AUDITION NOTES
FROM THE DIRECTOR
YELLOW FACE BY DAVID HENRY HWANG IS A SHARP, SATIRICAL “MOCKUMENTARY” ABOUT THE OPTICS OF RACE,
CULTURAL APPROPRIATION AND REPRESENTATION, SYSTEMIC BIASES IN THE THEATER INDUSTRY, AND EVEN
TOUCHES ON ANTI-CHINESE SENATE INVESTIGATIONS AND POLITICAL SCANDAL. INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS, THE
PLOT FOLLOWS A FICTIONALIZED VERSION OF THE PLAYWRIGHT, “DHH,” WHO PROTESTS THE “YELLOW FACE” CASTING
OF A WHITE ACTOR IN THE BROADWAY MUSICAL, MISS SAIGON, BUT THEN MISTAKENLY CASTS A WHITE ACTOR AS
THE ASIAN LEAD IN HIS OWN PLAY. TO SAVE FACE, HE SPINS A SERIES OF LIES THAT LEAD TO UNEXPECTEDOUTCOMES.
THE DIRECTOR IS LOOKING FOR A COHESIVE ENSEMBLE OF 7 ACTORS. 2 ACTORS WILL PLAY SINGLE ROLES. 5 ACTORS
WILL PLAY MULTIPLE ROLES, JUMPING IN AND OUT OF CHARACTER AND GENDER, SOMETIMES EMULATING REAL
PEOPLE OF THE TIME. (BONUS POINTS FOR IMPERSONATIONS OF REAL PEOPLE IN THE PLAY!) THE TONE IS
COMEDIC, SELF-MOCKING, SATIRICAL, AND THE DIALOGUE CAN BE BITING AND FAST PACED. THE PLAY IS
SOMETIMES META-THEATRICAL WITH THE CHARACTER OF DHH SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THE AUDIENCE.
THE DIRECTOR ASKS THAT AUDITIONERS READ THE SCRIPT AND BE READY TO COLD READ AND PLAY DURING
AUDITIONS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ASSIGNMENT OF CHARACTERS FOR ACTORS PLAYING MULTIPLE ROLES WILL BE
BASED ON WHO IS CAST AND IS NOT SET.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
PLEASE NOTE: WHILE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS ARE NECESSARY TO CAST ROLES APPROPRIATELY TO THE PLAYWRIGHT'S WORK, MANOA VALLEY THEATRE DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF AGE, RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX, DISABILITY, OR BODY TYPE.
ACTORS PLAYING SINGLE ROLES:
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DHH “DAVID HENRY HWANG” (ASIAN MALE-IDENTIFYING, 30S-40S, PREFERABLY CHINESE AMERICAN)
THE PLAYWRIGHT WHO MISTAKENLY CASTS A WHITE ACTOR AS THE ASIAN LEAD IN HIS OWN PLAY.
​
MARCUS G. (WHITE MALE-IDENTIFYING, 30S-40S)
A WHITE ACTOR WHO IS ABLE TO “PASS” FOR OTHER ETHNICITIES, AND WHO IS MISTAKENLY HIRED TO PLAY ONE OF
THE LEAD ASIAN ROLES IN DHH'S PLAY "FACE VALUE.”
​
ACTORS PLAYING MULTIPLE ROLES:
​
HYH (ASIAN MALE-IDENTIFYING, 50S-60S, PREFERABLY CHINESE)
DHH’S FATHER, A SUCCESSFUL BANKER WHO IS SUSPECTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF BEING DISLOYAL. MAY
ALSO PLAY: FRANK CHIN, BD WONG, RODNEY HATAMIYA, STUDENT #1, FRITZ FRIEDMAN, SEN. SHELBY,
WEN HO LEE, SEN., ETC.
​
LEAH ANNE CHO + OTHERS (ASIAN, MIXED ASIAN, FEMALE-IDENTIFYING, 30S-40S) DHH’S FORMER
GIRLFRIEND. MAY ALSO PLAY: CARLA CHING, LINDA, MICHAEL RIEDEL, STUDENT #4, MARGARET FUNG,
MARGARET CHO, SEN. BROWNBACH, ETC.
​
REPORTER [NWOAOC] + OTHERS (WHITE MALE-IDENTIFYING, AGE FLEXIBLE—20S-50S) REPRESENTS
MULTIPLE FACETS OF THE PRESS. OTHER ROLES MAY INCLUDE: FBI AGENT, NATIONAL REVIEW,
THEATREWEEK, OCC REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ETC.
​
ENSEMBLE 1 (BIPOC, MALE-IDENTIFYING, AGE FLEXIBLE)
VERSATILE, COMEDIC. ROLES MAY INCLUDE: CAMERON MACKINTOSH, JOSEPH PAPP, PRAVDA,
MILES NEWMAN, ANTHONY AGOGLIA, YELLOWGURL8, DR. PICHORAK, ETC.
​
ENSEMBLE 2 (BIPOC, FEMALE-IDENTIFYING, AGE FLEXIBLE)
VERSATILE, COMEDIC. ROLES MAY INCLUDE: JANE KRAKOWSKI, BEATRICE CHANG, ROCCO PALMIERI,
SEN. BENNETT, REP DELAY, SEN. DOMINICI, DOROTHY HWANG, DICK CAVETT, STUART OSTROW, ETC.
MEET THE DIRECTOR
REIKO HO
DIRECTOR
Reiko Ho is a director, playwright, and multi-disciplinary theatre artist from Honolulu whose work has been seen throughout Hawaiʻi as well as nationally. Directorial projects in 2026 include a national tour for "The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac" which she also wrote, commissioned by Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY). Notably, "The Great Race" was a 2024 recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition to directing "Yellow Face" by David Henry Hwang for Manoa Valley Theatre, she will also direct the world premiere of "Our Okinawan Ohana" by Lee Tonouchi for Playbuilders. "Tales of the Sun and Moon" (HTY) that she wrote and directed will run locally, then tour nationally in early 2027. She is also slated to direct Hawaii Opera Theatre’s production of Tea based on the play by Valina Hasu Houston in Spring of 2027. Most recently at MVT, she directed "Kim's Convenience" by Ins Choi. Other plays at MVT include "The Chinese Lady," "Cambodian Rock Band," and "The Joy Luck Club." Reiko is Artistic Associate for HTY, an Invited Artist at the National Institute of Directing and Ensemble Creation, a member of The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists, a member of The Playwright’s Center, and serves on the Board of Directors of TYA/USA, the leading national organization for the field of Theatre for Young Audiences.
