A Journey to the west
NYU gala 2025
The Historic Apollo Theater, NY
May 3, 2025
Production Photos Credit: @Jenny
A Journey to the west
Chief Director & Artistic Planner
A Journey to the west is an original variety show inspired by the classic chinese novel “Journey to The West(西遊記),” reimagined through the lens of a Chinese student’s self-exploring experience in new york. Organized by NYU Chinese Students and Scholars associations (NYU CSSA) and also known as NYU GALA 2025, this production discovers how tradition and modernity coexist in the experiences of international students and immigrants overseas.
The show Innovatively integrates five forms of performance: drama, dance, music, multimedia animation, and short film. Performers includes NYU students, Steinway Artists, and Award-winning dancers, etc. Many segments were performed bilingually and addressed contemporary themes such as cultural shock, diversity within New York’s global communities, and the adaptation of traditional art forms to modern social contexts.
INSPIRED BY THE CLASSICAL CHINESE NOVEL “JOURNEY TO THE WEST(西遊記)”
CREATIVE & WRITTEN BY YIWEI LU, XUELAI HAN, AND ZHI QU
A PRODUCTION OF NYU GALA 2025
CHIEF DIRECTOR: ZHI QU
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: YIWEI LU
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: XUELAI HAN
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: JC, ANGELINA LIM, YANNIS NING, VICKY WEN, SOPHIA ZHAO
MUSIC/AUDIO DIRECTOR: MULANG ZHU
DANCE DIRECTOR: SHUQI CONG
ANIMATION DIRECTOR: RUBY LIU
FILM DIRECTOR: LEO ZHANG, BELLA LI
THEATRE DIRECTOR: YIWEI LU, YANNIS NING
LIGHTING DESIGN: JIAHAO (NEIL) QIU
COSTUME DESIGN: CHRISTINA ZHANG
PROP MASTER: ZHI QU
PROJECTION DESIGN: JIAWEN WANG
COMPOSER: MUYAO LIANG, RACHEL FANG
SOUND DESIGN: SILVAN TANG, CHENGYU DENG
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER: JC
DECK STAGE MANAGER: YANNIS NING
STAGE MANAGER: MADISON SYNDER, SAMANTHA XIE, SANDY FANG
PRODUCERS: IVY JIN, YIHAO SHEN, CICI WU
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: SEAN SHU
PRODUCTION MANAGER: JC
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: CHRISTY PANG
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: DAISY DAI,DIAN CHEN, LEO ZHANG, FRADA YANG
PUBLICITY MANAGER: JANE WU
LITERARTY CONSULTANT: XUELAI HAN
PROGRAM ASSISTANT: ANGELINA LIM, AURORA CHEN, SCARLETT ZHANG
EXTERNAL LIAISON: YIFAN DONG, YUWEI JIN
PRESS: 纽大留学生打造沉浸式“西游”文艺盛典—NYU GALA 2025在阿波罗剧院圆满落幕。
Immersive “A Journey to the West” cultural gala by NYU international students — NYUGALA2025 triumphantly concludes at the Apollo Theater.
Published by China.com, Sohu.com, Tencent News, iFeng.com…
PRESS: 纽大留学生办年度文艺演出 精彩节目诠释“西游”。
NYU international students stage annual cultural showcase, brilliantly interpreting “A Journey to The West” through captivating performances.
Published by Qiaobaous.com