Today we’d like to introduce you to I-Chen Wang.
I-Chen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was the kind of kid who had millions of questions about everything. Little did I know that would lead me to a career in theater. Then again, it felt natural to start by being curious about people in our society- how we move, express ourselves, and form relationships- to try to answer the questions of who we are, what we make, and why that matters. My training in theater is all about collecting and sharpening my tools to target the right question at each moment and respond to it as honestly as possible. And that’s the essence of what I’m doing now as a stage director and a projection/graphic designer.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As the first generation of Taiwanese born after martial law was lifted, I grew up learning lots of things from books and the internet while adults around me usually responded to my questions with why-do-you-need-to-know-that. I couldn’t possibly relate to their fear and the way of thinking they were accustomed to, just like they couldn’t understand my eagerness to know things that seemed to have nothing to do with making a living. And I had no idea how to make a living as a theater practitioner when I insisted on attending drama school as a teenager. The stress of not being able to support myself pushed me to learn how to work as a stagehand, lighting crew, and sound/projection operator – basically said yes to every gig my senior classmates kindly offered. I found myself enjoying this process of participating in different teams behind the scene and gradually gaining experience and confidence in being a freelancer. It’s a way of life that includes lots of traveling, working with different groups of people from time to time, and facing challenges to my common sense constantly. This lifestyle asks me to be more gentle and flexible when facing changes that could happen at any given moment.
At the end of the day, it’s all about answering the questions of how to balance what I want, what I need, and how to achieve this in a way that also makes me happy. Because that’s why I decided to live this way in the first place.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I work mainly as a stage director and projection designer these days.
My work as a director has everything to do with identity, as it’s the essence of every struggle every character is encountering – we see plays not only for the challenges presented but how the characters deal with them. And they wouldn’t be able to do so without knowing who they are and what they have. It took me a long way to understand what it means to be a queer person in a female body, born and raised on a small island that is still struggling to face its long history of being colonized by so many different cultural groups. And I make use of what I know when I’m directing in this country I’m living in. By targeting the central question and working with a team of artists to find our answers, my work on and off stage is a working process of unlearning toxic habits inherited from previous generations and empowering people to make their own choices based on what they have, know, and want.
When I’m working as a projection designer, the first thing I’d like to know is the logic of the world we’re building on the stage. I believe the role of the projections has a lot to do with whose story we’re looking at and how this world functions. I’ll work with the director and artists on the creative team on what story we’re trying to tell, from whose perspective, to whom, and then go from there.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I read a book called Dancing Bears written by Witold Szablowski a few years ago, and I think of it whenever I feel the fear of not knowing what to do next. It’s about the story of the rescued dancing bears that couldn’t stop dancing and people who miss the time under tyranny. As weird as this may sound, the struggle to figure out the next step on one’s own can be scarier than living under oppression. The thrill of trying new things will quickly fade away and leave one with overwhelming questions about whether all the work one has been doing all along is worth it. In those moments, I’d ask myself who I am, what I want, and what would make me happy over and over again. It could be excruciating for there’s no right answer to be found. Then again, that’s the only way for me to stay true to myself for that’s the only way for my work to remain honest.
I find checking in with myself whenever not sure what to do next very helpful. I’d also like to share a quote I love from Green Island written by Shawna Yang Ryan, “Now I understand there was something stronger than fate. Choice. It was ugly and lacked romance, and that was exactly what gave it its strength.”
Contact Info:
- Website: i-chenwang.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pugii_w/
Image Credits
201905 The Community: photography by Steven Pisano 202111 Isabel: photography by Nathaniel Johnston 202205 Dress In Code: photography by Nathaniel Johnston
