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

Hi Vick, why did you pursue a creative career?
What drove me to pursue an artistic career in theatre is my belief that theatre possesses a unique power in creating social discourse without confrontation. To me, theatre is a medium that highlights empathy and critical engagement. When you see a story unfold on stage, performed by actors at arm’s length, breathing the same air as you, it is hard not to feel what they feel. We set aside our differences in a theater, and through sheer understanding, we can be transported to a world different from ours for the duration of the performance and learn something that we can bring back to the world we live in now.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am interested in creating arts that up-lift and take care of each other. Whether that is my collaborators and other artists, or the audiences and communities. I believe that theatre can be a communal space not only for us to voice grievances, but also a place for us to look for solutions to the social issues we are experiencing today.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my friend is visiting NY for a day, I would recommend grabbing a cup of soy milk and Youtiao (Chinese Donuts) at Win Son bakery in Brooklyn, then making a track down to Dumbo for some Vintage shopping at Crowley Vintage to hear the stories these old clothes have to tell. Hopping on the train and getting off around Lincoln Center Performance Art Library for their digital archive collection, which might just have every show you want to see on tape. I would close off my day in the Lower East Side for a show at LaMaMa or the Public to see some downtown theatre that is pushing for social conversations.

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?
I want to shout out to my peers who share the aspirations of making an impact through theatre. My collaborators Beth Slade, Esmé Maria Ng, and Mercedes Riegé, for paving the path with me. My theatre producer family “Top 9” for being a sounding board for what I do. My friends like Joe Hetterly, Eva Wang, and Kenjiro Lee for imagining what theatre could be in the future together. My mentors like Steven Chaikelson, Tory Bailey, Jennifer Friedland, and Erica Rotstein have shown me the world of theatre and given me a safe space to try.

Website: https://www.vickliu-theatre.com/

Instagram: liuboyu_vick

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickboyuliu/

Image Credits
First Photo, horizontal, orange background Photo Credit: Toby Richkind Second Photo, Vertical, In Action Photo Credit: Victoria Provost

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