The David Henry Hwang Writers’ Works in Progress is back for the DHHWI New Works Festival on Dec. 9, 11, 12, 13 and 14 at the David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St. (between Temple and San Pedro) in Little Tokyo.
Join workshop leader Dorie Baizley along with playwrights Warren Sata, David Hideo Maruyama, Joseph Wong, Alex Duong, Gary Kuwahara, Jyoti Dugal, Bryan McCormick, Karen Huie, D.N. Higa, and Terry Holzman for their readings.
This event is free and open to the public. $5 suggested donation.
Festival Schedule
• Monday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m.
“Farewell to Moonlit Tides” by Warren Sata. To have loved and lost… Is there no greater challenge? China’s most renowned explorer sets sail again!
“Double Exposure” by David Hideo Maruyama. Mix a shrink, an A-list white actress, a celebrity chef and a transvestite fortune-telling Thai cooking show host of the third sex. Stir-fry with sweet, salt, sour and spicy relationships. Serve hot and bothered.
• Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m.
“The 4th of Chinatown” by Joseph Wong. As July 4th approaches, Alex will be forced to betray himself or everyone around him.
“Unsung Melody” by Alex Duong. After witnessing the death of her boss, an Orange County woman is targeted by a notorious gang. At the same time, she must pull her estranged younger brother away from the very gang that put a bounty on her head.
• Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m.
“Good as Dead” by Gary Kuwahara. Death. When it’s the only thing you’re good at.
“Pink Shadows” by Jyoti Dugal. Sixteen and pregnant… Indian style. The hysterical telling of three generations of Indian women under one roof.
• Friday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m.
“Jack in Common” by Bryan McCormick. Jack’s family secret… Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.
“Return from Gold Mountain,” music by Howard Ho, lyrics by Karen Huie. A musical set in China, 1885. The Chinese character for “chaos” is a man and two women under one roof. The story of the writer’s great-great-grandfather returning to his first wife in China with his Irish wife.
• Saturday, Dec. 14, at 12 p.m.
“Faded Memories” by D.N Higa. If you could turn back time to yesteryear, would you? Would those precious memories prevail despite the cloudy mist that falls?
“The Sticky-Fingers Monologues” by Terry Holzman. Eight women, ages 16 to 76, reveal their heartbreaking and humorous stories about shoplifting.
About the Institute
Named after Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (“FOB,” “The Dance and the Railroad,” “M. Butterfly,” “Golden Child”), the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute is the most active Asian Pacific American playwright development program in the country. Offering a series of writing classes designed to foster new work for the stage, the institute is a nationally recognized force in the creation of plays that embrace the voice of multiethnic America and especially the Asian Pacific American experience.
Instructors have included playwrights such as Prince Gomolvilas, Amy Hill, Kelly Stuart, Alice Tuan, and Brian Nelson. Guest lecturers have included playwrights such as Philip Kan Gotanda, Wakako Yamauchi, Chay Yew, and Hwang. One-act and full-length plays of all genres are created by writers in the institute, and each session of classes culminates in public readings of these works, staged by professional actors and directors.
Countless works by institute alumni have been read, developed, and produced by theaters around the country, and EWP writers have gone on to win many awards and fellowships after their time at the institute.
For more information about the application process, including requirements of admission, contact Marilyn Tokuda at mtokuda@eastwestplayers.org or (213) 625-7000, ext. 15.