Yankee Dawg You Die Returns to East West Players in a Striking Revival Exploring Asian American Identity & Representation

July 3, 2025 - July 27, 2025
Previews: July 3, 2025 - July 5, 2025
Opening Night: July 6, 2025

Members of the cast and creative team of East West Players’ summer 2025 production of YANKEE DAWG YOU DIE. L-R: Philip Kan Gotanda (Playwright), Jennifer Chang (Director), Daniel J. Kim (Bradley Yamashita), Kelvin Han Yee (Vincent Chang), Jonathan Cheung (Understudy, Bradley Yamashita), and Grant Chang (Understudy, Vincent Chang).

May 14, 2025 | Los Angeles, CA - East West Players (EWP), the largest and longest-running Asian American theater in the country, proudly announces the cast and creative team for the summer 2025 revival of Yankee Dawg You Die, the canonical, compelling, and darkly funny drama by celebrated playwright Philip Kan Gotanda. Originally produced at EWP in 2001, Yankee Dawg You Die returns to the stage in an insightful new production—incorporating live and recorded video—under the full direction of Jennifer Chang, who has a 17-year production history with EWP both as an actor and director.

EWP is thrilled to welcome actors Kelvin Han Yee (Film: May December, Milk; TV: Beef, The Brothers Sun; EWP’s The Wind Cries Mary) and Daniel J. Kim (TV: Cobra Kai, Bel Air; EWP’s The Brothers Paranormal) back to the David Henry Hwang Theater, as it sets the stage for another full circle moment this 60th Anniversary Season. Yee originated the role of Bradley for the play’s world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 1988, and returns in the EWP production to play Vincent. 

This thought-provoking work delves into the heart of Hollywood, exploring identity, integrity, and the cost of assimilation for Asian American artists navigating the entertainment industry. Set in 1980s Los Angeles, Yankee Dawg You Die follows the collision of two actors from different generations: Vincent Chang, a seasoned Hollywood veteran who built a hard-won career playing stereotypical roles, and Bradley Yamashita, a rising star determined to break barriers and redefine Asian American representation on screen. As their paths intertwine, so do their values, resulting in a powerful confrontation that questions the price of success and the weight of cultural responsibility.

“This is a seminal work in the Asian American theatre canon that has directly influenced and inspired countless artists,” shares director Jennifer Chang. “A favorite collaborator of mine, Lloyd Suh, writes in an essay about Gotanda’s play that ‘the struggle we're watching is in the psyches of these actors as they attempt to reconcile that landscape with their ambition, their insecurity, and their own sense of personhood and responsibility in an industry where who you present to an audience is your primary currency.’ I’m excited to examine the themes of the play and to bring digital media to the theatre—to bring Hollywood to live performance.”

This timely revival speaks to ongoing conversations around race, authenticity, and power in the media. For playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, the revival is also deeply personal. “Doing Yankee Dawg You Die at EWP is a homecoming,” says Gotanda. “EWP is where I developed the material for the play. Actors I met, actors I worked with, actors who became good friends. They and their hearts are all in there. The Bradleys, now Vincents. The Vincents, now mostly angels. All alive, living memories.”

“We chose to program Yankee Dawg You Die for our 60th Anniversary Season because of the importance of Philip’s work and this play in particular,” says Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal. “Philip is one of the main artists who created and defined Asian American theater, and Yankee Dawg truly gets to the emotional heart of the experience of being an Asian American actor. Sadly, AAPINH actors still face some of the same challenges as Bradley and Vincent, even though it’s been nearly 40 years since the play’s premiere. We’re thrilled to have Jennifer Chang bring her bold, multidisciplinary vision to the EWP stage as we reflect on how far our community has come and how far we still have to go.”

Cast & Creative Team

The cast includes Kelvin Han Yee* as Vincent Chang and Daniel J. Kim* as Bradley Yamashita.

Kelvin Han Yee is a Los Angeles based actor with over 40 years of experience in film, television, and stage. A pioneering AAPI presence in American theater, Yee began his career as a company member for six seasons with The American Conservatory Theatre. Other theater credits include Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland), Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, Asian American Theater Company, Lodestone, and is a longtime collaborator with East West Players. Recent television appearances include: BEEF, THE BROTHERS SUN,  9-1-1, S.W.A.T., BLUE BLOODS, QUANTUM LEAP, MAGNUM P.I. and LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME. Film credits include: Todd Haynes’ MAY DECEMBER (with Charles Melton), DESTROYER (with Nicole Kidman), MILK, LUCKY YOU and the upcoming John Turturro feature THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK.

Daniel J. Kim is an LA-based actor and alumni of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA). Some of his recent television credits include the latest season of Netflix's COBRA KAI, BEL AIR on Peacock and FATAL ATTRACTION on Paramount+. Film appearances include PAPER FLOWERS and THE BRINK OF (2024). Theater credits include Macbeth at A Noise Within, and Are You Listening at The Actors Coop.

Grant Chang* (The Great Leap, TV: Mr. Robot) understudies the role of Vincent, and Jonathan Cheung understudies the role of Bradley. An understudy performance will be held on July 18th

The creative team includes Jennifer Chang^ (Director), Yuri Okahana-Benson (Scenic Designer), Scott Bolman† (Lighting Designer), Jesse Mandapat (Sound Designer), Jason Thompson† (Projections Designer), Glenn Michael Baker (Props Designer), Ivy Chou (Costume Designer), Peter Matsumoto (Technical Coordinator/Master Carpenter), Brandon Hong Cheng* (Stage Manager).

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association

^Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

†Member of USA 829

Yankee Dawg You Die is sponsored in part by Ruth Eliel & Bill Cooney, Amber Noizumi & Michael Green, Nayan Shah & Ken Foster.

Performances will take place at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theater from July 3 through July 27, 2025, with opening night on July 6, 2025.