Daniel Dae Kim Will Star in Audio Adaptation of David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face for Audible / February 17, 2023 by David Hwang

The project will be directed by Leigh Silverman, who helmed the play's 2007 world premiere.

Film and TV star Daniel Dae Kim will lead an audio production of David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face for Audible Studios. Kim will star as Hwang, with Leigh Silverman returning to direct after helming the work's 2007 world premiere productions.

The semi-autobiographical work follows Hwang as he becomes a major voice in the controversy surrounding white actor Jonathan Pryce's casting in Miss Saigon on Broadway. The playwright pens a satirical play in response to the situation, and then unwittingly casts a white actor in the Asian lead role. The work premiered at Mark Taper Forum in a co-production with East West Players in 2007, and played an Off-Broadway run at The Public the same year.

The Wayward Artist Announces Season Six; AVENUE Q, YELLOW FACE, and More / January 27, 2023 by David Hwang

After its first five years of success in bringing "wayward" theatre to Orange County audiences, The Wayward Artist announces its most ambitious season yet. In Season Six, The Wayward Artist will bring nine different shows to its stage, including six main stage shows and three shows from Wayward Voices, the company's unique program designed to amplify, enhance, and empower BIPOC voices in theatre. Look out for a separate announcement about the new season of shows from Wayward Voices soon.

"In our sixth season, we are making bold choices!" said Craig Tyrl, Artistic Director, and Founder of The Wayward Artist. "We are showcasing the Asian American, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and female experience in our season."

Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang

The lines between truth and fiction blur with hilarious and moving results in Yellow Face, Davide Henry Hwang's unreliable memoir. Asian-American playwright DHH, fresh off his Tony Award win for M. Butterfly, leads a protest against the casting of Jonathan Pryce as the Eurasian pimp in the original Broadway production of Miss Saigon, condemning the practice as "yellowface." His position soon comes back to haunt him when he mistakes a Caucasian actor, Marcus G. Dahlman, for mixed-race, and casts him in the lead Asian role of his own Broadway-bound comedy, Face Value. When DHH discovers the truth of Marcus' ethnicity, he tries to conceal his blunder to protect his reputation as an Asian-American role model, by passing the actor off as a "Siberian Jew." As he clings to his old multicultural rhetoric, this new racist witch hunt forces DHH to confront the complex and ever-changing role that "face" plays in American life today. Directed by Aung Khine Min, Yellow Face performances run from September 22nd to October 1st.

Read more at Broadway World

Joanne Telesford, Qshans Thode & Robin van den Akker Join World Premiere of Re-Imagined AIDA in the Netherlands / January 21, 2023 by David Hwang

The updated and renewed musical will have its world premiere in the AFAS Circustheater in Scheveningen on April 23, 2022

Producer Stage Entertainment Nederland has announced three new names, who will star in the musical AIDA alongside Gaia Aikman, April Darby and Naidjim Severina. Joanne Telesford, Qshans Thode and Robin van den Akker will play the roles of Kandake, Mereb and Zoser respectively. On April 23, 2023, the updated and renewed musical AIDA will have its world premiere in the AFAS Circustheater in Scheveningen.

Joanne Telesford, who is currently starring in the theatrical comedy Girls on Fire , is looking forward to playing the role of Kandake (the warrior queen of Nubia). "It's fantastic to be able to play this role," says Joanne. "In the original production of AIDA, it was Aida's father who played a role in her life. Director Schele Williams did extensive research into the role of women in ancient Egypt and in this new production it is her mother Kandake who is the influential force.' Joanne also starred in other productions such as Disney's The Lion King and Tarzan, Hairspray and Daddy Cool . In 2017, she was nominated for a Musical Award for her portrayal of Winnie Mandela in the show Amandla! Mandela.

The Grammy and Tony Award-winning music in AIDA is some of the most iconic in musical history. The collaboration between Elton John and Tim Rice, who were inspired by the 1871 opera of the same name by the great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, led to songs such as: ' Somewhere in the Stars', 'Gone Too Far', 'Blessed Nubia', "Forget him."

Written by David Henry Hwang , AIDA is directed by Schele Williams.

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day With AIDA / January 21, 2023 by David Hwang

Celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend with one of the best love stories of all time: Elton John and Tim Rice’s AIDA. Lyric Stage is proud to celebrate Black History Month with this Tony Award®-winning musical. AIDA runs February 15-19 at The Majestic Theatre in downtown Dallas.

Directed by Sasha Ada Maya, this classic musical tells the tale of an enslaved Nubian princess. She finds her heart entangled with an Egyptian soldier who is engaged to the Pharaoh’s daughter. As their forbidden love blossoms, Aida is forced to choose between her responsibility to her people and the love of her life.

AIDA is based on the beloved Verdi opera of that name. The timeless tale of love, loyalty, and betrayal is considered to be one of the most epic romances of all time. With music by Elton John, Lyrics by Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, AIDA was originally produced by Walt Disney Theatrical. The musical ran on Broadway for 1,852 performances, winning four Tony awards during its run.

Daniel Dae Kim Signs Deal With Audible / January 21, 2023 by David Hwang

Kim (Photo: Eugene Powers / Shutterstock)

AUDIBLE has signed actor/director/producer DANIEL DAE KIM to a multi-project development and first look deal that will launch with an audio adaptation of DAVID HENRY HWANG's play "YELLOW FACE" produced by KIM's production company 3AD and AUDIBLE STUDIOS.

KIM, known for his stints on "LOST" and "HAWAII FIVE-O," said, “I’ve been a fan of DAVID HENRY HWANG, (director) LEIGH SILVERMAN and AUDIBLE’s for a very long time, so teaming up all together is something I’m truly excited by, especially to work on YELLOW FACE. It has always been a special play, and now to be able to bring it new life in an audio format represents an opportunity that’s both unique and innovative."

Audible Inks First-Look Deal With Daniel Dae Kim for Audio Originals (EXCLUSIVE) / January 21, 2023 by David Hwang

Premium audio storytelling platform Audible announced a multiproject development and first-look deal with award-winning actor, director and producer Daniel Dae Kim.

The first project under the pact is “Yellow Face,” an audio adaptation of David Henry Hwang’s play of the same name that will be produced by Audible Studios in collaboration with Kim’s 3AD production company. Audible doesn’t have a release date for “Yellow Face” as yet.

“Yellow Face” addresses topics of race at the interaction of media and politics. It begins with the 1990s controversy over color-blind casting for the musical “Miss Saigon” — before spinning into a comic fantasy, in which the character David Henry Hwang (DHH) pens a play in protest, and Hwang unwittingly casts a white actor as the Asian lead.

Lloyd Suh’s Plays About the Past Speak Directly to Our Present / December 23, 2022 by David Hwang

Shannon Tyo and Jinn S. Kim in “The Far Country,” at Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theater through Jan. 1. Credit...Richard Termine for The New York Times.

The playwright of “The Far Country” is using a contemporary lens to show “the way in which memory becomes hereditary.”

The 47-year-old playwright Lloyd Suh is having a moment, with a handful of plays that reveal how history can exact an emotional toll across culture and time.

His latest, “The Far Country,” opens at Angel Island, the notorious checkpoint off the coast of San Francisco, and explores lives fractured by the Chinese Exclusion Act, a racist policy that severely restricted immigration of Chinese people and limited those in the United States from gaining citizenship.

“There’s certainly a range of activity now and a quantity of work and a variety of work that feels pretty fresh,” said David Henry Hwang, who became the first (and remains the only) Asian American playwright to win a Tony Award for best play, for “M. Butterfly” in 1988.

“There has been an increasing number of AAPI playwrights challenging what has come before,” Hwang added, referring to Asian American Pacific Islanders. “Asian actors have been largely employed by ‘The King and I’ and ‘Miss Saigon,’ which have Orientalist aspects, white supremacist aspects, and with ‘Miss Saigon’ is actually pretty racist.”

‘KPOP’ final-performance talkback addresses Asian and AAPI representation on Broadway / December 23, 2022 by David Hwang

L-R: Kimmy Yam, Helen Park, Hansol Jung, Pun Bandhu, David Henry Hwang and John Yi at "KPOP" final-performance talkback (Photo credit: Courtesy of OMDKC)

On Dec. 11, the original musical “KPOP” played its final Broadway performance. At the time of closing, the musical had played 44 previews and 17 regular performances at the Circle in the Square Theatre. The musical’s swift closure raised questions and an emotional public response about how the show — which featured 21 Korean, Korean-American and Asian/Pacific Islander (API) performers and was made by a largely Korean and Korean-American creative team — could have lasted longer.

In response to the show’s closing notice, “KPOP” cast members rallied outside their theater in Gershwin Alley before the evening performance on Dec. 10. Leaders of the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) theatrical community took part in a post-show talkback that immediately followed the Dec. 11 closing performance. The talkback united Helen Park, composer of “KPOP”; playwright Hansol Jung, Pun Bandhu, co-founder of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC); and Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang. Led by journalist Kimmy Yam, the panel sought to answer: Where are we now with regards to AAPI representation on Broadway, and how do we improve?

What do fast-closing shows say about diverse stories on Broadway? / December 23, 2022 by David Hwang

*KPOP on Broadway. Photo: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman*

Two Broadway shows written and performed predominantly by artists of colour, recently announced dramatically fast closures only weeks after opening. Howard Sherman deep dives into their struggles and asks what they tell us a

Stories of bygone Broadway days often include tales of shows that closed on opening night, or, in a few cases, didn’t even make it there. These are all but unheard of in recent years. Advances in marketing and promotion, shrewd pricing and capitalisations that budget for losses in early weeks are meant to ensure that shows can have a few weeks to build up a head of steam rather than throwing in the towel if reviews aren’t sufficiently laudatory.

That’s what makes the recent announcement of the rapid closings of the play Ain’t No Mo’ and the musical KPOP so surprising. While they managed short runs following their previews, the former will have played only 28 regular performances when it closes on December 23, while KPOP, which finished on December 11, eked out 17. Those are uncharacteristically fast departures.

As we get further out of the pandemic shutdown, we will have more data about what is working and what is not, and whether the anecdotal perceptions around works by artists of colour – that they face an even steeper climb than other shows – are borne out across multiple seasons. At a post-performance discussion at KPOP on Sunday, scheduled before its closure was determined, playwright David Henry Hwang spoke of the progress he’s seen for Asian-American artists over the course of his 40-year career, beginning before the term ‘Asian American’ existed and Asian roles were still commonly performed in yellowface. At the same time as recognising progress, he also spoke in revolutionary terms about how to really change what’s possible on Broadway.

“Blow it up,” said Hwang, “to build it better.”

Geekwire chairman launches first all AAPI late-night talk show / December 23, 2022 by David Hwang

“I always try new things.”

That is how Geekwire chairman and co-founder Jonathan Ng Sposato described his motivation in creating JoySauce Network – a multifaceted media platform focused on Asian Americans – during an interview with AsAmNews.

“It’s almost like a parallel universe, where I feel that by default, portrayals of the Asian diaspora are always very positive and flattering and joyful and hopeful,” Sposato said.

JoySauce Network boasts several different contents – from podcasts, scripted and non-scripted shows, editorials, stand-up comedy specials, and so much more.

On Dec. 3, JoySauce Network launched the first episode of its late-night talk show, JoySauce Late Night, with video game developer Kiki Wolfkill as the special guest.

“In terms of cast, host, and guests, it’s the first all AAPI late-night talk show,” Sposato said.

He added that JoySauce Late Night is a space to showcase various AAPI visionaries and leaders.

Iconic playwright David Henry Hwang also graced JoySauce Late Night with his presence. Sposato described Hwang as “everyone’s favorite uncle.”

Video: Yale In Hollywood Fest Announces 2022 Awards / December 17, 2022 by David Hwang

President of Yale in Hollywood Kevin Winston presented Yale in Hollywood's inaugural Rising Star Award to social media influencer Kahlil Greene, aka the Gen Z historian, who is an online educator and advocate with 600,000+ and 20 million+ views across his Tiktok, Instagram and LinkedIn platforms.

The esteemed Yale in Hollywood Fest 2022 alumnae jury consisting of Robinne Lee, David Henry Hwang, Sophia Mitri Schloss and Jeff Locker presented the following awards to the YIH Fest 2022 filmmakers:

Best Documentary Feature: No Ordinary Campaign directed by Chris Burke

Best Documentary Short: "American Justice on Trial" directed by Andrew Abrahams and Herb Ferrette, produced by Lise Pearlman.

Broadway’s ‘KPOP’ Sets Closing / December 17, 2022 by David Hwang

KPOP, the history-making Broadway musical depicting and celebrating the Korean pop genre phenomenon of the title, will play its final performance this Sunday after a struggle at the box office.

The final performance of the musical, which features a cast of young actors and actual K-pop stars including Luna, BoHyung and others, will close after its performance on Sunday, December 11, at Circle in the Square Theatre.

The show began previews on Oct. 13, and officially opened Nov. 27.

For the final show, producers are offering 200 complimentary tickets to AAPI community members and youth, and plan a post-performance panel discussion with top AAPI theater artists including David Henry Hwang, the first Asian American playwright to win a Tony Award (for the landmark M. Butterfly) and KPOP composer Helen Park.

KPOP, directed by Teddy Bergman, features a book by Jason Kim; music, lyrics, music production and arrangements by Helen Park; music and lyrics by Max Vernon; and choreography by Jennifer Weber.

Woodstock Playhouse's Production Of David Henry Hwang's M. BUTTERFLY Completes Successful Run / December 7, 2022 by David Hwang

The Woodstock Playhouse presented its full-scale production of David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly with music by Lucia Hwong, for one weekend only at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 18 and Saturday, November 19 with a Sunday, November 20 matinee at 2 p.m. at the Playhouse, 103 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock.

The cast featured David John Phillips as Rene Gallimard and Matthew Liu as Song Liling and included Kenny Andrew as Marc, Craig Cupone as Toulon, Shannon McDavid as Renee, Amy Pan as Comrade Chin, Myriam Phiro as Helga with Nick Baum and Loe Elvgren as the Kurogo.

Based on a true story that stunned the world, and inspired by Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini's opera, M. Butterfly was an immediate sensation when it premiered on Broadway in 1988. The play opens in the cramped prison cell where diplomat Rene Gallimard is being held captive by the French government - and by his own illusions. He recalls a time when Song Liling, the beautiful Chinese diva, touched him with a love as vivid, as seductive - and as elusive - as a butterfly. The diplomat relives the 20-year affair from the temptation to the seduction, from its consummation to the scandal that ultimately consumed them both. M. Butterfly won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play.

Read more at Broadway World

Photos: Inside Woodstock Playhouse's Production Of David Henry Hwang's M. BUTTERFLY / December 7, 2022 by David Hwang

M. Butterfly is based on a true story that stunned the world, and is inspired by Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini’s opera.

The historic Woodstock Playhouse's sumptuous production of David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly dazzled all from November 18-20 under direction of Randy Conti with choreography by Nina Zoie Lam, costumes by Diane Stein and lighting by Tony Michael Clayton.

See photos below!

Read more at Broadway World

Photos: Go Inside Opening Night of SANDRA at Vineyard Theatre / December 7, 2022 by David Hwang

Sandra is the first show in the Vineyard Theatre’s 40th Season and is currently in performances until December 11th.

Vineyard Theatre's Sandra, a one-woman thriller written by David Cale (Harry Clarke), starring Marjan Neshat (English and Selling Kabul) opened Sunday evening, November 20, with Shaina Taub, David Henry Hwang, Judy Kuhn, Rachel Sussman and others coming to show their support and celebrate after at The Penny Farthing.

See photos below!

The design team includes scenic design by Tony Award winner Rachel Hauck (Hadestown and How I Learned to Drive), costume design by Tony Award winner Linda Cho (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Anastasia), lighting design by Thom Weaver (Gypsy), and sound design by Kathy Ruvuna (Wives and The New Englanders).

Read more at Broadway World

Photos: Go Inside Sir Tim Rice's Caricature Unveiling at Sardi's / November 22, 2022 by David Hwang

Tony, Oscar, Grammy and Emmy winning lyricist Sir Tim Rice joined the wall of drawings at Sardi's!

See photos from the event below!

Sir Tim Rice is an author and Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Emmy Award, Tony Award, and Grammy Award-winning lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita; with Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA, with whom he wrote Chess; for additional songs for the 2011 West End revival of The Wizard of Oz; and for his work with Alan Menken on Disney's Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and the musical King David. He also worked with Elton John on Disney's The Lion King, the musical Aida, and DreamWorks Animation's The Road to El Dorado and Ennio Morricone.

One of the most celebrated lyricists in British popular culture, Rice was knighted by Elizabeth II for services to music in 1994. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is an inductee into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, is a Disney Legend recipient, and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. The 2016 Sunday Times Rich List values Rice at Â£150m; the 15th-richest music millionaire in the UK. He is one of fifteen artists to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award.

M. Butterfly at Woodstock Playhouse / November 22, 2022 by David Hwang

The Woodstock Playhouse presents M. Butterfly, A play by David Henry Hwang with music by Lucia Hwong, for one weekend only, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 18 and Saturday, November 19 with a Sunday, November 20 matinee at 2 p.m. at the Playhouse, 103 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock.

Based on a true story that stunned the world, and inspired by Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini’s opera, M. Butterflywas an immediate sensation when it premiered on Broadway in 1988. The play opens in the cramped prison cell where diplomat Rene Gallimard is being held captive by the French government — and by his own illusions. He recalls a time when Song Liling, the beautiful Chinese diva, touched him with a love as vivid, as seductive — and as elusive — as a butterfly. The diplomat relives the 20-year affair from the temptation to the seduction, from its consummation to the scandal that ultimately consumed them both.

M. Butterfly won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play.

Photos: Go Inside Opening Night of Audible Theater's GOOD ENEMY / November 22, 2022 by David Hwang

Audible Theater is presenting the world premiere production of GOOD ENEMY written by Audible Theater Emerging Playwright Yilong Liu and directed by Obie Award winner Chay Yew. GOOD ENEMY is playing at the Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane, between MacDougal & 6th Avenue - one block south of W. 3rd Street), Audible's creative home for live performances in New York. This limited engagement runs through Sunday, November 27.

GOOD ENEMY's cast features Ron Domingo (The American Pilot, "As The World Turns"), Obie Award winner Francis Jue, Tim Liu ("Nepotism"), Geena Quintos (Soft Power, Emojiland), Alec Silver (Temping), Ryan Spahn (Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow), and Jeena Yi (Network, Somebody's Daughter).

Academy Museum to Present Monthlong ‘Hollywood Chinese’ Screening Series / November 9, 2022 by David Hwang

Clockwise from top left: Big Trouble in Little China, Enter the Dragon, M. Butterfly, The Joy Luck Club, Charlie Chan in Honolulu and Flower Drum Song 20THCENTFOX/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION (2); COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION (3); TAKASHI SEIDA/GEFFEN PICTURES/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION

The program, curated by documentarian and Academy member Arthur Dong, features both celebration and critique of the first century of depicting Chinese in cinema.

The Academy Museum is dedicating November to a monthlong reflection on the history of Chinese depictions in cinema.

“Hollywood Chinese: The First 100 Years,” programmed by documentarian and longtime Academy member Arthur Dong, is a screening series of features and shorts – some classics, some obscurities – that mark both highlights and lowlights of how Chinese have been portrayed in film, particularly in the Western studio system. The series is an evolution of Dong’s 2007 documentary, which kicks off the series Nov. 4, and 2019 book of the same name.

In his programming of the series, Dong intends to help attendees reckon with the complicated and sometimes contradictory legacy of Chinese portrayals in Hollywood, sometimes within the same film, such as Charlie Chan in Hollywood, The Sand Pebbles (which earned Makoto Iwamatsu an Oscar supporting actor nomination) and even Flower Drum Song. “Flower Drum Song is one of my all-time favorite films, it’s celebratory, but as David Henry Hwang says, it’s a film that has a lot of guilty pleasures. Sand Pebbles is beautifully made and kickstarted Mako’s decades-long career on screen and stage and put him on the map. But it’s about colonialism and white saviors and Chinese prostitutes and lecherous Chinese men played by James Hong,” says the programmer. “Most if not all the films have questions but also levels of celebration, of saying that we should be proud of what we’ve accomplished – within context – and we should take the critique in context and move forward and learn from all that.”

World Premiere of Re-Imagined AIDA to be Presented in the Netherlands in April 2023 / November 4, 2022 by David Hwang

**Gaia Aikman, April Darby and Naidjim Severina are set to star.**

AIDA, the musical by Elton John and Tim Rice has been reworked and updated, and the world premiere is set for 23 April 2023 in the AFAS Circustheater in Scheveningen. Stage Entertainment Nederland and Disney Theatrical Productions have announced hat Gaia Aikman (The Lion King, TINA - The Tina Turner Musical), April Darby (Sister Act, The Bodyguard) and Naidjim Severina (The Lion King, Kinky Boots) will play the lead roles in the production.

The updated version of AIDA differs in a number of respects from the version performed here from 2001 to 2003, which attracted 1.3 million visitors. It goes without saying that the iconic music and lyrics by Sir Elton John (The Lion King, Billy Elliot) and Tim Rice (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita) have remained the same, but the creative team, led by director Schele Williams, has given the musical a contemporary feel without compromising its original quality.

The narrative of AIDA remains intact in this renewed version. It is the compelling and fateful story of two lovers belonging to feuding nations, torn between their conflicted loyalties to their countries and to each other. This love story is set against the backdrop of a nation immersed in nationalism that seeks to expand its empire by invading another country.

Scriptwriter David Henry Hwang, also responsible for the original version of AIDA: "The classic tale of Aida has touched audiences across cultures and time. I'm thrilled to adapt the performance we created twenty years ago to the current era, so that the epic love story can speak even more powerfully to audiences today."

Read more at Broadway World