Date: May 25th
Location: Park Theatre, Finsbury Park, London, N4 3JP
Time: 12.00 - 13.30

Yellow Face in Real Life: A Discussion on Race in Theatre with David Henry Hwang Special Relationship Productions in partnership with The Actors' Guild presents a discussion with Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang about his successful career in the US, and around the portrayal of race in theatre and entertainment today. Having led protests surrounding 'yellowface' casting in the original Broadway production of Miss Saigon (which were recently echoed in the UK with the RSC casting controversy surrounding 'The Orphan of Zhao'), Hwang offers unique insights into the evolution of the subject over the last twenty years. Join us for a discussion and Q&A session followed by the opportunity for networking and drinks. Feel free to stay for a matinee performance of the UK Premiere of OBIE Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize finalist play 'Yellow Face' by David Henry Hwang. David Henry Hwang was awarded the 1988 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and John Gassner Awards for his Broadway debut, M. Butterfly, which was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His play Golden Child, which premiered at South Coast Repertory, received a 1998 Tony nomination and a 1997 OBIE Award. His new book for Rodgers & Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song earned him his third Tony nomination in 2003. Yellow Face won a 2008 OBIE Award for Playwriting and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His most recent work, Chinglish, won a 2011 Chicago Jeff Award before moving to Broadway, where it received a 2012 Drama Desk Nomination. Other plays include FOB (1981 OBIE Award), The Dance And The Railroad (1982 Drama Desk Nomination), Family Devotions (1982 Drama Desk Nomination), The Sound of a Voice and Bondage. He co-authored the book for Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, which ran almost five years on Broadway, and was the bookwriter of Disney's Tarzan, with songs by Phil Collins. As America's most-produced living opera librettist, he has written four works with composer Philip Glass, as well as Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar (two 2007 Grammy Awards), Bright Sheng's The Silver River (1997), and Unsuk Chin's Alice in Wonderland (2007 'World Premiere of the Year' by Opernwelt Magazine). Hwang penned the feature films M. Butterfly, Golden Gate, and Possession (co-writer), and co-wrote the song Solo with composer/performer Prince. He won the 2011 PEN/Laura Pels Award for a Master American Dramatist, the 2012 Inge Award for Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre, and the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award. A 2013 US Artists Donnelly Fellow, he is currently the Residency One Playwright at New York's Signature Theatre, which is producing a season of his plays in 2012-13, including the premiere of his newest work, Kung Fu. Please note although this discussion and networking event is free (please confirm your place above), it will be followed by a matinee performance of Yellow Face at 3.15pm. If you want to book tickets to the show see: http://www.parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/yellow-face