David Henry Hwang (#179) - December, 2007

Playwright David Henry Hwang, who won a Tony for his play M. Butterfly, talks about putting a version of himself -- and his father -- onstage in his new play Yellowface and why he doesn't want to reveal what in the play is fact and what is fiction; recalls his extraordinary leap from having his first play produced in his college dorm to having a series of plays done at The Public Theatre only a short time later; explains the origins of his award-winning Broadway hit M. Butterfly; reflects on his role in the controversy over the hiring of Jonathan Pryce to appear in Miss Saigon; shares his thoughts on the failure of his farce Face Value; describes his work on the musicals Aida, Flower Drum Song and Tarzan, and contemplates what he hopes to explore next on stage.