“Theater is the place to speak to the invisible world.”
Namoo is a Director and Writer from South Korea, specialising in intercultural and genre-crossing works, blending her dramaturgical training in Western texts with her East Asian diaspora perspective.
With her background in physical theatre, puppetry and musical theatre in three different continents, she enjoys combining her Korean ritualistic theatre traditions with Western texts and seeking various theatrical languages to tell a story. She is driven by the themes of cultural colonialism, body politics and liminality.
Her shows have been produced in the UK, USA, Japan and Korea and her script, ‘The Man who goes Transparent’, has been published by Doyo Arts Books.
Currently, she the artistic director of KASSNA KOLLEKTIV, an East Asian Female-led interdisciplinary art collective.
GRANTS AND AWARDS
Jan.-Dec. 2025 Headlong’s ORIGINS 5.0 Director
Mar. 2024 Short-listed for the Jette Parker Director’s Fellowship by Royal Opera House, London, UK
Feb. 2024 Short-listed for the Venice Bienale Fellowship by British Council, 2024
Jan. 2024 Finalist for New York Dramatist’s Guild Fellowship/ Book-writer and Lyricist, [Pokapola, PcDonald, and the Death of the Last Polar bear]
Mar., 2017 Artist in Residency for Catskill Artists Residency, New York / Book-writer and Lyricist, [Pokapola, PcDonald, and the Death of the Last Polar bear]
May, 2015 New Dramatists' Grant from the CJ Cultural Foundation in Seoul / Book-writer and Lyricist, [Asteroid B612]
Jun., 2014 Best Young Director's Award from Korean Shakespeare Awards / Director, [Der Mann, der noch keiner Frau Blöße Entdeckte]
Feb., 2013 Kulturmittler at Goethe Institute in Berlin / Korean Representative
Jan., 2013 New Playwrights' Grant from Korea Creative Contents Agency / Book-writer and Lyricist, [Asteroid B612]
Jul., 2012 Best New Musical Theater of the Year at Daegu International Musical Festival / Director and Librettist, [the Fountain]
Apr., 2012 Best Dramaturg's Award at Korean Shakespeare Awards / Adaptor and Translator, [Macbeth]
EDUCATION
MFA in Theatre Directing,
Birkbeck College, University of London, UK/ 2024
*Recipient of the School of Arts Bursary
MFA in Musical Theatre Writing
Tisch School of Arts, New York University, USA /2010
BA in Journalism
Korea University, Korea /2006
SKILLS
Directing songs and Musical Dramaturgy / read music and play piano
Movement direction with breathing technique/ Certified yoga instructor
Native in Korea, fluent in English, basic German, Spanish and Japanese
Lyric writing and verse translation(Eng-Kor)
Namoo is now….
16th March, 2025
Namoo is working on FIVE SHORTS at the Young Vic as one of the devisors. The show will be on the 28th of March to the limited invited audiences.
Namoo will be directing BOYFRIEND MATERIAL written by Martina Cohen at the Union Theatre for its Union Shorts#2.
Namoo will be directing K-JANGNYEO, a dance piece choreographed by Suyoung Park and produced by KASSNA KOLLEKTIV at the Union Theatre for its Itch That Scratch#2.