News and upcoming performances:
Monkey king in central Park
Thank you to everyone who came out to join Monkey King and Xuanzang on their perilous adventures in Central Park last month. Here’s an excerpt of Diane and Jeff’s June 12th performance in which Monkey King brings back the Compliant Rod and becomes
Great Sage Equal to Heaven!



“Diane's thoughtful, dynamic retelling of Monkey King, with Jeff Greene's imaginative percussion accompaniment, casts a spell on the audience. Children and parents sit mesmerized as this ancient epic unfolds.”
— Rita Auerbach, President of the America Library Association
Here are three of our favorite photos taken on June 12th by
Andrew Schwartz - one of which made the cover of Our Town:




Journey to the west at Taiwanese Consulate
Recently Diane received the honor of being invited to perform the opening of Journey to the West at the Taiwanese Consulate Farewell Dinner Party for Director Ethan Kuo on Tuesday, July 13th, hosted by the Taiwanese Ambassador Andrew J.C. Kao. The evening was filled with touching farewell wishes, parting gifts, and graceful displays of humor. In his heartfelt speech Ethan Kuo thanked Diane for her “outstanding performance”.


Diane performing Journey to the West


Group photo Diane and Ambassador Andrew J.C. Kao
More Upcoming Events:
Sep. 25th “The Monk In Jail”
Saturday, September 25th, 11AM - 12PM, FREE
Statue of H.C. Andersen, Central Park
72nd & Fifth, New York, NY (Google map)
Oct. 2nd Journey to the West
National Storytelling Festival, Jonesborough, TN
For more info and to register click here
Journeys east: Two videos
Journey East... in search of Monkey King

In the summer of 2008, Diane Wolkstein, storyteller, and Sat Hon, her teacher and choreographer, went to Taiwan in order to research Journey to the West and better understand the mysterious god-like figure, Monkey King himself. This 10 minute documentary edited by Eli Rarey (director, Diane Wolkstein: A Storyteller’s Story) premiered at the University Settlement. Now you can see it for a limited time on our Journeys East page. Enjoy!
Watch the 10-minute documentary on Youtube
Journey East... revisiting Mr. Sun
After working with Mr. Sun in 2008, Diane traveled back to Taiwan in the winter of 2010 in order to continue her research on Journey to the West. Diane speaks about actor, director, and Taiwanese national treasure, Mr. Sun. Interview filmed in Taiwan and edited by Bob Geile.















