White Sky, Falling Dragon

Thurs, Fri, Sat, 7:30 pm; Sat & Sun, 2 pm, April 19 – May 4

Carrying tragedy and hope, a World War II US Army Air Force bombardier returns to his small town and his Chinese family. The first step home is to let go of the past.

Steve “Spike” Wong’s original play White Sky, Falling Dragon, along with the original cast, comes to Santa Cruz. Inspired by the playwright’s father, Captain Ernest Wong, USAAF, the play tells the story of a young Chinese-American man’s return to small town Watsonville, California, in 1944 after his WWII service as a bombardier.

As he struggles to come to terms with the tragedy of his last mission, his Chinese family obligations clash with his search for a path to his future, and the way forward depends on a secret from the past. With its focus on Chinese-American culture, immigration, and military service during wartime, the play is a unique blend of drama and comedy, and a moving tribute to the complexities of what it means to come home.