Daniel Dae Kim and Dr. Patricia E. Taylor will be honored at Pan Asian Repertory Theatre’s 35th Anniversary Gala on Monday, March 19, 2012, at the Edison Ballroom, 240 W 47th Street in New York. Tickets are $350, $500 and $1,000; tables begin at $5,000. Call 212-868-4030 or visit www.panasianrep.org to purchase.

Daniel Dae Kim image courtesy of DDK Entertainment

The evening will be co-emceed by Broadway performer Raul Aranas (Miss Saigon), and SLANT's Richard Ebihara and Perry Yung.  Pan Asian Rep will honor Daniel Dae Kim, alum from Pan Asian Rep’s 1993 production ofA Doll House and star of television series “Hawaii Five-O,” “Lost,” and Academy Award-winning film Crash; and Dr. Patricia E. Taylor, research scientist, who with husband Kenneth Taylor, former Canadian Ambassador to Iran in the 70′s, was a key player in the escape of 6 Americans during the Iran hostage crisis.

The 7th Annual Red Socks Award, established to honor the memory of Lilah Kan, will be given to an Asian-American performer, to be announced at the event. The evening’s entertainment will also present highlights from Pan Asian’s musicals, andspecial In Memoriam photo tributes to Ellen Stewart founder of La Mama E.T.C. and Jadin Wong entertainer and artists manager.

Congratulations to playwright David Henry Hwang, who has been named the Honoree of the 31st Annual William Inge Theatre Festival, in Independence, Kansas, on the campus of Independence Community College.

David Henry Hwang Photo by Lia Chang

Hwang will be at the Inge Festival from April 18-21, 2012. He joins the roster of internationally renowned playwrights who have traveled to the Inge Festival to receive the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award. This select list includes Arthur Miller, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Edward Albee, Wendy Wasserstein, and the most recent Honoree, Marsha Norman, to name just a few.

“David Henry Hwang brings a unique voice to the fabric of the American theatre,” said Peter Ellenstein, Inge Center Artistic Director. “Besides being a great dramatist, his work often gives voice to an Asian-American perspective that has been long left out of American culture.”

Hwang is also a librettist for musicals and operas, as well as a screenwriter. At the multi-media Tribute ceremony that concludes the Inge Festival, Hwang will accept the annual Inge Festival Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award.

WHITE FROG features Booboo Stewart (The Twilight Saga), Harry Shum, Jr. (“Glee”), Kelly Hu (Scorpion King), BD Wong (“Awake,” “Law and Order: SVU”), and Joan Chen (The Last Emperor, Lust, Caution, Mao’s Last Dancer).

White Frog Executive Producer David Henry Hwang and Producer/Co-Screenwriter Ellie Wen in New York after a performance of Chinglish on January 28, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Written by the mother/daughter screenwriting team Ellie and Fabienne Wen, and executive produced by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), WHITE FROG tells the story of high-school freshman, Nick (Booboo Stewart), a young boy with Asperger’s syndrome, who is often neglected and misunderstood by his seemingly perfect family. When tragedy suddenly strikes, Nick is forced out of his comfort zone, and into finding the strength he needs to survive. WHITE FROG is a universal story about the power of family, friendship, and love.

BD Wong Photo by Lia Chang

The red carpet will be rolled out for actors Harry Shum Jr., Joan Chen, B.D. Wong; director Quentin Lee; producer and co-screenwriter Ellie Wen; producer Chris Lee; and executive producer David Henry Hwang, who will be at the screening and at the star-studded Opening Night Gala Reception at the Asian Art Museum. Delicious treats will be served up by some of the Bay Area’s most popular restaurants, including Bushi-Tei, Chotto, Dosa, Serpentine, and Yoshi’s.