Unbroken Blossoms

By Philip W. Chung
Directed by Jeff Liu
A World Premiere

Moon, an idealistic family man, and James, a cynical, aspiring filmmaker, are hired as the Chinese American consultants for Broken Blossoms, Hollywood's first onscreen interracial love story... between a white actress and a white actor in yellowface makeup. If the circumstances weren’t already questionable enough, the consultants must contend with the outsized ego of the film's director D.W. Griffith, who is attempting to belie criticisms of racism after the release of his controversial film The Birth of a Nation. 

Presented by East West Players, Philip W. Chung's play Unbroken Blossoms is a historical reimagining of the making of a boundary-breaking Hollywood classic that shines a light on the collateral damage in the search for "authentic" representation, and asks what price we pay for our art. Based on actual events, this world premiere production illuminates a historical conflict just behind the silver screen.

Originally presented in 2015 by Visual Communications in partnership with East West Players.

Join us for a post-show discussion on July 12 with Paula Yoo, Diana Lee Inosanto, and Arthur Dong on the early history of Asian American representation in film. Moderated by Author and Board Member, Jeff Yang.