The David Henry Hwang Writers Institute at East West Players will present its New Works Festival from June 30 to July 3 at the David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St. in Little Tokyo. The schedule is as follows:
Saturday, June 30
1 p.m.
“In Case of Emergency, Break Up” by Skye Kang. Relationships can be hard. Breaking up can be harder.
“So You Want to Be Korean” by Joy Reguliano. In a high school where the popular kids are Korean but want to be white, the Filipinos are confused and want to be black, and the teacher is Caucasian and speaks better Mandarin than the Chinese kids, one Filipino girl struggles to fit in.
3:30 p.m.
“Untitled” by Evan Moua. “Find plenty of men and women at this fantastic dating service, where the men are hot, women are beautiful, and all of them … Asian! A great way to meet new people in a speedy way, not to mention it’s cheap!” Join Matt and Jake on this speed-dating roller-coaster adventure.
5 p.m.
“The Way of the Warrior: Vietnam to Fallujah to Vietnam” by David Hideo Maruyama. A Vietnam vet adopts the son of his South Vietnam army counterpart. When he grows up, the adopted son wants to be a Marine like his adopted father. An exploration of the costs of war from Vietnam to Iraq.
Sunday, July 1
1 p.m.
“No Strings Quartet” by Bryan McCormick. In front of the camera, five porn stars shed their clothes and strip themselves of dignity. Behind the scenes, they lose their inhibitions and bare their souls. It’s hard to keep things clean when they’re getting’ down and … dirty!
3 p.m.
“Step and Chang” by John Brooks. The unlikely story of Stepin Fetchit, the world’s first black movie star, and his Chinese manservant.
5 p.m.
“Unforgettable” by Rochelle Perry. Time and memory collide when a grandmother’s struggle to remember her past inspires her granddaughter to think about her future.
7 p.m.
“Yellow Shakespeare” by Timothy Tau. A long-lost Shakespeare play is discovered — the first and only play from the Bard to feature Asian characters. While the media swirl into a frenzy and film studios from both Hollywood and China want a piece of the action, will the theater troupe that discovered it sell out or remain true to their artistic integrity? (See poster below for cast and crew)
Monday, July 2
7:30 p.m.
“I Heart L.A.” by Ruffy Landayan. Dreams, stars, love, racism, pop culture, and traffic. A funny yet poignant ensemble-driven performance art piece that fuses hip-hop, spoken word and dance. It’s all about our relationship with the sparkly city we call Los Angeles.
“Holey Night” by Gary Kuwahara. There’s no womb at the inn in this comedy about a “special needs” child born to a non-traditional family. What will it take to raise the little turd into a position of greatness, or is it all in the genes?
Tuesday, July 3
7:30 p.m.
“Chance to Dream” by Gene Lee. “What the father wishes to awake, the son wishes to dream.”
The workshop leader is Dorie Baizley. The DHHWI is supported in part by the James Irvine Foundation. EWP’s Arts Education is also supported by the California Community Foundation, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
Suggested donation: $5. For more information, contact Literary Manager Jeff Liu at JLiu@EastWestPlayers.org or visit www.EastWestPlayers.org.
