http://abcnews.go.com/sections/UpClose/DailyNews/David_Henry_Hwang.htm
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Nov. 8 — "I don't see it so clearcut that there's a sort of Chinese
way of doing things and an American way of doing things and you're
either in one or the other. I think that there are a lot of different
gradations between. And as you go from one to the other or go back
and travel between the two extremes, there are certain things that
you're going to have less of. You can only accommodate so many things
in your life, so you do gain things and you give up things. And the
question is simply what is the balance that's best for you?"
-- Playwright David Henry Hwang

UpClose tonight, Nov. 8: David Henry Hwang
We live in a hyphenated society. Most of us came from another land,
at least our parents or grandparents or their parents or grandparents
did. But it's generally easier to blend into American society when
your skin color or facial features don't telegraph part of your
identity.

For Asian-Americans, identity can be a blessing or curse. Their rich
heritage is of course something to be proud of, but there are also
some Asian-Americans who wonder if they'll ever be fully embraced as
Americans. (Remember the Wen Ho Lee spy scandal?) Identity is
something that matters deeply to David Henry Hwang, the Tony Award-
winning playwright who brought "M Butterfly" to Broadway. His work
isn't exclusively about being Asian-American, but it's a theme he
returns to often.

His latest effort has just opened on Broadway, a contemporary version
of the old Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, "Flower Drum Song." It's
a story about the Chinese-American experience and the clash of
cultures, something ABC NEWS Correspondent John Yang, who sat down
with Hwang, has given some thought to:

"The tension between holding and celebrating the culture of your
roots and assimilating really is the story of America. It's a theme
that began with David Henry Hwang's earliest work, the award-
winning "FOB - Fresh Off the Boat"-- which was produced off Broadway
when he was only in his early twenties, and that he wrote as an
undergraduate at Stanford. It's also the theme of "Flower Drum Song,"
a musical that's about as old as Hwang is. I remember seeing the
movie when I was a kid. It was the first time I had ever seen a show
all about Asian characters who seemed as American as I felt. But
there were also embarrassing stereotypes. Hwang wanted to update it
because, he says, it was an important work for Asian Americans."

UpClose tonight, David Henry Hwang, who recently wrote in the New
York Times that his work was shaped by the Asian-American stereotypes
of his youth, such as the Charlie Chan character or Fu Manchu,
depictions he tried to ignore. What you'll witness tonight is a man
who has been able to replace those threadbare images with a more
contemporary and pleasing self-image.

A correction: Last night in our broadcast about A Day in the Life of
the US Armed Forces, we inadvertently referred to the Air
Force's "Top Gun" school in Fallon, Nevada. It is, of course, the
Navy's "Top Gun" school. Our apologies.

Richard Harris
Senior Producer
Nightline UpClose