Theatre Raleigh To Present Telly Leung Directed Production Of YELLOW FACE Beginning 6/22

Continuing their 2022 Main Stage Season, Theatre Raleigh presents the play Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang.

Yellow Face blurs the lines between truth and fiction blur with hilarious and moving resulting in David Henry Hwang's unreliable memoir. Asian-American playwright DHH leads a protest against the casting of a white performer as the lead in the original Broadway production of Miss Saigon, condemning the practice as "yellowface." His position soon comes back to haunt him when he mistakes a Caucasian actor for mixed-race, and casts him in the lead Asian role of his own Broadway-bound comedy, Face Value.

Director Telly Leung (Broadway: Aladdin, Allegiance and Godspell) discussed his excitement to be debuting Theatre Raleigh's black box space, the TR Studio Theatre, which has previously been used only as a rehearsal space.

"The TR team has put in tireless work to make that space performance-ready, and the designers and I were so excited about the possibilities in that re-imagined space," said Leung. "Miyuki Su's set design welcomes the audience, and our young lighting and projection designer, Charlie Raschke will be cutting space with light and images to enhance the storytelling. Our sound designer, Eric Alexander Collins will be filling the space with sounds that will compliment the rhythm of Hwangs's funny and thoughtful text. Our cast will be bringing 3 dimensional inner life to these rich characters for the first time in that new space."

Leung went on to discuss the power and impact that theatre can hold, and what he hopes the audiences of Yellow Face will be able to take away from this production.

"I want audiences to laugh, cry, feel intensely, and have a good time," said Leung. It is always my hope that audiences leave one of my shows and they continue to discuss the play at home or at drinks after the show, or maybe they think about it the next morning on their drive to work. Perhaps it changes the way they react to current events. Perhaps it broadens their understanding of what it means to be 'American'. Perhaps it changes the way they interact with others in their community, especially those who are marginalized."

Assistant Director and Dramaturg, Sam Hamashima, discussed their own experience on this show.

"This production offers a whole new perspective of David Henry Hwang's work and just how far we've come since Hwang wrote this fourteen years ago, said Hamashima. "As an Asian American born and raised in our Raleigh community, I am most excited for a show that I've deeply connected with for years to be introduced to our patrons and audiences."

Leung highlighted the importance of this show when it debuted, but also the importance it holds today.

"We have come so far and yet we've not come very far at all, because this play feels just as fresh as it did back in 2008 at The Public Theater off-Broadway," said Leung.
The previously announced cast of Yellow Face features Hansel Tan (Off-Broadway: Ping Pong and Unlock'd) as DHH, Pascal Pastrana (Broadway: Mean Girls) as Marcus, and Alan Ariano (Broadway: M. Butterfly, The King and I and Miss Saigon) as HYH & Others .

Yellow Face plays June 22-July 3rd at the TR Studio Theatre, with tickets starting at $30.