Tony winning playwright David Henry Hwang admits he struggles with being an Asian American playwright. He now has a residency at the Signature largely because of his work that has embodied Asian American themes.
He talked to WNYC about his struggle.
“I’m generally kind of considered an Asian American playwright and I’ve struggled with that label. There have been times I liked it and times I haven’t like it,” Hwang told WNYC.
“I learned to write more for my subconscious and I found these themes appearing on the page. So clearly some part of me was very interested in being Asian, being Asian American even though my conscious hadn’t figured that out yet.”
Hwang also recounts what happened when his skeptical parents saw him direct his first play in the lounge of his dorm at Stanford University and when he realized he could make a career in theater.
You can hear the entire interview on WNYC.
