East West Players and ABC have awarded its first ABC Writers Scholarship For EWP's David Henry Hwang Institute to Jade Chang. Ms. Chang plans to complete her first play, IPO! The Musical, which she began at the Institute.

ABC has given EWP an endowment to fund a writing scholarship to be awarded twice yearly to deserving applicants of the theatre's playwright development program. The endowment will fund the scholarship in perpetuity.

"EWP has been a major force in supporting new works from the creative community, and graduates of its writers institute have emerged successfully in not only theatre, but in film and television. We hope this will encourage the emergence of many other talented writers," said Susan Leeper, v.p. of Current Comedy Series and the Director of the Walt Disney Studios/ABC TV Writing Fellowship Program.

EWP also announced that its 35th anniversary season will be celebrated with a gala event at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel on May 14. The Visionary Awards Dinner and Silent Auction will salute artists who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American community through the magic of art. For information call Al Choy at (213) 625-7000.

— By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent