The Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance brought in playwright David Henry Hwang to attend master classes, rehearsals and present a talk on his life in theater in light of its upcoming production of his Tony award-winning play.
The lecture will be followed by an open question and answer session and is free and open to the public.
The focus of his stay will be on interacting with undergraduate and graduate theater students, sharing his experience, techniques and how to make a life in theater, according to a press release from the ?theater department.
“M. Butterfly” first premiered on Broadway in 1988.
It was inspired by a true espionage case in which a French diplomat was seduced by a famous Chinese opera star.
In the play, Hwang challenges Western ideas of gender identity and colonialism, according to the press release.
Hwang grew up in Los Angeles. He received a bachelor’s degree in ?English from Stanford University and attended the Yale School of Drama.
His most famous work is “M. Butterfly,” which won a Tony award, Drama Desk Award, the John Gassner award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play.
It was also Hwang’s second play to become a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
“M. Butterfly” opens Oct. 24 in the Wells-Metz Theatre.
Tickets are available online or at the IU Auditorium box office. Student tickets are $15 and general admission tickets are $25.
Alison Graham
