Dr Yang received his doctorate degree in Theatre form the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  From 1976 to 1990, he was Professor of Theatre at the University of Colorado.  He was concurrently the Producing Artistic Director of the renowned Colorado Shakespeare Festival (CSF) from 1976 to 1982 and 1985 to 1990.  Between 1983 and 1985, Yang became the first full-time Artistic Director of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, a position he still holds after his return to Hong Kong in 1990.

As a director with international reputation, Yang has created over sixty productions of classical and modern plays in both the Chinese and Western repertoires.  Among his best known stage works are the 1980 production of Love’s Labour’s Lost, starring Oscar nominee Annett Benning: the 1985 production of The Little Foxes starring Lis Lu; the 1987 production of The Merchant of Venice for the 30^th anniversary season of CSF, starring Tony Church, leading actor at the Royal Shakespeare Company; the 1994 production of Tales of the Walled City, starring Bo Bo Fung; and the 1997 production of Romance in the Teahouse starring Lisa Wang.  In May 1996 he directed Other People’s Money for Shanghai People’s Art Theatre, which marked the first occasion of his directing for a mainland Chinese theatre company.

Yang has a long and impressive track record in producing, directing and translating Shakespeare.  He has produced over 40 and directed 12 major Shakespearean productions, including five in Chinese translation.  He was the first Chinese scholar invited to join the prestigious International Shakespeare Conference at Startford-upon-Avon, and the first Asian elected to the Board of Directors of the American Theatre Association.  He is Honorary Professor of the Central Drama Academy in Beijing and was for many years concultant to the National Theatre and National Concert Hall of Taiwan.