producer Peilin Chou (Over the Moon), who directed the video.

Read more at Animation Magazine

Charlayne Woodard, David Henry Hwang, Ann James, and Robyn Hurder Join LIVE AT THE LORTEL Lineup

The live interviews will take place Mondays at 7:00 PM EST, offering theater fans the opportunity to view interviews and participate in a Q&A with artists.

The Lucille Lortel Theatre today announces its upcoming May guest lineup for its popular "Live at The Lortel" podcast series. To end its 2020-2021 season, the interview series Tony Award-winning actress and playwright Charlayne Woodard (May 3), Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (May 10), theater educator and intimacy director Ann James (May 17), and Tony Award-nominated actress Robyn Hurder (May 24).

The live interviews will take place Mondays at 7:00 PM EST, offering theater fans the opportunity to view interviews and participate in a Q&A with artists. To join the audience, please visit www.liveatthelortel.com.

• Read more at Broadway World

In the News: Lea Salonga, David Henry Hwang Named to API Impactful Leaders List, Rock-Baroque Hybrid My Cyrano to Play NYC

Lea Salonga, David Henry Hwang, More Named to API Impactful Leaders List
A number of Asian and Pacific Islander theatre artists were included on Gold House’s 2021 A100 List, honoring API individuals who have made a substantial impact in the past year. Among those recognized are Jagged Little Pill producer Vivek J. Tiwary, Tony winners Lea Salonga and David Henry Hwang, Auli'i Cravalho, Daniel Dae Kim, Gemma Chan, George Takei, Kelly Marie Tran, and Riz Ahmed. “Recognizing the achievements of the AAPI community couldn’t be more timely than right now. The tragic events of the recent past only serve to underscore the need to celebrate the many ways Asian Americans contribute to our country and the world,” said Kim, who also served as an A100 Icon judge. Click here to see the full list.

Read more at Playbill

Donald Kirk: How anti-Asianism explodes in wake of the 'China virus'

Anti-Asian prejudice in the U.S. is an old story with a modern twist. Japanese people were placed in internment camps after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the American president through the war, viewed them as a security threat. Chinese immigration was banned for a time after thousands came from China in the late 19th century to work on building railroads.

In its reincarnation, Asian Americans of widely differing national and racial backgrounds are vilified and sometimes attacked. Violence has increased since the outbreak of what Donald Trump as president called the “China virus.” Almost every day you hear of someone punched or knocked down. More often, Asian Americans are jeered or threatened, verbally if not physically.

“Bigotry and brutality targeting Asian Americans has spiked over the past year as racist rhetoric linked to the coronavirus has soared,” says the Daily News,“New York’s hometown newspaper.” Since March “shunning, spitting and violent physical assault were among the 3,795 incidents reported by victims nationwide,” the article goes on, citing figures compiled by the group Stop AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Hate.

Show business names as diverse as Korean American comedian Margaret Cho and Chinese American playwright David Henry Hwang talked about experiences ranging from physical attacks to snubs to name-calling. “It’s really more about being very invisible within Hollywood, within the media,” Cho is quoted as saying. “It’s very weird when you’re just excluded from the conversation.” Hwang, who was stabbed in the neck a few years ago in Brooklyn, observed that “Asians have always been stereotyped as perpetual foreigners.”

Read more at Waco Tribune Herald

Yellow Face: A comedy that runs hot against today’s backdrop of rising sinophobia!

There’s room to speculate that a play addressing the news headlines and Broadway scandals of the Clinton era might feel a little off the boil in terms of topicality. Its issues a little stewed.

Not so Yellow Face. David Henry Hwang’s rueful 2007 comedy runs hot against today’s backdrop of rising sinophobia, assertive expressions of all forms of identity and superpower realpolitik.

Hwang’s play weaves several strands, most of them documentary, some fictional. One draws on Hwang’s leading involvement in the 1990 protests against the “yellow face” casting of British actor Jonathan Pryce in an Asian role in Broadway production of Miss Saigon.

Read more at Audrey Journal

Deliciously complex: Don’t miss this thoughtful study of racism

Helen Kim in Yellow Face, which packs an emotional punch that belies its modest setting. CREDIT:CLARE HAWLEY

On stage right now in the tiny Kings Cross Theatre is a small but significant revelation.

Dinosaurus Productions and bAKEHOUSE Theatre Company are staging the remarkably assured, deliciously complex Australian premiere of Yellow Face.While independent works are often charmingly rough around the edges, there is nothing shabby here. In a consistently funny but deeply thoughtful production, the play comes to playful, acerbic, and sometimes poignant life.

Written by David Henry Hwang, we follow a fictionalised version of the playwright – DHH (the brilliant Shan-Ree Tan). After a very public attempt to ensure a Broadway production of Miss Saigon is authentically cast, DHH mistakenly hires a white actor (Adam Marks, a superbly frustrating portrait of white privilege with puppy-dog eyes) to play the Asian lead in his next play.

Read more at The Syndey Morning Herald