Meet Yuexing Sun | Theater & Performance Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yuexing Sun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yuexing, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” — David Bowie.

I love this quote from David Bowie because it reminds me of maintaining a sense of optimism and openness toward a future brimming with possibilities. As an artist who creates works in an age of instability and at the same time has to deal with the unsustainability of personal life, one can easily feel panic and helpless in facing this kind of uncertainty. However, David Bowie’s words offer an alternative perspective on how to embrace that uncertainty and transform it into something worth exploring—something filled with excitement. I absolutely adore it!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Hello! My name is Yuexing Sun, you can also call me Star, that’s basically the English translation of my first name. I’m a theater and performance maker shifting between roles of director, performer and designer. I create works that lift voice up the narratives that are sifted through larger social frameworks swayed or informed by history, identity and politics. Using technologies and movements that are unearthed from common life, I‘m always excited about building uncommon experiences around poetic physicality and multi-surfaced existence. Moreover, because of my cultural background- born from Inner Mongolia, spent my college and early career time in Beijing, had lived in Tokyo and now in New York City, I care about stories and topics that can be discussed cross-culturally, including gender violence, censorship, etc..

One of my current focuses is female identity. This includes the often-overlooked narratives of women, as well as engaging with broader societal issues such as abortion and domestic violence. Drawing upon my personal experiences as a woman, my intention is to use theater and performance as a tool to critically examine the constraints imposed upon women’s bodies and minds within the framework of a patriarchal culture and the possibility of provoking social change. Moreover, I hope to embody and further the essence of feminism on stage within the contemporary context. In addition to this, I also keep an open mind when it comes to exploring various forms and content within theater and performance, including documentary theater, physical theater, digital theater, and more. There’s just so much to dive into!

Some anecdotes about me… I used to work at Amazon and I hadn’t initially considered doing theater and performance as a career path. In fact, the thought, as well as the training of becoming a professional artist only started to shape during my grad school at Sarah Lawrence. So as you can imagine, the transition and learning curve were challenging, especially as I transformed a cherished “hobby” into something which my life depended upon. But it also provided me an invaluable opportunity to delve deeply into the kind of work I want to create and the type of artist I aspired to become. To emphasize, all of this wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support and encouragement of my family, my partner, my professors, my friends and collaborators. Having your loved ones and a nurturing community by your side is essential along the way!!

Lastly, I have to say that this profession requires lifelong learning, not only about the hard skills aka professional skills, but also the soft skills about your mind, like, never be shy! Actively reach out to people and share your works and ideas. Opportunities and valuable collaborators won’t come knocking on your door until you take the first step. And like, completing your work is often more crucial than achieving perfection. Don’t let the anxiety of pursuing flawlessness obstruct your creative journey.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Well, I guess we all have different tastes or places we found amazing personally, so here is my list just for reference!

To Coney Island for both a sunrise and a sunset, capturing the magic of the changing skies.

To the East Village, where the streets come alive with artists and their vibrant creations.

To the Whitney Museum for a mesmerizing exhibition of Edward Hopper’s masterpieces.

To Chinatown, of course, if your friend has a Chinese background! A place that feels like home yet subtly different in its own unique way.

And maybe take your friends on a tour to places that are not necessarily tourist spots but super meaningful to you! To me, if the weather permits, I will take my friend to venture into Central Park for a leisurely bike ride, a delightful picnic, or even a spirited game of Frisbee – perhaps all of the above. In the evening, we will first stop by a Gelato shop for a scoop of ice cream, and then head to the rooftop of an apartment I used to call home in the Upper West Side. The Manhattan skyline at night and the flood of nostalgia create an incomparable experience.

More importantly, I won’t let them miss out on the vibrant theater scene and captivating performances happening throughout the city during whenever that visit is!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

As I mentioned before, I couldn’t be more thankful to my friends, family and mentors who supported me along the way. Besides that, I’d like to give a big shoutout to a theater production titled “Popular Mechanics” (in Chinese, 《大众力学》) that I was a part of. It quite literally transformed my life. Back in 2018, I was working a full-time job in Amazon and only pursuing theater and performance as a side passion after work. Then, by a stroke of luck, I stumbled upon an open casting call for “Popular Mechanics” and decided to give it a shot. To my surprise, I was selected, and that marked the beginning of a beautiful journey.

I embarked on a tour with “Popular Mechanics” to various prestigious venues, including the Wuzhen Festival (the largest international theater festival in China), Beijing, Shanghai, and even Germany. With each performance and location, I found myself falling deeper in love with the world of theater. It became increasingly clear that I couldn’t let this passion slip away. So, I made a bold decision to resign from my full-time job, pursue higher education in theater, and fully commit myself to an industry I had come to adore.

And now, here I am, living the dream as a theater and performance artist. When I reflect on my journey, I’m profoundly grateful to “Popular Mechanics” and its director, Jianjun Li, for giving me such a precious opportunity to reconsider my life choices and muster the courage to chase the dream that had been hidden within me. The unforgettable experiences I gained through “Popular Mechanics” will continue to nourish my life as an artist for all time to come.

Instagram: star.starsun

Linkedin: Yuexing Sun

Facebook: Yuexing Sun

Other: Vimeo: Yuexing Star Sun

Image Credits
My photo: CR to Abigail Rhyne P1: CR to Dylan Thomas P2: CR to Yuan Oliver Jin P3: CR to Yejia Sun P4: CR to Caden Manson