East West Wednesday • Episode 4 • FOB Reunion & Playwrights Lisa Sanaye Dring & Lina Patel

Featuring David Henry Hwang, John Cho, Reggie Lee, Tim Dang, and Lisa Hashimoto Stone, and hosted by EWP Director of Production & casting Andy Lowe, this panel discusses the history of Hwang's trailblazing play FOB, and revisits the 1997 EWP production that starred John Cho and Reggie Lee, with direction by Tim Dang and set design by Lisa Hashimoto Stone. FOB is a 1980 Obie Award-winning play by American playwright David Henry Hwang. His first play, it depicts the contrasts and conflicts between established Asian Americans and "fresh off the boat" (FOB) newcomer immigrants. The play premiered at the Stanford Asian American Theatre Project in 1979 under the direction of the author and was further developed at the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in July 1979. It received its professional debut on June 8, 1980 Off-Broadway at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, closing on July 13, 1980. It was directed by EWP founder Mako, with John Lone and Tzi Ma in the cast. Public Theater founder Joseph Papp supported Hwang's work, producing his first four plays. It has been produced twice at East West Players: first in 1980, and then revived in 1997 as a 70's period piece as a nod to its intergenerational longevity.