{"id":73458,"date":"2025-06-12T11:21:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T18:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=73458"},"modified":"2025-10-14T16:18:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T23:18:02","slug":"exclusive-interview-zhi-qu-a-new-voice-in-cross-cultural-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=73458","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Zhi Qu: A New Voice in Cross-Cultural Theater"},"content":{"rendered":"

By LAPost.us | June 2025 | Los Angeles<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

As the 2025 AACYF Top 30 Under 30<\/em> list was unveiled Last month in Los Angeles, celebrating the brightest young Chinese American changemakers across disciplines, one name sparked immediate curiosity in the arts and culture sector: Zhi Qu<\/strong>\u2014a 24-year-old theater and opera director, actor, and singer, whose works challenge the limitations of language and culture while building bridges between East and West.<\/span><\/p>\n

Originally from Beijing and now based in New York City, Qu\u2019s inclusion on the list is a testament not only to his artistic innovation but also to his unique ability to navigate\u2014and merge\u2014multiple worlds. During his recent visit to Los Angeles, Qu sat down with LAPost.us<\/em> for an in-depth conversation about his cross-cultural vision, creative philosophy, and what lies ahead for this rising force in contemporary performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Qu Zhi accepted an exclusive interview in Los Angeles\uff08Photo by: Richard )Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n

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A Directorial Debut Rooted in Legacy and Reinvention<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Qu describes his directorial debut of Remorse<\/em>\u2014a Chinese-language chamber opera adapted from Lu Xun\u2019s 1925 novella\u2014as one of the most meaningful projects of his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Premiering at New York\u2019s Dixon Place Off-Broadway venue in February 2025, the production marked the opera\u2019s first staging outside China since its composition over four decades ago. Qu served triple roles: director<\/strong>, music director<\/strong>, and artistic director<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe story follows a young couple in 1920s Beijing who defy feudal norms for love, only to be torn apart by material hardship and societal pressure. It\u2019s a deeply Chinese narrative, but also universal,\u201d Qu explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

He approached the revival with bold reinterpretations:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n

    Visual Design<\/strong>: Qu replaced traditional sets with a poetic, abstract aesthetic\u2014a trio of suspended rooftops suggested both shelter and transience, reflecting the instability of the couple\u2019s love.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Character Redefinition<\/strong>: Instead of the original narrator-singer pair who remained passive observers, Qu wove them into the action as psychological doubles<\/strong>, mirroring the internal states of the protagonists.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    A Meta-Theatrical Voice<\/strong>: An original character\u2014the Narrator<\/strong>, inspired by Lu Xun himself\u2014acted as a Brechtian figure guiding the audience through the emotional landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    More than just a staging, Remorse<\/em> became a platform for Qu to test his evolving aesthetic language: \u201cI wanted to create something not only faithful to the spirit of Lu Xun, but also fresh\u2014something that speaks to today\u2019s world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Theater as a Philosophy of Departure<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

    A recurring motif across Qu\u2019s body of work is the idea of \u201cdeparture\u201d (\u51fa\u8d70<\/em>): leaving a familiar world in search of autonomy, transformation, or emotional liberation.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cI see myself as someone always departing,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom China to the U.S., from singer to director, from realism to abstraction\u2014each shift is both a break and a beginning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    In La Voix Humaine<\/em>, a one-woman monodrama performed in a dialect unfamiliar to most of the audience, Qu explored emotional departure through sound rather than text. \u201cThe spoken words meant nothing semantically to most of the audience,\u201d he explained. \u201cBut that was the point. It allowed the voice to become a pure vessel of emotional pain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    Similarly, in Remorse<\/em>, the character Zijun\u2019s final walk away from her lover\u2014set against swelling music and a wash of warm light\u2014becomes a departure as rebirth<\/strong>, not tragedy. \u201cIt\u2019s my way of reclaiming autonomy for female characters who have historically been written as victims,\u201d Qu said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Innovating the GALA Stage: A Theatrical Experiment<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

    Last month, Qu took the reins as chief director<\/strong> of NYU GALA 2025 \u2013 A Journey to the West<\/em>, co-produced with Hunan TV and staged at the historic Apollo Theater<\/strong> in Harlem. The event brought together over 300 artists<\/strong>, including dancers, musicians, actors, and filmmakers.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cThis was not just a showcase\u2014it was a narrative,\u201d Qu emphasized.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The program was structured as a dramatic arc following a Chinese student\u2019s journey from Shanghai to New York: overcoming culture shock, confronting identity, and ultimately finding purpose. Through the integration of theater, animation, and even augmented reality visuals, Qu transformed the traditional variety format into a cohesive story-driven performance<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    He also emphasized the managerial skills behind the artistic vision: \u201cDirecting is 40% creativity, 60% leadership. My training in Performing Arts Administration at NYU taught me how to lead with humility, structure, and empathy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Art Beyond Borders: Language, Abstraction, and Yijing<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

    Qu\u2019s work is deeply informed by his academic background\u2014he holds a double major in Sociology and Philosophy<\/strong> from UC Santa Barbara, where he first discovered theater through the Chinese Theater Society. Later, at NYU, he honed his craft as both a director and administrator.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Central to his practice is the dismantling of language as a barrier: \u201cTheater isn\u2019t just about what\u2019s said. It\u2019s about what\u2019s felt<\/em>, what\u2019s implied<\/em>, what\u2019s left unsaid<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    In recent works like Love Between a Bird and a Fish<\/em>\u2014a dance-theater piece without dialogue\u2014Qu used purely symbolic imagery and physical movement to explore intimacy and emotional struggle.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s inspired by the Chinese notion of Yijing<\/em> (\u610f\u5883),\u201d he said. \u201cThat poetic atmosphere where meaning transcends words. I want to invite the audience to feel, not just to understand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Creative Influences and Cultural Legacy<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

    Qu\u2019s inspirations are as eclectic as they are expansive\u2014ranging from Akira Kurosawa<\/strong> and Wong Kar-wai<\/strong>, to Jean Cocteau<\/strong>, Puccini<\/strong>, and Ryuichi Sakamoto<\/strong>. Philosophically, he draws from Albert Camus<\/strong> and Karl Marx<\/strong>, two seemingly opposing thinkers whose ideas he fuses in his work.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cI\u2019m drawn to contradiction. My training in dialectical thinking taught me how to hold opposing truths\u2014to extract beauty from tension,\u201d he noted.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This attitude also informs his artistic identity as a Chinese artist working in a global context: \u201cIt\u2019s important to me to embed Chinese aesthetics into international works\u2014not to exoticize, but to universalize. My culture isn\u2019t a reference point; it\u2019s a root.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    What\u2019s Next? Stories Across Time and Space<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

    Looking ahead, Qu is developing a new cross-temporal trilogy centered around women navigating the act of departure. Characters will include:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n

      A young Tang Dynasty girl crossing boundaries of gender and class,<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      A 20th-century British woman confronting the societal expectations of marriage,<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      A contemporary Chinese migrant seeking identity across continents.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \u201cThese are not disconnected stories,\u201d Qu said. \u201cThey\u2019re mirrors of the same human impulse\u2014for freedom, for selfhood, for change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n

      Conclusion: A Director for a New Era<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

      Zhi Qu is not merely an emerging artist\u2014he is an architect of emotion, a philosopher of performance, and a cultural translator between worlds. In an industry too often segmented by genre or geography, he stands at the intersection\u2014unafraid to blur the lines between opera and dance, Chinese tradition and Western form, philosophical inquiry and theatrical impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

      As he continues to stage stories of longing, loss, and becoming, one thing is certain: Zhi Qu is a voice to watch\u2014and to listen to, even beyond words.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      (By: Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/span><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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