Rapidly appeared on the theatrical landscape with his first play "FOB" (1980), which opened at the New York Shakespeare Festival when Hwang was in his early twenties. He followed his premiere with a number of plays, including "Family Devotions" and "The Sound of a Voice", all produced at the Festival. Hwang catapulted to international fame with "M. Butterfly". The 1988 play was produced first on Broadway and later in numerous other venues. Telling the story of a French diplomat who was romantically involved with a Chinese opera star who he believed to be a woman but was in fact a man, the play