We recently had the chance to connect with Zhang Yu and have shared our conversation below.
Zhang Yu, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Who are you learning from right now?
These days, I find myself most inspired by people who are very different from me. It’s their unfamiliar experiences, their unexpected ways of seeing and thinking, that expand the edges of how I understand the world. I’m always moved by those quiet moments of realization— “oh, so this is another way to understand.”
Maybe that’s why I love theater so deeply. Every production is its own little universe, a space where I can step into a life that isn’t mine and experience a completely different rhythm of thought, feeling, and being. And each time I finish a project, I feel like I understand the world just a little bit more.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Zhang Yu, and I’m a costume and scenic designer for the theater. If I had to describe my work in one line, I’d say this: I make illusions. I build beautiful lies—shaping what isn’t real into something that feels emotionally true. On stage, everything is artifice. And yet, these illusions aren’t meant to deceive, but to evoke emotional resonance and artistic truth.
The ultimate goal of stage design is to create a fictional world that feels utterly believable. The lights dim, the noise fades, and the audience steps into a dream—a world completely unlike the one outside. My role is to provide the visual cues and emotional entry points for that dream to unfold, so that, almost without noticing, they find themselves entangled in the lives and stories playing out before them onstage.
That’s the magic of theater—and the heart of what I do.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
For me, the people who’ve taught me the most about this work are the ones I collaborate with every day—directors, actors, fellow designers, and technicians. We’re all working toward the same production, but each person brings a unique perspective, set of needs, and way of thinking. That kind of exchange—and sometimes creative friction—isn’t just valuable; it’s essential to what I do.
Among them, directors have shaped me the most. Their vision becomes the compass—guiding how I read a story, how I design not just with beauty, but with meaning. I’ve come to believe that a mature theater designer must be able to think like a director—to look beyond their craft and understand how it fits into the story’s bigger emotional and narrative arc.
Take my design for the opera “Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera” as an example. I used costumes and small details to sketch out each character’s social background and psychological state. Taken together, these characters formed a humorous group portrait—one that captured the complexity of human nature. The goal of costume design is to understand the characters and to help tell their story. That’s what gives a design depth—and warmth.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has a way of shaping you. It might sound like a cliché, but for me, it built a quiet kind of resilience. When I look back on the hardest moments, I see myself becoming stronger, steadier, and more hopeful.
Growth doesn’t happen all at once. It takes root in solitude, in failure, in the silence between applause. It’s the persistence to keep going, even when no one’s watching.
In theater, rejection, uncertainty, and stillness are part of the rhythm. But it’s in those quiet seasons that I learned to return my focus to the work itself—rather than chasing “success” or the need to “win.” And when success does come, it carries more weight—and becomes something truly worth cherishing and celebrating.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
A common myth in this industry is that theater belongs to a few elites—that only the most naturally gifted can truly make it. I think, in reality, that’s quite misleading.
Of course, the people who truly stand out in this field are incredibly talented. But as many of the mentors I deeply respect have told me, the ones who actually stay in this industry and build meaningful careers aren’t always the ones who shine the brightest at the start. They’re the ones who keep showing up—with consistency, with care, and with a steady passion for the work itself. They’re the ones who keep going through setbacks, when no one is offering recognition, and who don’t give up in the face of rejection or uncertainty.
At the end of the day, talent is common. What matters more is perseverance. This isn’t a lightning sprint won by brilliance—it’s a marathon run on persistence.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
Yes, my work truly brings me joy and excitement. I can’t imagine doing something that doesn’t stir the heart or offer a sense of meaning.
Whenever a new idea sparks in my mind, I feel it in my whole body—my heart races, my breath deepens. It’s like something catches fire inside me, and I can’t wait to sketch it out, to build it, to turn that vision into something real.
There are so many nights when I work straight through until late, not out of pressure or deadline anxiety, but simply because I’m immersed—I don’t want to stop. What keeps me going isn’t the push of obligation, but the pull of joy. That spark leads me into deep focus, into a flow that feels both grounding and euphoric. It gives me real drive, and the happiness of creation that fuels everything I do.
It’s that love for the process that keeps me refining, rethinking, growing—and becoming better, bit by bit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.zhangyudesigns.com
- Instagram: @zhangyudesigns
- Facebook: zhangyudesigns
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