Joshua Wickerham

character study: Yin Zhusheng discovers his Russian roots

by Joshua Wickerham for that’s Shanghai, July 2006

With his turn-of-the-century Russian-style goatee, vest and patent leather shoes, Yin Zhusheng (尹铸胜）personifies the Method Actor. He wasn’t on stage when we met, but he was certainly in character. Chomping down on his pipe, he offered us a look of intense sincerity before explaining his acting philosophy. “For a few months, when your life is the play, you don’t have to worry about anything else.”

Not that this young Xi’an-born actor has much to worry about. Indeed, he’s directed and had leads in dozens of outstanding productions, including Twelfth Night and Tokyo Moon, and is one of Shanghai’s rising theatrical talents. At first glance, Yin’s physical appearance is hardly striking; he’s not tall, has a slight frame, and his features are rather too sharp. However, the man has presence. His deep, expressive voice and penetrating eyes reveal an uncommon understanding of human character.

His current production, Love Letters (情书), playing at the Shanghai Dramatic Art Center, is a Chinese adaptation of I Take Your Heart in Mine, an American play based on a collection of letters exchanged by Anton Chekhov and a famous young actress, Olga Knipper, who later became his wife. To get into character, he rented a single room and pasted it with what Chekhov had on his walls before his death.

It’s a one man show, which Yin carries with consummate ease. Indeed, his love of acting is readily apparent. “In movies,” he said, “there are places where you don’t have to act. For instance, when the director cuts to rain, it helps you understand the character, but on stage, you have to consider everything.”

One thing Yin doesn’t consider too important is money, or acting in more movies. He prefers the theater. “In acting circles, there are lots of people who want to make a lot of money. [But] you shouldn’t focus solely on money; you should also have your own professional goals.”

Yin’s goals are clear: to broaden his range of experience, and enter more fully into the characters he portrays. With his wonderfully convincing role as Chekhov, Yin has already entered the Russian soul. For the audience, more experiences of this nature are eagerly anticipated.