Philip Kan Gotanda

Cherríe Moraga & Richard Wesley Named 2024 Recipients of the Legacy Playwright Awards

Esteemed American playwrights Cherríe Moraga and Richard Wesley have been announced as the 2024 recipients of the Legacy Playwright Awards. Learn more about the playwrights and about the awards.

Playwrights Frank Chin and Migdalia Cruz Honored With 2023 Legacy Playwright Awards

Esteemed American playwrights Frank Chin and Migdalia Cruz have been announced as the 2023 recipients of the Legacy Playwright Awards. 

YANKEE DAWG YOU DIE Comes to The Elite Theatre Company This Week

The Elite Theatre Company has announced the opening weekend of Yankee Dawg You Die – a play by Philip Kan Gotanda, directed by Jolyn Johnson. The production runs for four weekends on The Elite Theatre Company’s South Stage beginning this Friday, September 8, 2023.

The Elite Theatre Company to Present YANKEE DAWG YOU DIE Beginning in September

The Elite Theatre Company has announced its upcoming production of Yankee Dawg You Die – a play by Philip Kan Gotanda, directed by Jolyn Johnson. The production runs for four weekends on The Elite’s South Stage beginning September 8, 2023.

Now Hiring: Scenic Artist, Actor and Teaching Artist, & More - BWW Classifieds

This Week's New Classified Listings on BroadwayWorld for 7/13/2023 include new jobs for those looking to work in the theatre industry.

Roundabout Theatre Company Announces REFOCUS PROJECT, SEASON THREE

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced the third season of The Refocus Project, its multi-year project to elevate and restore marginalized plays to the American canon. This year's series of readings will feature Asian American and Pacific Islander playwrights: Prince Gomolvilas, Velina Hasu Houston, Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, and Anuvab Pal.

Tim Sanford and Aimée Hayes Launch The Tent Theater Company, Dedicated to Supporting Elder Playwrights

Tim Sanford, former artistic director of Playwrights Horizons, and Aimée Hayes, former producing artistic director of Southern Rep, have launched The Tent Theater Company.

Playwright Candrice Jones Awarded $25,000 Kesselring Prize by the National Arts Club

The National Arts Club's Kesselring Prize for Playwriting has been awarded to Candrice Jones, who was nominated by TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for her play Flex.

George Takei Will Host a STAR TREK Night in Conjunction With ALLEGIANCE in London

George Takei, the original and beloved Mr. Sulu from 'Star Trek', film and television star, activist and social media icon, is to making his London stage debut in the UK premiere of the Broadway musical inspired by Takei's true childhood experiences, 'George Takei's Allegiance'.

Inaugural Mid-Career Director Grant Awarded to Mina Morita

TheFrontOffice Foundation is awarding a $25,000 mid-career grant to Mina Morita, the Director of Artistic & Artist Development at Crowded Fire Theater Company, that will serve as one of the largest financial awards to an individual director. 

Paul Dresher Ensemble, OPERA America's New Works Forum, Ensemble Ipse & First Look Sonoma Present the NY Premiere of BOTH EYES OPEN

The Paul Dresher Ensemble, OPERA America's New Works Forum, Ensemble Ipse, and First Look Sonoma present the New York premiere of Both Eyes Open, an experimental chamber opera by Brooklyn-based composer Max Giteck Duykers and Berkeley-based playwright Philip Kan Gotanda.

Photos: Inside the Dramatists Guild Foundation's 60th Anniversary Gala

Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) held its 60th Anniversary Gala last night at Ziegfeld Ballroom, hosted by Jennifer Simard.

George Takei Will Make His London Stage Debut in the UK Premiere of ALLEGIANCE, Featuring Telly Leung

George Takei, the original and beloved Mr. Sulu from 'Star Trek', film and television star, activist and social media icon, is to make his London stage debut in the UK premiere of the Broadway musical inspired by Takei's true childhood experiences, 'George Takei's Allegiance'.

Theater Mu Announces 2022/23 Season Featuring Four World Premieres

To celebrate 30 years of Theater Mu, its 2022/23 season—dubbed the Pearl Anniversary season—will feature four world premieres and a conference honoring Asian American theater luminaries. 

New Opera BOTH EYES OPEN to Premiere at the Presidio Theatre Performing Arts Center

First Look Sonoma, Paul Dresher Ensemble, and Presidio Theatre Performing Arts Center will present the world premiere in San Francisco of a new opera, Both Eyes Open, by composer, Max Giteck Duykers and librettist, Philip Kan Gotanda. Directed by Melissa Weaver and conducted by Benjamin Makino. An open dress rehearsal/preview is set for Friday, June 24, 2022 at 2:00pm, while the show premieres on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 8:00pm and Sunday June 26, 2022 at 7:00 pm. All performances take place at the Presidio Theatre Performing Arts Center, 99 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco, California, in Presidio National Park. 

East West Players to Be Honored By City Leaders For Pride Month

East West Players, the nation's largest producer of Asian American theatrical works, along with EWP Producing Artistic Director Snehal Desai, will be honored by city leaders on Wednesday, June 30th at 3:30pm at a LA CityView Channel 35 program, broadcast live as part of the virtual celebrations for the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Heritage Month, commonly known as “Pride Month,” in the City of Los Angeles. 

Wai Ching Ho, James Chen, and Jon Norman Schneider Lead INFLECTIONS from Second Generation Productions

Wai Ching Ho ('Marvel's The Defenders'; ENDLINGS, New York Theatre Workshop), James Chen ('FBI'; 'The Walking Dead'), and Jon Norman Schneider (Bitter Melon; HENRY VI, PARTS 1-3, National Asian American Theatre Company) lead the cast and program of Second Generation Productions' (2g's) INFLECTIONS, five short new works about the undulations of the Asian American life, curated by Executive Producer Victor Malana Maog (Disney, American Conservatory Theater, Magic Theater, Cal Shakes). Jonathan Castanien (The Sống Collective, Atlantic Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club) produces.

Yale Repertory Theatre Announces Season of Three Plays, January Through June 2022

Yale Repertory Theatre will welcome audiences back to its theaters beginning in January 2022 for a season of three plays! The season will begin with a new production of Today is My Birthday, a critically-acclaimed comedy about loneliness in the age of connectivity, written by Susan Soon He Stanton and directed by Mina Morita.

Second Generation Productions (2g) Presents INFLECTIONS

These 2g commissioned pieces will be presented online from June 28-30, 2021 as part of the Consortium of Asian American Theatres & Artists (CAATA)'s 'Healing Over Hate' Virtual Series.

BWW Interview: Jeffrey Lo of WRITING FRAGMENTS HOME at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Believes in the Power of Storytelling as a Tool to Foster Empathy

Jeffrey Lo seems to be just about everywhere these days. As if his day job as TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s Director of Community Partnerships / Casting Director weren’t enough, he is also enjoying quite a successful career as a director and playwright. With the recent, tragic spike in prejudice and violence toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Lo decided to take action by calling on his own Filipino American heritage. He spearheaded TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s efforts to stream a benefit reading of his play Writing Fragments Home to raise funds to support and uplift the AAPI community. The comedic play is an unapologetically Filipino American story about art, family, and culture. The top-flight cast includes stage veteran Emily Kuroda, perhaps best known for playing Mrs. Kim on TV’s Gilmore Girls. Co-presented by more than 40 leading theatres and arts organizations in the Bay Area and beyond, the reading will benefit Compassion in Oakland, a nonprofit formed in response to the surge of anti-Asian attacks and dedicated to promoting safety and community in Oakland Chinatown and beyond. Writing Fragments Home will be streamed live at 7pm PDT, Saturday, June 5, 2021 (with streaming on-demand access available June 6 to June 9). For more information, visit TheatreWorks.org.  BroadwayWorld with Lo last week about his impetus to write the play, how the benefit reading came together, his thoughts about Asian American representation in the theatre, and his experience working with some of his personal heroes. Lo is very easy to talk to – laid-back, thoughtful and self-effacing with an underlying gentle humor – all qualities which likely serve him well in his roles at TheatreWorks. At the same time, I got the impression he is someone who knows how to step up to the plate and get the job done.