The Lark, Off-Broadway’s Developer and Champion of New Works, to Shut Down / October 11, 2021 by David Hwang

The organization was founded in 1994 as a counterpoint to commercially driven theatre and a platform for underrepresented voices.

The Lark, a longtime home to theatre writers and new works for nearly three decades, is shutting down. An October 5 statement says that the closure was determined by a unanimous vote from the organization’s board of directors, and that the group intends to transfer its current programming and fellowship initiatives to similar institutions.

The Lark says the closure follows several hardships faced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, adding “there is no sustainable and viable path forward.”

Earlier this year, May Adrales was named new artistic director of the organization, succeeding John Clinton Eisner, who co-founded The Lark in 1994 as a counterpoint to commercially driven theatre. Eisner had made his intention to retire known to the board in early 2020, with the announcement being made public about a year into the pandemic shutdown.

Among the myriad writers to develop works at the Lark are David Henry Hwang (a board member himself), Kristoffer Diaz, Katori Hall, Rajiv Joseph, Arthur Kopit, Koffi Kwahule, Javier Malpica, Theresa Rebeck, Saviana Stanescu, Sinan Unel, Tracey Scott Wilson, and Karen Zacarías.

Read more at Playbill

THE KENNEDY CENTER AT 50 Concert / October 1, 2021 by David Hwang

The Kennedy Center's 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert, which was taped in the Concert Hall on Tuesday, September 14, is being broadcast across the nation on Friday, October 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App.

Echoing "An American Pageant for the Arts," the 1962 event conducted by Leonard Bernstein, this special celebration and re-launch of live, in-person performing arts in America is hosted by six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald with special guest Caroline Kennedy and feature the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO). The concert is directed and choreographed by Emmy Award® winner and Tony Award® nominee Joshua Bergasse and features newly announced conductors JoAnn Falletta, Steven Reineke and Thomas Wilkins, Herman Cornejo, Randall Goosby, Cassandra Trenary, Tony Yazbeck, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Ray Chen, Robert Glasper, Joshua Henry, Bettye LaVette, Kelli O'Hara, Gaby Moreno, Zhu Wang, the original cast of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori's Soft Power, and more will be making appearances and performing throughout the night.

Kennedy at 50 Concert, Heading to PBS / October 1, 2021 by David Hwang

Watch Kelli O’Hara Sing ‘Take Me to the World’ The Tony winner was backed by the National Symphony Orchestra on the Stephen Sondheim tune.

arlier this month, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. celebrated 50 years with a star-studded concert celebration. Check out a clip above of Kelli O’Hara, backed by the National Symphony Orchestra, singing Stephen Sondheim’s “Take Me to the World” from Evening Primrose.

Kennedy at 50 will air in full on PBS October 1 at 9 PM ET (check local listings) and also be available at PBS.org and the PBS Video App. Hosted by Audra McDonald, the concert also featured performances by Tony nominees Joshua Henry, Renée Fleming, and Tony Yazbeck, the cast of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s Soft Power, Darren Criss, Common, and more.

Read more at Playbill

The Kennedy Centre celebrates 50 years with a spectacular evening of performances / September 29, 2021 by David Hwang

PBS will air The Kennedy Center at 50, featuring Darren Criss, Dianne Reeves, Audra McDonald, and more.

The star-studded Kennedy Center at 50 concert event (reviewed live by Olivia Hampton below) will be broadcast Friday, October 1, at 9 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS video app.

Celebrating 50 years of the National Cultural Center, the evening is hosted by six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and features the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO); the original cast of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s groundbreaking musical-within-a-play, Soft Power.

BARD CONSERVATORY’S US-CHINA MUSIC INSTITUTE PRESENTS FOURTH ANNUAL CHINA NOW MUSIC FESTIVAL / September 29, 2021 by David Hwang

This Year’s Theme, Asian American Voices, Focuses on Moving Society Forward Through Music.

The festival runs OCTOBER 12-17.

The festival features three important works by New York based composer, Huang Ruo. Born in China in 1976 and based in the United States, Huang has established a career as a major figure in classical music today. Included will be selections from An American Soldier, with libretto by David Henry Hwang.

The festival programming also showcases new works by a range of Asian American composers. These works delve into the Asian American experience stretching back 100 years to today.

Circus Days and Nights nominated for 1st international circus awards / September 23, 2021 by David Hwang

1st International Circus Awards, Nominees Announced From 12 Countries
Hosted by Contemporary Circus and Immersive Arts Center
Ceremony Broadcast Online Oct. 9

Nominees for the first International Circus Awards were announced today, with 15 nominated productions from 12 countries in consideration for 10 award categories.

The Contemporary Circus and Immersive Arts Center, a nonprofit organization based in Troy, N.Y., will present awards to winning productions on Oct. 9 during an online video awards ceremony. The ICA was created to recognize professional circus companies, artists and producers from around the globe for their outstanding achievements.

What is Circus?

While many hear the word “circus” and think of animals, peanuts and “Big Top” large arenas, there is great variety in modern circus productions. “Contemporary Circus” companies, for example, don’t use animals, but focus instead on the incredible capabilities of the human body to tell stories, typically in smaller and more intimate settings.

The Nominees

Outstanding Production

“The Pulse” – Gravity & Other Myths (Australia)
“Sweat & Ink” – Cirque Barcode (Canada)
“SIX” – FLIP Fabrique (Canada)
“Serge Fiori, Seul Ensemble” – Cirque Éloize (Canada)
“Passagers” – Les 7 doigts de la main (Canada)
“Out Of Order” – Les 7 doigts de la main (Canada)
“O’DD” – Race Horse Company (Finland)
“Moya” – Zip Zap Circus & Sabine Van Rensburg, Brin Schoellkopf, Samuel Renaud (South Africa, Canada, United States)
“La Galerie” – Machine de Cirque (Canada)
“Circus Days and Nights” – Cirkus Cirkör (Sweden)

Outstanding Digital Production

“Out Of Order” – Les 7 doigts de la main (Canada)
“Moya” – Zip Zap Circus & Sabine Van Rensburg, Brin Schoellkopf, Samuel Renaud (South Africa, Canada, U.S.A.)
“Circus Days and Nights” – Cirkus Cirkör (Sweden)

Outstanding Performance by an Artist

Barcode company – “Sweat & Ink,” by Cirque Barcode (Canada)
Sereno Aguilar, Sabine Van Rensburg + Cast – “Passagers,” by Les 7 doigts de la main (Canada)
Rauli Dahlberg – “O’DD,” by Race Horse Company (Finland)
Phelelani Ndakrokra – “Moya,” by Zip Zap Circus & Sabine Van Rensburg, Brin Schoellkopf, Samuel Renaud (South Africa, Canada, U.S.A.)
Pauline Bonanni – “La Galerie,” by Machine de Cirque (Canada)

Outstanding Achievement in Circography

“The Pulse” – Gravity & Other Myths (Australia)
“Sweat & Ink” – Cirque Barcode (Canada)
“Se prendre” – LION LION (Canada)
“Passagers “- Les 7 doigts de la main (Canada)
“La Galerie” – Machine de Cirque (Canada)

Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy

“The Pulse” – Gravity & Other Myths (Australia)
“Sweat & Ink” – Cirque Barcode (Canada)
“Se prendre” – LION LION (Canada)
“RAVEN” – still hungry (Germany)
“Passagers” – Les 7 doigts de la main (Canada)
“Circus Days and Nights” – Cirkus Cirkör (Sweden)

Outstanding Emerging Company

“Sweat & Ink” – Cirque Barcode (Canada)
“Se prendre” – LION LION (Canada)
“RAVEN” – still hungry (Germany)
“Piste, piste, piste” – Portmanteau (Brazil, Finland)
“La Vrille du Chat” – Back Pocket (Belgium)

Outstanding Achievement in Design

“A Deer in the Headlights” – Cirque Le Roux (France)
“Circus Days and Nights” – Cirkus Cirkör (Sweden)
“Moya” – Zip Zap Circus & Sabine Van Rensburg, Brin Schoellkopf, Samuel Renaud (South Africa, Canada, U.S.A.)
“Passagers” – 7 Fingers (Canada)
“The Pulse” – Gravity & Other Myths (Australia)

Other categories will include CircusTalk Critics Choice Award, Audience Choice Award and Community Impact Award.

Kennedy Center's 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert, Hosted by Audra McDonald, Presented September 14 / September 14, 2021 by David Hwang

Tony nominee Joshua Bergasse directs and choreographs the evening featuring Kelli O'Hara, Joshua Henry, Tony Yazbeck, and more.

Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald hosts the Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert, which is held September 14 in the Concert Hall and will be subsequently broadcast October 1 on PBS as The Kennedy Center at 50.

Tony nominee Joshua Bergasse directs and choreographs the evening; conductors are JoAnn Falletta, Steven Reineke, and Thomas Wilkins.

The concert event features the talents of Tony winner Kelli O'Hara, Tony nominees Joshua Henry, Renée Fleming, and Tony Yazbeck, the cast of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s Soft Power, Darren Criss, Common, DJ Jahi Sundance, D Smoke, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Ray Chen, Robert Glasper, Bettye LaVette, Gaby Moreno, Kelly Marie Tran, Zhu Wang, Mo Willems, Herman Cornejo, Ben Folds, Randall Goosby, Christian McBride, Keb’ Mo’, Rachael Price, Punch Brothers, and Cassandra Trenary.

Read more at Playbill

Bard Conservatory's US-China Music Institute Presents Fourth Annual China Now Music Festival, October 12-17 / September 14, 2021 by David Hwang

This Year’s Theme, Asian American Voices, Focuses on Moving Society Forward Through Music

The US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music announces the fourth season of the China Now Music Festival, from October 12 to 17. The festival’s concerts will take place at The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College and Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Through an annual series of concerts and academic activities, the China Now Music Festival is dedicated to promoting an understanding and appreciation of music from contemporary China. This year’s theme broadens the festival’s scope to include the voices of a wide array of Asian American composers, with the aim of exploring their importance in contemporary American music and society. “Asian American voices are American voices, and Asian American music is American music. We should always cherish the cultural diversity in American society,” says China Now Music Festival Artistic Director Jindong Cai.

On Saturday, October 16 at 3pm, Asian American Voices: Symphonic Portraits, with The Orchestra Now, a festival concert, will be held at the Fisher Center for Performing Arts. Jindong Cai will lead The Orchestra Now to showcase three symphonic works by the composers Tan Dun, dean of the Bard Conservatory; Xinyan Li, Bard Conservatory faculty member; and Peng-Peng Gong, Shanghai-based composer and pianist. Tan’s Prayer and Blessing is his initial response to the pandemic, composed in early 2020. Li’s Awakening Light, concerto for guzheng and orchestra, was commissioned by the festival to be performed by the winner of the 2019 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition, Yixin Wang. Gong’s A Chinese in New York is a raw description of the experience of a Chinese student confronting cultural differences in America.

The second half of the concert will feature several moving episodes from composer Huang Ruo’s 2014 opera, An American Soldier. The opera tells the powerful and haunting true story of the death of US Army Private Danny Chen, who was born and raised in New York's Chinatown and died in Afghanistan in 2001 after being subjected to relentless hazing and racial maltreatment by his superiors. The episodes presented here will be introduced by the opera’s librettist, Tony award–winning playwright David Henry Hwang.

Metropolitan Opera & Santa Fe Opera Headline Guggenheim’s Fall Works & Process Lineup / September 10, 2021 by David Hwang

New York’s Guggenheim has announced the fall schedule for its Works & Process series.

The programs will be 60 minutes long, ticketed at full capacity, and will require everyone to be fully vaccinated. All individuals will be required to wear a face mask at all times. For children under the age of 12, for whom there is currently no available vaccination, will not be permitted to attend.

Santa Fe Opera will showcase a preview of “M. Butterfly” by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang. Audiences will get to hear excerpts ahead of the production’s world premiere as part of Santa Fe Opera’s 2022 season.

Workshop Date: Oct. 18, 2021

Works & Process at the Guggenheim to Kick Off Fall 2021 Season on September 20, 2021 / September 10, 2021 by David Hwang

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, will begin its fall 2021 Season with a return to evening performances in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Peter B. Lewis Theater this September and October at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128. Following a spring season featuring robust in-person rotunda performances at a time when theaters remained dark, this fall Works & Process will resume its signature behind the scenes Artist-driven programs, uniquely blending performance highlights with insightful artists discussions all prior to premiere. Tickets on sale now for September and October programs at www.worksandprocess.org. Additional programs will be announced later in the fall.

The Santa Fe Opera: M. Butterfly by Huang Ruoand David Henry Hwang

Monday, October 18, 7:30 pm

Joincomposer Huang Ruo and writer David Henry Hwang as they discuss their newest collaboration, M. Butterfly. Inspired by the true story of a French diplomat who carried on a twenty-year love affair with a star of the Peking Opera, M. Butterfly is based on Hwang's 1988 Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award-winning Broadway play of the same name. Hear excerpts ahead of the production's world premiere as part of Santa Fe Opera's 2022 season.

News: Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert To Be Broadcast Nationwide on PBS / September 10, 2021 by David Hwang

The in-person performance on September 14, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall to be broadcast on PBS on October 1, 2021

(WASHINGTON) — The Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert, to be held on September 14 in the Concert Hall, will now be broadcast across the nation on October 1 at 9 p.m. ET as THE KENNEDY CENTER at 50 on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS video app. Echoing “An American Pageant for the Arts,” the 1962 fundraising telecast for the National Cultural Center hosted by Leonard Bernstein, this special celebration will be hosted by six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald with special guest Caroline Kennedy and feature the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO). The concert will be directed and choreographed by Emmy Award® winner and Tony Award® nominee Joshua Bergasse and feature newly announced conductors JoAnn Falletta, Steven Reineke, and Thomas Wilkins.

“I am delighted that viewers across the country will be able to take part in the 50th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center through this special PBS broadcast,” said Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter. “I offer my continued well wishes for Michael Tilson Thomas on his journey to health as we carry forward his vision for the evening with JoAnn, Steven, Thomas, and all of these incredible artists whose work spans the breadth and depth of the performing arts in America. This promises to be an unmissable evening in celebration of the National Cultural Center and memorial to John F. Kennedy.”

“PBS is honored to partner with the Kennedy Center as it celebrates five decades of extraordinary theater, dance and music. Performing arts are central to the cultural fabric of our nation, and we are excited to mark this wonderful occasion by showcasing these talented artists with audiences across the country,” said Paula Kerger, PBS President & CEO.

Newly announced to take part in celebrating the great performance traditions that have enriched our varied cultural heritage and the bright future that lies ahead are Abigail Barlowand Emily Bear, creators of the TikTok smash The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical; violinist Ray Chen; Tony® and Grammy Award® nominee Joshua Henry; four-time Grammy Award®–winning pianist, composer, producer, and founding Kennedy Center Hip Hop Culture Council Member Robert Glasper; Tony Award® winner David Henry Hwang and the original cast of his and Jeanine Tesori’s groundbreaking musical-within-a-play, Soft Power; Grammy®–nominated soul singer-songwriter Bettye LaVette; Latin Grammy® winner and Grammy Award®nominee Gaby Moreno; Tony Award® winner Kelli O’Hara; Star Wars and Raya and the Last Dragon star Kelly Marie Tran; pianist Zhu Wang; and Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence Mo Willems in a world premiere collaboration with Artistic Advisor to the NSO, Ben Folds.

50th Anniversary Celebration Concert / September 1, 2021 by David Hwang

The Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary will officially kick off on September 14 with the 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert, a re-launch of live, full-scale productions at the Center.

Tue. Sep. 14, 2021 8p.m.

Echoing “An American Pageant for the Arts,” the 1962 event conducted by Leonard Bernstein, this special evening will be hosted by six-time Tony Award® winner Audra McDonald with special guests Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Ms. Rose Schlossberg. Featuring the National Symphony Orchestra, the star-studded concert will be directed and choreographed by Emmy Award® winner and Tony Award® nominee Joshua Bergasse and conducted by JoAnn Falletta, Steven Reineke, and Thomas Wilkins.

Preeminent artists including Renée Fleming, Ben Folds, Punch Brothers, Keb’ Mo’, Christian McBride, and Rachael Price will join the NSO to recognize the great performance traditions that have enriched our varied cultural heritage and the bright future that lies ahead. Plus, don’t miss phenomenal performances and appearances from Herman Cornejo, Randall Goosby, Cassandra Trenary, Tony Yazbeck, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Ray Chen, Robert Glasper, Joshua Henry, Bettye LaVette, Kelli O’Hara, Gaby Moreno, Kelly Marie Tran, Zhu Wang, Mo Willems, the original cast of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s Soft Power, and others!

CCHS Fall Theater To Present Tony Winner "Yellow Face" In Collaboration With East/West Players / September 1, 2021 by David Hwang

Art is both a reflection of culture and a way to inspire culture to evolve. The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Culver City High School has chosen a play and brought in a professional company to collaborate on a landmark play that does both.

"Yellow Face" blurs the lines between fact and fiction in the same way that stereotypes blur the truth in matters of race, personal identity and cultural authenticity. The play asks provocative questions about racial identity and, on another level, examines the social biases, both casual and institutionalized, that target Asian Americans and, indeed, any outsider to mainstream American culture.

"David Henry Hwang's Tony-award winning Yellow Face is a comedic satire that features the complex emotions that are involved when talking about race in America," said teaching artist and guest director Stephanie Lee. "But what Hwang does so brilliantly is marry this complex issue with comedy so that the audience can sit in a theater and laugh together. To quote Hwang during his 2014 interview with Propeller TV, 'Laughter opens your mind and allows you to think about new things.'"

All Arts’ ‘The First Twenty’ Initiative Announces Fall Lineup (EXCLUSIVE) / August 31, 2021 by David Hwang

All Arts unveiled the fall lineup for “The First Twenty,” a new content initiative exploring how the first two decades of the 21st century have impacted American art and culture.

“The First Twenty” includes three new specials. Premiering on Sept. 7 is “Afterwards” by playwright Enda Walsh. Jeremy Dennis’ “Ma’s House” premieres on Oct. 11 in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. “Twenty Years of Asian American Playwriting” by Ralph Peña and the Ma-Yi Theater Company will air in November. All three will stream on the All Arts app and website, and premiere in the New York Metro area on the All Arts TV channel.

Peña wrote and directed “The First Twenty: Twenty Years of Asian American Playwriting,” a 30-minute documentary that examines the perception of Asian American plays at large and notes how those works have shifted in scope and subject over time. It features interviews with Tony winner David Henry Hwang, playwright, director and filmmaker Young Jean Lee and others. Francisco Aliwalas is the director of photography and editor, with original music by Fabian Obispo. Jakob Carter serves as associate producer.

Audra McDonald to Host Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert / August 31, 2021 by David Hwang

The Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert will be held on September 14 and broadcast on October 1 at 9PM ET on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS video app. This special celebration will be hosted by six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald with special guest Caroline Kennedy and feature the National Symphony Orchestra. The concert will be directed and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse and feature conductors JoAnn Falletta, Steven Reineke and Thomas Wilkins.

David Henry Hwang (Photo by Emilio Madrid for Broadway.com)

The concert will feature performances from a slew of stars, including the original cast of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s Soft Power, Kelli O'Hara, Renée Fleming, Flying Over Sunset-bound star Tony Yazbeck, The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical creators Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear and more.

Pioneer Actor/Singer Alvin Ing Dies at 89 / August 14, 2021 by David Hwang

Alvin Ing in a promotional image and as Shogun's Mother in Pacific Overtures (image via @thealvining/Martha Swope/New York Public Library ) — Alvin Ing in a promotional image and as Shogun's Mother in *Pacific Overtures*
(image via @thealvining/Martha Swope/New York Public Library )

Actor and singer Alvin Ing, an advocate for Asian Pacific Americans in the entertainment industry, died on July 31 at the age of 89.

Ing died of cardiac arrest amid a battle with COVID-19 at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Though he had been fully vaccinated, he had been diagnosed with the virus two weeks earlier.

When the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Flower Drun Song” went on tour after opening on Broadway in 1958, Ing played the male lead, Wang Ta (the role played by James Shigeta in the 1961 movie). In 2002, the show was revived with a new book by David Henry Hwang, and Ing was cast as a different character, Chin.

Ing also appeared in the Stephen Sondheim musical about the opening of Japan to the West in the 19th century, “Pacific Overtures,” in 1976. The cast included other pioneer Asian American actors who have since passed away, including Mako, Yuki Shimoda and Soon Teck Oh. Ing also appeared in that show’s revival.

Hawaii Actor Fought For Better Roles For Asian Americans / August 14, 2021 by David Hwang

Screen-Shot-2021-08-06-at-2.49.43-PM.png

Alvin Ing, best known as the romantic lead in "Flower Drum Song," died last month after contracting COVID-19.

During the pandemic, Hawaii-born actor Alvin Ing was performing on stage, on Zoom, shooting a BTS dance cover video and giving interviews right up until he got sick.

In mid-July, the 89-year-old Broadway veteran was diagnosed with pneumonia. A few days later, tests showed he had COVID-19, though he had been fully vaccinated. After two weeks of battling COVID in Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, Ing died on July 31.

His long career included roles on Broadway in “Pacific Overtures” and “Flower Drum Song,” in the national touring company of “The World of Suzie Wong,” and in films such as “The Gambler,” “Stir Crazy” and “Smilla’s Sense of Snow,” as well as many television appearances. One of his greatest achievements was that he supported himself as a working actor, making a living doing what he loved. His legacy is in the battles he fought for roles for Asian actors on stage and on screen.

“He was the beloved link between generations of AAPI performers who had found employment and sometimes even stardom during a time when other opportunities were virtually non-existent,” said playwright David Henry Hwang. “As an AAPI actor of his generation, Alvin faced terrible racist exclusion, yet survived as an artist with his joy and talent (not to mention his high notes) intact.”

Ing was born in Hawaii in 1932, graduated from Roosevelt High School, and got a BA in music from the University of Hawaii. A talented singer since childhood, Ing was a member of the Honolulu Community Chorus and performed with the Honolulu Community Theater, which later became Diamond Head Theatre. Though he loved musical theater, he didn’t think an acting career was possible, so he set out to become a music teacher. He moved to New York to get a master’s degree in education from Columbia University. It was there that a friend convinced him to audition for musical theater.

Welcome to the Jungle! / August 14, 2021 by David Hwang

Hurricane Theatrical proudly presents the stage musical “Tarzan.” Thanks to the giant Disney Theatrical Productions (Beauty and the Beast and Lion King), Tarzan swings onto the stage accompanied by music from the rock legend Phil Collins. The book is by Tony award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, and the musical garnered both Tony Award nominations and international awards.

The Tarzan that we think of clad in a loincloth and swinging through the jungle is complements of author Edgar Rice Burrough’s 1912 novel, “Tarzan of the Apes.” The Tarzan character has been a staple of pop culture, including books, films, comics, television, and numerous parodies.

Concord Launches Originals Division to Develop Movies, TV and Podcasts From Its IP Vault (EXCLUSIVE) / August 13, 2021 by David Hwang

Concord Launches Originals Division to Develop Movies, TV and Podcasts From Its IP Vault (EXCLUSIVE).

Concord is diving deeper into its IP vault of music and theatrical performance rights to develop movies, TV shows and podcasts through the newly established Concord Originals division.

Sophia Dilley has been promoted to senior vice president to lead the push at Concord Originals from Los Angeles. Dilley told Variety the company plans to be nimble in its dealmaking and aims to work with a range of production and distribution partners, depending on the needs of each project.

Among the properties that Concord is actively developing is a new take on “Flower Drum Song” with Daniel Dae Kim’s 3AD production banner and Janet Yang Prods. The 1958 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical was adapted as a 1961 movie starring Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta and Miyoshi Umeki. Concord represents the voluminous Rodgers & Hammerstein for theatrical licensing.

Here are descriptions of Concord’s new projects:

Flower Drum Song

Concord Originals has partnered with Daniel Dae Kim’s 3AD and Janet Yang Productions to re-imagine Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Tony Award-winning musical Flower Drum Song for screen. The 1961 feature adaptation of the 1958 Broadway production of the same name received five Academy Award nominations and was the first major Hollywood feature film that featured a majority Asian/Asian American cast. The show returned to Broadway in 2002, with a revised book by David Henry Hwang. Dilley is producing the project for Concord Originals, alongside Kim and John Cheng for 3AD and Janet Yang.

Concord Developing New Film Re-Imagining of Flower Drum Song, More With New Originals Division / August 13, 2021 by David Hwang

Cast of Flower Drum Song Friedman-Abeles/©NYPL for the Performing Arts — Cast of *Flower Drum Song* Friedman-Abeles/©NYPL for the Performing Arts

The division will develop works from Concord's extensive library of holdings, which includes the catalogs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, August Wilson, and Kander and Ebb.

Entertainment conglomerate Concord has launched an Originals division tasked with developing new projects across a variety of formats from its large library of intellectual property holdings, which include the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein, August Wilson, Adrienne Kennedy, Kander and Ebb, Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, Irving Berlin, and more. Concord also controls works by such music artists as Cyndi Lauper, James Taylor, Phil Collins, and Otis Redding.

Sophia Dilley will lead the new division as senior vice president, heading a team that includes Directors of Development and Production Wesley Adams and Charles Hopkins and Development Coordinator Quile Gomez.

Among the first projects being worked on are new adaptations of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1958 musical Flower Drum Song. The project is being worked on in collaboration with Daniel Dae Kim's 3AD and Janet Yang Productions, which will re-imagine the musical for the screen.

Originally adapted as a film in 1961, the musical centers on a community of Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco. This new take on the property would not be its first re-imagining; a 2002 Broadway revival featured a dramatically revised book by David Henry Hwang.

Read more at Playbill