Playwright David Hwang discusses East-West culture, gender relations

By Lisa Weiss
Assistant City Editor

Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang presented scenes from three of his plays Tuesday at Bing Theatre.
The event, sponsored by Spectrum and the School of Theatre, featured the Asian-American playwright's work with intertwining themes of race, assimilation and relations between women and men. In "FOB," directed by Brent Blair, Steve -- a Chinese immigrant "fresh off the boat" from Hong Kong -- faces his American-ized cousin, her boyfriend and their perceptions of their country of origin.
In "Bondage," also directed by Blair, two actors in leather gear and masks assume various racial roles in what Hwang described as a "romantic comedy about two people trying to connect and being vulnerable."
The last scene was from Hwang's most famous play, "M. Butterfly." Students from Cal Poly in Pomona, directed by Christine Menzies, performed the pivotal scene, in which a French diplomat discovers that his Chinese lover of 20 years is not only a man but a spy for the Chinese government.
The play was based on a true account from The New York Times and the Puccini opera "Madame Butterfly," about a Japanese woman deceived by an American soldier.
Hwang said the play was based on a "series of dichotomies -- West vs. East, male vs. female." The play was made into a movie, in which Hwang, as screenwriter, had a less significant role than in the production of the play.
"Film is a director's medium," he said. "There are special filmic devices you have to use -- in a play the audience can see all the characters. In the film you see things from the main character's point of view."
Hwang, a native of southern California, said he did not discover his Asian-American identity until college.
"My parents were assimilationists," Hwang said. "My dad didn't like China. That's why he left. Growing up, my ethnicity was peripheral, just like having red hair."
"I liked it," said Kalia Fullerton, a freshman majoring in theater. "The selection of scenes was from a wide spectrum of playwriting. I think it could appeal to a wide variety of audiences."