The David Henry Hwang Writers Institute New Works Festival’s Winter 2013 Reading Series will be presented from Saturday, Jan. 5, to Monday, Jan. 7, at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St. in Little Tokyo.
The DHHWI, supported in part by the James Irvine Foundation, is a 10-week workshop designed to help new and experienced writers start or develop new plays into scripts that are ready to be put on stage. The workshop, instructed by Doriz Baizley, culminates in staged readings of the works in progress.
The schedule is as follows.
Saturday, Jan. 5
1 p.m. — “Laid Off” by Kurt Yamamoto. A new musical that tells the story of how one man found love at the bottom of the corporate food chain.
3 p.m. — “Waiting for the Dough” by Gwenmarie White. Theater history repeats itself when a struggling dramaturg is forced to get a job at a bakery during the height of the recession.
5:30 p.m. — “Ladies and Gentlemen” by Gene Lee. The heartwarming tale of a fat woman training for the fight of her life.
Sunday, Jan. 6
1 p.m. — “Alden and the Janitor” by Evan Moua. The untold story of Aladdin’s high school years at Sultan High.
2:30 p.m. — “The Donger” by Paul Kikuchi. A hostage comedy about a disgruntled Asian American actor who kidnaps Gedde Watanabe and demands that he apologize for his unforgivable role in “Sixteen Candles.”
5 p.m. — “So You Want to Be Korean” by Joy Regullano. Don’t lie. You’ve wished you were Korean at some point. High school is already tough. Being the wrong kind of Asian in a sea of Asians is tougher.
Monday, Jan. 7
7:30 p.m. — “The Norms” by Judy Soo Hoo. Norm and Norma discover their late dear mom and dad were happy swingers. What more will they inherit?
Admission free; donation suggested. For more information, contact Literary Manager Jeff Liu at jiu@eastwestplayers.org.