Echopedia

Yang Chengwei (楊呵偉)

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Yang Chengwei (楊呵偉)

Yang Chengwei (楊呵偉) is a Taiwanese American Broadway musical theater actor. He is the son of former APEC Taiwan Special Representative Yang Huangmei, and is among the few Taiwanese Americans to have performed on the Great White Way.

Identity Snapshot

  • English: Yang Chengwei
  • Chinese: 楊呵偉
  • Born: New York (raised in Taiwan/US)
  • Core roles: Broadway actor, musical theater performer, founder of “Second Generation” theater company
  • Education: Columbia University, International Political Relations
  • Family: Son of Yang Huangmei (former APEC Taiwan Special Representative)
  • Spouse: Dina Morishita (Broadway performer)

Overview

Yang Chengwei is a second-generation Taiwanese American who has achieved success on Broadway. His profile in the 2023 TAHS Publication highlights his journey from a political family background to the theater stage, his founding of the “Second Generation” theater company to promote Asian American performers, and his recent return to Taiwan for the musical “The Fantasticks.”

Career

Early Life

Yang was born in New York and raised in a politically connected family. His grandmother, Gao Yaomei, has indigenous Taiwanese heritage, and his song skills are said to come from this lineage. He studied International Political Relations at Columbia University, but at age 20, he made his Broadway debut in “Hong Kong Dame” (a.k.a. “The Night at the Mahjong Table”), playing the villain. He also performed as the male lead in “Aladdin.”

Broadway and Theater

Yang is one of the few Taiwanese Americans to perform on Broadway. He has been invited to perform at numerous Taiwanese community events across major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. He has also performed at events hosted by New York Governor George Pataki and at Asian heritage celebrations in Vancouver, Canada.

Second Generation Theater Company

Yang founded the “Second Generation” theater company in the United States to promote the development of Asian American performers. The company has collaborated with Tony Award winners to create musicals including “Laying Tracks” (based on |Ang Lee’s film), “The Feast” (adapted from |Ang Lee’s film of the same name), and “Finding Home” — a musical about Chinese immigrant families. The company toured Taiwan from 2001-2005, receiving enthusiastic responses from audiences.

Recent Work

In August 2022, Yang returned to Taiwan with his family to participate in the rehearsals for the musical “The Fantasticks” (夢幻愛程), which was performed at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park from September 23 to November 13, 2022. The production was a collaboration between the American original and the Taiwan Chinese Musical Theater Company.

Awards and Recognition

  • CBS Television’s “Achievement Award”
  • The National Arts Club (New York) Honorary Medal for Arts and Letters
  • A Magazine’s “Top 10 Asian Young Entrepreneurs”

Personal Life

Yang is married to Dina Morishita, also a Broadway performer. The couple met on the Broadway stage and later became a married couple. Dina was also a performer in “Hong Kong Dame” and the musical “The Feast.” In 2020, Dina was diagnosed with cancer but continued to fight the disease. She was invited to perform “Let It Go” from “Frozen,” which she found deeply moving — the song’s message of courage and self-empowerment resonated with her battle.

Legacy

Yang Chengwei’s story represents the bridge between Taiwanese American families and the American theater world. As a second-generation immigrant, he has worked to create opportunities for Asian American performers through his theater company, while also maintaining strong connections to the Taiwanese community through his performances at community events.

Source Notes and Confidence

  • Content priority B: 2023 TAHS Publication (profile #17 of 19 in the TOC dump, page 109)
  • The 2023 publication carries 19 profiles total; its Priority-A subjects are Peng Ming-min and |Zheng Bingquan (鄭炳全), who also appears in the 2017 菁英錄
  • Hub: |2023 TAHS Publication
  • Archive: knowledge/web-archives/2023-tahs-publication-part2.md

Connected in the Vault

Yang’s profile lives in the same 2023 TAHS Publication as its Priority-A subjects |Peng Ming-min and |Zheng Bingquan (鄭炳全); the publication hub |2023 TAHS Publication indexes all 19 profiles, with |Fan Qingliang (范清亮) printed adjacent (p. 116). No standalone vault page yet exists for his “Second Generation” theater company, his wife Dina Morishita, or his mother Yang Huangmei; those names are deliberately left unlinked rather than pointed at wrong slugs.

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