“Theater is the place to speak to the invisible world.”
Namoo is a Director, Writer and Maker from South Korea, specialising in intercultural and genre-crossing works, blending her dramaturgical training in Western texts with her East Asian diaspora perspective. She is also the artistic director of KASSNA KOLLEKTIV, an East Asian Female-led interdisciplinary art collective.
With her background in physical theatre, puppetry and musical theatre in three different continent, she enjoys combining her Korean ritualistic theatre traditions with Western texts and seeking various theatrical languages to tell a story. Her works spans from musical theatres to text-heavy classics and devising works. She is driven by the themes of cultural colonialism and enjoys revealing the unknown stories or twist the traditional stories.
She was recognised with her unconventional styles, being introduced internationally as ‘the theater-maker of the next generation in Korea’ and her shows have been produced in the U.S., Japan and all over in Korea. Her script, ‘the Man who goes Transparent, has been published by Doyo Arts Books.
She holds MFA in Theatre Directing from Birkbeck University(London, 2024), MFA in Musical Theater Writing from New York University(New York, 2010) and BA in Journalism from Korea University(Seoul, 2006).
GRANTS AND AWARDS
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 2022 - 2024 *Recipient of the School of Arts Bursary
MFA in Musical Theatre Writing, Tisch School of Arts, New York University, USA 2008-2010
BA in Journalism, Korea University, Korea 2000-2006
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….
26th Jan. 2025
Namoo has joined Headlong’s Origins 5.0!
KASSNA KOLLEKTIV had its inaugural show, the ORIGIN OF GOOT on the 17th of January at BOLD Elephant! www.kassnas.com/calendar
Namoo has joined the New Writers' Group at the Criterion Theatre 2025!