I am almost famous in China, because I have that Broadway cachet. David Henry Hwang More Quotes by David Henry Hwang More Quotes From David Henry Hwang There's a reason why the form was originally silent David Henry Hwang silentreasonreason-why We are all prisoners of our time and place. David Henry Hwang prisonerour-time Time flies when you’re being stupid. David Henry Hwang time-fliesbeing-stupidstupid Tonight, I've finally learned to tell fantasy from reality. And, knowing the difference, I choose fantasy. David Henry Hwang differencesknowingreality I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to be a movie or a television show with Asian characters, I would go out of my way to avoid them, because they portrayed all Asians as either ridiculously good or ridiculously bad; you know, the whole Charlie Chan-Fu Manchu thing. David Henry Hwang growing-upracismcharacter I visited a new cultural center in Shanghai in 2005 that was pretty much perfect, except for the really badly translated Chinglish signs: a handicapped restroom that said Deformed Mans Toilet, that kind of thing. David Henry Hwang toiletskindperfect This is the ultimate cruelty, isn't it? That I can talk and talk and to anyone listening, it's only air--too rich a diet to be swallowed by a mundane world. David Henry Hwang airlisteningworld With theatre, we all agree to suspend our disbelief about so many things, but not about race. It's totally OK to have one actor playing five roles - people are willing to believe that. But they won't believe it if there's a black or an Asian kid who has white parents. What does that say about us? David Henry Hwang parentsblackbelievepeople You aren't allowed to ask at auditions, legally, a person's race. David Henry Hwang askpersonyourace For a long time, it was hard for me to get my work done in Chicago. Silk Road gave me opportunities to do shows like 'Golden Child' - shows that nobody else seemed interested in. And they bring an artistic integrity to the work that matches anything you'll find at a bigger theatre. David Henry Hwang meyouworktime My work has always been controversial within certain segments of the Asian-American community. This is a community that is generally not represented well at all on the stage, in the media, etc. So on those few occasions when something comes along, everybody feels obligated to make sure that it represents his own point of view. David Henry Hwang viewmediacommunitywork My first plays were amazingly bad, but I had a teacher who thought I had promise, and he kept working with me. I finally went to a summer workshop before my senior year with people like Sam Shepard and Maria Irene Fornes who encouraged me to write from my subconscious, and suddenly all this material about culture clash came out. David Henry Hwang meteacherculturepeople I'm interested in internationalism. It's the new multiculturalism. How we deal with each other isn't sufficient any more. It's about time we examine how we interact with the rest of the world we live in. David Henry Hwang liveresttimeworld You can't be a playwright without believing there's an audience for adventurous work. David Henry Hwang withoutyouaudiencework There's something about China and its rush to capitalism that I find confusing. At the same time, we live in an America where capitalists oppose any government interference with free markets, while in China you have a very controlled, state-planned market where economic growth is better than ours. David Henry Hwang yougrowthgovernmenttime Even if you're lucky to have a play on Broadway like 'Chinglish,' you don't necessarily earn enough off it to support the years it takes to get there. David Henry Hwang yousupportluckyenough If I do a play, it's my vision, and everybody else is working on the production to support that. If I do an opera, I feel like part of my job is to support that composer, to try and create something that allows the composer to do his or her best work. In movies, it's usually the director. David Henry Hwang bestsupportvisionwork With a musical, you kind of have to do a mind-meld with the book-writer, the lyricist, the composer, the director - sometimes the producer. I think that's a reason why musicals are the hardest form. David Henry Hwang thinkyoureasonsometimes I think that plays are probably the most personal, because it's just me in charge, but sometimes it's just really - I think that there's honor in being a good artist, and there's honor in being a good 'craftsperson.' David Henry Hwang goodmehonorsometimes There was all this talk when Obama got elected about how we were living in a postracial world. But we're not. Until we get to the point where James Earl Jones can play, say, George Washington, race matters. You wouldn't put a white actor in blackface to play Othello. You shouldn't have a white actor in what amounts to yellowface to play Asian. David Henry Hwang youracewhiteworld
