YELLOW FACE

"Tse has brought to Wellington a play that is not only heavily relevant but is as sinister as it is moving as it is surprising as it is entertaining."
Moana Ete, The Pantograph Punch

After becoming America's most prominent opponent of yellow-face casting, playwright David Henry Hwang (Alex Rabina) finds himself in a bind after accidentally casting a white man, Marcus (James Cain), as Asian in his latest play. As David scrambles to cover up his mistake, Marcus embraces his newfound identity - but with anti-Chinese sentiment sweeping the USA, how long can he keep up the ruse and still save face?

Nominated for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Yellow Face is a deeply funny examination of race and identity in a post-racial society, as well as a moving exploration of the relationship between immigrant father and first-generation son.

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Cast - Alex Rabina, Ariadne Baltazar, Benjamin Teh, Catherine Zulver, James Cain, Matt Loveranes, Mike Bryant.

Writer - David Henry Hwang
Director - Cassandra Tse
Production Manager - Brigid Boyle
Stage Manager - Freya van Alphen Fyfe
Marketing & Publicity Manager - James Cain

Set Designer - Lucas Neal
Costume Designer - Lisa Kiyomoto-Fink
Lighting Designer - James Ruscoe
Sound Designer - Patrick Barnes
Graphic Designer - Callum Devlin

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"This production features brilliant performances, excellent ensemble work, harmonious design elements, and a whopping amount of ingenuity and imagination. In the same breath, it is unflinching yet tender; gritty yet playful; poignant yet hilarious." - Madelaine Empson, Regional News
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"The examination of racism, orientalism, and the everyday fraught-ness of living as an Asian American is both fresh and funny. It feels significant that this play is being produced here and now, and Yellow Face represents a voice we should prioritise listening to. And, with such a slick production of it, there couldn’t be a more enjoyable way to do so." - Aimee Smith, Art Murmurs