Son Ji-yoon

Son Ji-yoon, originally born as Son Su-jeong on February 18, 1983, in Seoul, attended an all-girls high school. Known for her talkative nature, her friends suggested that she enroll in the theater and film department to showcase her talents. Taking their advice, she prepared for about three months and successfully passed the entrance exam.[7]

During her time at university, Son watched her first play, "Our Town," and was captivated by the experience of being on stage, wearing old clothes and portraying someone else. From that moment on, she earnestly aspired to become an actress. Although she wasn't the most diligent student in college, often skipping classes, Son never missed any theater workshop sessions. She even dedicated her vacations to working on performances, spending most of her time in schools and theaters. It became clear to her that she wanted to pursue a career as a theater actress.[7]

After graduating, Son had the fortune of joining the Yeonwoo Theater Company.[note 2] after about a year. Within six months, she made her debut as a theater actress in the play Haemoo (Sea Fog) in 2007.[7][8]

In 2008, Son was cast as Louise Hamilton in the play Loving You, a Korean adaptation of the play Why Not Stay for Breakfast by playwright Ray Cooney and Gene Stone. Produced by Papa Productions, the Korean premiere took place at the Happy Theater in Daehangno from July 11 to August 31. Son had the opportunity to work with director Lee Hyun-gyu in her first leading role, starring alongside senior actor Hong Sung-duk.[9]

In 2009, Son joined the cast of "Gil Sambongdeum" as Maeng-hwa. It was a work by writer Kim Min-jung and director Ahn Kyung-mo, who had previously collaborated on the play "Haemu" in 2007. The play was produced by Yeonwoo Theater Company and Namsan Arts Center as part of the Namsan Arts Center 2009 Season Program Contents.

Towards the end of 2009, Son co-starred alongside Min Jun-ho in the romantic comedy play "A Dramatic Night." She portrayed the character Si-hoo, while Min Jun-ho played Jeong-hoon. Both actors skillfully depicted the subtle psychological changes between men and women through a one-night stand. This performance, presented by Yeonwoo Theater Company, was written by Hwang Yun-jeong, a young writer in her twenties. It was selected as a work for the 2009 New Year's Literary Arts Festival and received favorable reviews for its delightful love story. The play was directed by Lee Jae-jun, who had garnered attention at the 2007 Miryang Summer Performing Arts Festival Young Director's Home Awards, winning both Best Director and Best Picture. "A Dramatic Night" premiered at Yeonwoo Theater in Daehangno from December 16, 2009, to January 17, 2010.[10]

In 2010, Son auditioned for the play Rooftop House Cat, which was an adaptation of a web novel that had already been adapted into a hit drama series on MBC with the same title. She was triple-cast as the female lead Nam Jeong-eun, alongside actress Hwang Bo-ra and Kim Yeo-jin, in the first season of the performance. The play was directed by Kim Tae-hyung, and actor Sung Tae-joon played opposite Son, portraying the character Lee Kyung-Min.[11][12] In the same year, Son reunited with Sung Tae-joon in the encore performance of the play A Dramatic Night (2010). Sung was double-cast with Min Jun-ho from the premiere performance as Jeong-hoon. Son reprised her role as Si-hoo and shared the role with actress Yoon Jeong-sun.

In 2011, Son collaborated once again with Min Jun-ho in a play where he served as the director. The play, titled If With You (2011), written by Japanese playwright Koki Mitani, is part of the Best Plays' Repertoire.[note 3] Son played the supporting role of Koiso Fujimi, the youngest sister of the Koiso family. The play If With You is a comedy play that revolves around the love story between a 70-year-old gentleman and a 28-year-old lady. The unpredictable and absurd episodes unfold through the lies that entangle the characters in the play. This performance had an encore run in Gangnam following its initial presentation in Daehangno.

In 2012, Son made her debut as a musical actress in the supporting role in the musical Rude Miss Young-ae. This creative musical was released by CJ E&M after two years of preparation, based on the tvN longest season drama Rude Miss Young-ae. It also served as the final work of the late playwright Ahn Hyeon-jeong. Son reprised her role in two comeback performances in 2013.

In 2014, Son and actress Cha Su-yeon took turns playing the role of Hyo-jin in the musical Two Weddings and a Funeral, adaptation of the film with the same name, which received the Atreon Award for Feature Film at the 12th Seoul International Women's Film Festival. It told the story of Hyo-jin, a lesbian who enters into a marriage of convenience with Min-soo in order to adopt a child. The roles of Min-soo, a homosexual general hospital doctor, were portrayed by Jung Dong-hwa and Park Seong-hoon. Playwright Cho Min-ju transformed the story into a musical drama, which was directed by Kim Tae-hyung.[13]

Son met Min Jun-ho, as fellow actor in Yeonwoo Stage. They acted together as costar in play Dramatic Night (2009) and Dramatic Night (2010). Beside being an actor Min Jun-ho is a playwright and theater director who established his own theater company, Theater Ganda. Few years later Son joined few projects by Theater Ganda. In 2013, Son joined debut performance of play Me and Grandpa, written by Min Jun-ho. The play successfully completed a reading performance at the Namsan Drama Festival on February 21, 2013, and received favorable reviews from the audience and critics. Son shared the role of Jun-hee's grandmother with actress Jeong Seon-ah who participated in the last reading performance with Jin Seon-gyu(grandfather), Oh Eui-sik (Jun-hee), and Lee Seok (writer). New casts for debut performance were Oh Yong-lee (grandfather), Hong Woo-jin (Jun-hee), and Yang Kyung-won (writer). It was performed from July 11 to August 4 at Daehangno Information Center.[14]

In the end of the same year, Son was invited as one of representative actress of Daehak-ro, in project 'Ganda GO', the 10th anniversary parade of the theater company 'Ganda Performance Delivery Service'. First work was play Almost Maine by John Cariani.[15] Following the play Almost Maine, the play Me and Grandpa was selected as the second work of 'Ganda GO'. It was performed from February 7, 2014, at Art One Theater 3, Daehak-ro, Dongsung-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Son, who was loved by many audiences in the debut performance by digesting the lines naturally, was become a vital force in the play by going back and forth between the grandmother and multi roles.[16]

In 2013, Son collaborated once again with Director Kim Tae-hyun in play The Age of Love (2013), which was an adaptation of Hisashi Nozawa's best-selling Japanese novel. She shared the leading female role of Haru, a sports center instructor, with actresses Hwang In-young and Shim Eun-jin.

In 2014, Son had her first collaboration with the Noname Theater Company[note 4] for the Korean premiere of Fight of Cocks written by a young British playwright Mike Bartlett. The play explores the weighty subject of "subjectivity and choice" through the character of John, who must make a decision between a man and a woman due to gender identity confusion. The play garnered attention during its UK premiere in 2009 for its cast, including Ben Whishaw. It won the Lawrence Olivier Award in 2010, and was performed off-Broadway in New York in 2012. In the Korean production, actor Park Eun-seok was cast as John and Son Ji-yoon appeared as W, John's new lover of the opposite sex. The other cast members included Kim Jun-won and Seon Jong-nam. The play ran at Doosan Art Center Space 111 in Seoul from July 11 to August 3, 2014, and received a warm response.[18]

She once again collaborated with the NoName Theater Company for their sixth production, the Korean premiere of the play Metamorphoses (2015). The work was reconstructed by the renowned American playwright Mary Zimmerman, based on the epic poem "Metamorphoses" by the ancient Roman poet Ovid, which delves into Greek and Roman mythology. The play received major accolades such as the Tony Awards and the Drama Desk Awards in 2022. Directed by Byun Jeong-Ju, the Korean adaptation premiered at the Little Theater of the Seoul Arts Center.

In 2016, Son reunited with Director Kim Tae-hyun for the Korean premiere of the play Gloria, the work of the playwright Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins. The play had been nominated for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize and was co-produced by the Noname Theater Company and Dosan Art Center. Son portrayed the female lead, Kendra, opposite actor Won Won-jo as Rorin. The other cast members included Oh Jung-taek as Miles and Gong Ji-ji as Annie. Son's portrayal of Gloria earned her a nomination for Best Theater Actress at the 2016 SACA award.[19]

In 2016, Son joined The 6th Best Plays Festival.[note 3] She was double cast with actress Lee Jin-hee in the role of Lily, a patient with echolalia in Asian Premiere of play Toc Toc.[20] Derived from the English expression of OCD (Troubles Obsessionnels Compulsifs, TOC), Toc Toc is a riotous comedy about obsessive-compulsive patients. The play was written by Laurent Baffie, a famous French writer, actor, and TV show host.[21]

In 2017, Son reprised her role as W in the encore performance of Fight of Cocks alongside fellow actor Seon Jong-nam, who played F in the original premiere. Lee Myung-haeng and Lee Tae-goo joined the production as new cast members.[22] During the same year, Son also returned for the reenactment of Gloria in 2017, which was performed at Art One Theater 3 from July 14 to August 13.[23]

In 2018, Lee participated in The 7th Best Play Festival. She acted in the adaptation of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. The play is based on Jonas Jonasson's bestselling Swedish novel with the same name, which has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since its release in 2009. Son challenged herself of portraying multiple characters. The ensemble also included Lee Jin-hee, Seo Hyeon-cheol, Oh Yong, Jang Yi-joo, Yang So-min, Kim Do-bin, Ju Min-jin, Kwon Dong-ho, and Lee Hyung-hoon.[24][25] The play involved "character juggling" as five actors onstage seamlessly transformed into various roles, including the centenarian protagonist Alan and the individuals he encounters. Son portrayed characters such as elephant, a gang boss, a director, a guard, also 'Allan 3'. This production marked the first time Son and Lee Jin-hee shared a stage. In their previous projects together, They usually engaged in double casting, alternating their appearances in the play.[26][27]

In 2018, Son participated in the 4th encore performance of Capone Trilogy at the Hongik University Daehak-ro Art Center. She shared the role of Lady with actress Kim Ji-hyun and Choi Yu-ha. The other cast members included Lee Seok-jun, Kim Jong-tae, and Kim Joo-hyun, who played the role of Oldman. The role of Young-man was shared by Kim Do-bin, Kang Jung-woo, and Yoon Na-mu.[28] Capone Trilogy is based on the original work of Jamie Wilkes, a writer who has gained popularity in British literature through works like Bunker Trilogy and Frontier Trilogy.[8]

In 2019, Son shared the role of Sylvia with actress Shin Jeong-won in the 4th Korean encore performance of the play "The Pride." Directed by Kim Dong-yeon, the play explores the experiences of social underprivileged groups, particularly sexual minorities, spanning different eras from 1958 to the present. The production took place at Art One Theater 2 in Daehangno from May 25 to August 25.[29][30] The Pride is the debut work of Greek-British author Alexi Kaye Campbell, which premiered in 2008 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs and received critical acclaim. The South Korean adaptation, written by Ji Yi-seon and translated by Kim Soo-bin, premiered at The 5th Best Plays Festival at Art One Theater in 2014.[31]

In 2020, Son Ji-yoon portrayed the dual roles of Daisy and Claire in "Wife," a play by British playwright Samuel Adamson. The production, presented by the Seoul Metropolitan Theater Company, featured a talented ensemble cast including Lee Joo-young, Oh Yong, Baek Seok-gwang, Jung-hwan, Woo Beom-jin, and Song Gwang-il. Directed by Shin Yoo-chung, the play explores the growth of women and evolving perspectives on sexual minorities. It begins in the last scene of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" and spans four eras from 1959 to 2042. The encore performance of "Wife" was staged at the S Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from July 30 to August 2, 2020.[32][33] Son reprised the role from August 8 to 23 at Daehakro Arts Theater Grand Theater.[34]

In 2021, Son and Woo Jung-won were double-cast in the role of C in the play The Dressing Room (Gakuya). C, who portrays the character Nina, which is a character who constantly memorizes lines in the dressing room and maintains a state of tension. The play is a renowned work by Kunio Shimizu, a famous Japanese playwright who died in April of that year.[28]

In May 2022, it was announced that Son would be joining the third production of The 9th Best Plays Festival.[note 3] The play is titled Touching the Void by David Greig. and is based on the true story of the survival of two British mountain climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. Son was double casts with actress Lee Jin-hee for role Sara, Joe Simpson's sister. The Korean premiere was directed by Kim Dong-yeon, one of the most notable directors in the Korean performance industry. It was performed at Art One Theater 2 in Daehangno from July 8 to September 9, 2022.[36]

In the play Orphans, Son was cast in the role of Treat, alongside Choi Yu-ha, Park Jeong-bok, and Choi Seok-jin.[37] The play, written by Lyle Kessler and premiered in Los Angeles in 1983, received rave reviews and sold-out shows after its Korean premiere in 2017 and encore in 2019. "Orphans" also won the Stagetalk Audience Choice Awards (SACA) in 2017 and 2019. The play opened on November 29, 2022, and welcomed the audience at Art One Theatre 1 in Daehak-ro until February 26 next year.[38]