Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents San Francisco Opera: THE MONKEY KING (猴王悟空) by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang with Diane Paulus, on March 9, 2025 at the Peter B. Lewis Theater, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128 at 7pm. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased at https://www.worksandprocess.org/calendar/works-and-process-at-the-guggenheim-sfo-the-monkey-king.

Go behind the scenes with composer Huang Ruo, librettist David Henry Hwang and director Diane Paulus as they discuss their newest collaboration, THE MONKEY KING (猴王悟空), with moderator Ken Smith. Hear excerpts ahead of the production’s November 2025 world premiere at San Francisco Opera.

Commissioned by San Francisco Opera in partnership with the Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota, the work is drawn from the opening chapter of Journey to the West (16th c.), a Ming Dynasty novel widely considered one of China’s four greatest literary classics. THE MONKEY KING follows the ambition of its title character, who once born from a stone, wreaks havoc in the heavens in a bid for immortality. Through cleverness and determination, he wins battles against warriors and proves himself to the gods who doubted him. In recent years the mythic hero’s popularity has exploded through movies and animated film, television and video games.

Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang have been collaborators for more than a decade. They reunite in the Works & Process series for the fourth time this spring, following previous discussions on American Soldier, M. Butterfly and The Rift. Huang Ruo’s first appearance in a Works & Process event was for Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The creative team for THE MONKEY KING, which unites the disciplines of opera, dance, puppetry and stagecraft, also includes scenic design and puppetry by Basil Twist, who collaborated with Huang Ruo on Book of Mountains and Seas. For more information, visit https://sfopera.com/monkeyking.

Spring 2025 Opera Series made possible by Eugene and Jean Stark.