PEN America and San Francisco Opera hosted a lively, behind-the-scenes discussion with composer Huang Ruo, librettist and Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, and Chinese Heritage Foundation’s Pearl Lam Bergad to dig deeper into the multiple layers of translations that bring The Monkey King (猴王悟空) to vibrant, revelatory life in this pulse-of-the-moment contemporary adaptation. Moderated by Ken Smith (Opera/Opera News), this San Francisco Opera world-premiere commission is drawn from the opening episodes in Journey to the West (16th c.), a Ming dynasty novel widely considered one of China’s greatest literary classics. The Monkey King follows the ambition of its title character, who wreaks havoc in the heavens in a bid for justice and equality, as well as belonging and freedom of expression. Watch this preview of the production’s world premiere as part of San Francisco Opera’s fall 2025 season.

About Pen America – PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Founded in 1922, PEN America is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network. PEN America works to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others. Our strength is our Membership—a nationwide community of more than 5,000 novelists, journalists, nonfiction writers, editors, poets, essayists, playwrights, publishers, translators, agents, and other writing professionals, as well as devoted readers and supporters who join with them to carry out PEN America’s mission.