David Henry Hwang is an award-winning playwright whose work often deals with the manipulation or breakdown of stereotypes--particularly those concerning Asian-Americans--while exploring the frontiers of experimental drama. Hwang, a creative writing major who studied with Stanford professor John L'Heureux, graduated from the university in 1979. He credits L'Heureux and playwright Sam Shepard as early influences.

M. Butterfly, the best known of Hwang's plays, won Broadway's Tony Award in 1988. In the years following M. Butterfly's success Hwang has moved toward filmwriting, exploring the Asian-American experience in films such as Golden Gate, the collection's most recent piece, which was filmed on location in San Francisco in 1992.