Join us in an intimate conversation with three important theatermakers on the New York premiere of Lauren Yee’s play, King of the Yees, at Signature Theatre (running from October 6 – November 15). Playwright and screenwriter Lauren Yee, Tony-winning actor Francis Jue and playwright David Henry Hwang talk about sharing the notion of family in their work, their poignant, moving stories of their fathers, and the art of portraying them on the stage. An “epic joyride across cultural, national and familial borders”, King of the Yees tells the story of Lauren’s father Larry Yee (played by Francis Jue), a driving force in San Francisco Chinatown. Francis Jue has also played David Henry Hwang’s father in his Tony-winning play, Yellowface. Lauren, Francis, and David discuss Asian American families, lineages and storytelling in the theater as part of this special conversation at Asia Society.

King of the Yees (Signature Theatre) 

10.06.26–11.15.26 / Tue–Sun / 7 – 9 P.M.

Written by Lauren Yee

Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody

For nearly twenty years, Larry Yee has been the heart and soul of the Yee Fung Toy Family Association, a fraternal organization in San Francisco’s iconic Chinatown. But to his daughter Lauren, a playwright living in New York, the association is an obsolete relic of a vanishing world. When Larry suddenly disappears, Lauren sets off on a wild quest to find him, embarking on a surreal, magical journey through the history and myths of her own lineage. KING OF THE YEES is a hilarious and heartfelt “kind of true” story by Signature resident artist Lauren Yee, who turns her incisive comedic eye on what we inherit and what it means to truly be a Yee.

Speaker Biographies

Lauren Yee 

Lauren Yee is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter based in New York. Recent plays include Cambodian Rock Band (South Coast Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Signature Theatre), The Great Leap (Denver Center, Seattle Rep, the Atlantic, Steppenwolf, ACT), King of the Yees (Goodman Theatre, Center Theatre Group), and Mother Russia (Seattle Rep, Signature Theatre). Honors include the Doris Duke Artist Award, Whiting Award, Steinberg/ATCA Award, Horton Foote Prize, and Kesselring Prize. TV:  “Pachinko” (Apple), “Soundtrack” (Netflix), “Interior Chinatown” (Hulu), “Billions” (Showtime), “Clipped” (FX). She’s previously developed pilots for Netflix and Apple, and is currently developing TV and feature projects for Netflix and Universal. BA: Yale, MFA: UCSD. Laurenyee.com

David Henry Hwang

David Henry Hwang’s work includes the plays M. Butterfly, Yellow Face (Tony Award-winning Broadway revival, 2024), Chinglish, The Dance and the Railroad, and FOB, as well as the musicals Soft Power, Flower Drum Song and Disney’s international hits Aida and Tarzan. He has written thirteen opera libretti, including Ainadamar with composer Osvaldo Golijov (Metropolitan Opera premiere, Fall 2024) and The Monkey King with Huang Ruo, which opened at San Francisco Opera in 2025 to critical and audience acclaim. Hwang was a Writer/Consulting Producer for the Golden Globe-winning television series The Affair, co-wrote the Gold Record “Solo” with the late pop legend Prince, and has penned an Anna May Wong biopic to star actress Gemma Chan. Particle Fever, a new musical with book by Hwang, will open at La Jolla Playhouse this season. He is a Tony Award winner and four-time nominee, a Grammy Award winner and three-time nominee, a three-time OBIE Award winner, and a three-time Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. A professor emeritus at Columbia University, Hwang has been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dramatists Guild in 2025.