Literary Lion: 5 Questions with Playwright David Henry Hwang

By
Eve Glasberg
March 26, 2015

The work of David Henry Hwang, an associate professor and head of the School of the Arts’ playwrighting concentration, includes the plays M. Butterfly, Chinglish, Golden Child, Yellow Face, The Dance and the Railroad and FOB, as well as the Broadway musicals Aida (co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 revival) and Disney’s Tarzan. He is America’s most-produced living opera librettist. Hwang is a Tony Award winner and three-time nominee, a three-time OBIE Award winner and a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. He was recently the Residency One Playwright at New York’s Signature Theatre, which produced a season of his plays, including the premiere of his newest work, Kung Fu.

Q. How does the intersection of teaching and writing affect you?

I've found that most life experiences eventually end up in my writing, and teaching is no exception. Though new to Columbia, I'm already starting to perceive how the exposure to my students' writing is affecting my own perceptions of what is possible in my form (playwriting), and how younger writers look at theatre today. Furthermore, I hope to use my own productions as opportunities for my students to gain practical experience.

Q. How important to the craft of writing is reading?

Reading is important for almost anything in life, including playwriting. It's important to be exposed to as many plays as possible, so students learn what they do and don't like, as well as techniques they can steal for themselves. We do not always have to reinvent the wheel. Where playwriting is concerned, however, seeing a play is often preferable to reading it, since these are works that were written to be performed.

Q. Do you focus on one particular kind of writing or can you easily switch genres?

I only write scripts, though I believe within that category, I've worked in just about every genre: plays, musicals, opera libretti, screenplays and television.

Q. How does living and working in New York influence your writing?

I gain a lot of creative energy from living in the city most would consider America's theatrical capital. I like being part of the theatre community, bumping into my colleagues on the street, and enjoying the wide variety of shows available here.

Q. What are you working on now?

I am currently rewriting my play, Kung Fu, about Bruce Lee, which premiered about a year ago Off-Broadway. I'm also working as a writer/producer for Showtime's series The Affair, as well as developing a TV series of my own. Finally, I'm working on two musicals, two operas and the early stages of a new play.