Yi Sang-woo (; born 10 October 1951) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and actor. He earned his degree in the Department of Aesthetics at Seoul National University. In 1977, he played a key role in establishing the Yeonwoo Stage theater company and founded the Chaimu Theater Company in 1995. He served as CEO of Chaimu until 2002, when he was succeeded by Min Bok-ki. Yi is also an associate professor in the Directing Department at the Korea National University of Arts, where he previously served as director until his retirement in 2018.
Since 1978, Yi has directed a wide range of plays, including The Sculptor and the Detective, Unification Express, The Tale of a Thief, Pig Hunt, No Words, The Tale of Tail Cotton, Mae of Cape Jangsan, Chilsu and Mansu and Balsam Flower Water. He also worked on adaptations such as Changes, Korea Fantasy and There, as well as directed translations of plays like The Pitmen Painters, Almost, Maine, Love, Love, Love and The Cosmonaut's Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union. In addition to his theater work, he has written screenplays and directed films, including A Little Pond.
Career Theater troupe Yeonwoo In 1977, three alumni of the Seoul National University theater club, Yi (class of '70), Jung Han-ryong (class of '64) and Kim Kwang-rim (class of '71), worked together at the same company, OriCom after graduation. They decided to establish a theater company together and named it "Yeonwoo" (演友), which signifies "friends who love theater". The parents of the four founders were from Hamgyeong Province. Later, dental surgeon Oh Jong-woo, Lee Young-hoon, the director of the Gyeongju National Museum and Cho Woo-hyun, a professor at Inha University, joined the group. They were also alumni of the Seoul National University theater club.-
In 1978, he made his directorial debut with the play The Sculptor and the Detective. He has directed a wide range of plays, including The Tale of a Thief, Mae of Cape Jangsan, Chilsu and Mansu and Balsam Flower Water.
In 1987, he directed the play Chilsu and Mansu. He won a Directing Award from The 23rd Dong-A Theater Awards and the 23rd Baeksang Arts Awards.-
Theater troupe Chaimu In 1995, the Chaimu theater group was founded by Yi with founding members including Kim Gwang-rim, Kim Seok-man and Jung Han-ryong. The group includes notable actors such as Moon Sung-keun, Yoo Oh-sung and Song Kang-ho. The troupe's name, "Chaimu", means "dimensional movement stage".
Their inaugural production, Playland, was held from September 8 to October 8 at Hakjeon Blue Theater. It is based on Adol Hugard's altered worldview, aiming to resolve racial tensions between black and white races and to heal the shattered human soul through genuine confessions between the two. Moon Sung-keun, who had been mostly active in movies and TV, took the role of Gide and returned to the theater stage after three years. Ryu Tae-ho, a young theater actor concurrently filming the movie Porn Man, portrayed the character Marty.
The group's members include actors such as Kang Shin-il, Lee Dae-yeon, Lee Sung-min, Choi Duk-moon and Jeon Hye-jin, who have worked across film, television and theater. The group is known for producing stage adaptations based on realistic themes and has built an extensive repertoire through its theatrical production.
The five representative works of Chaimu exemplify its distinctive features. Some of these works have been performed for 25 years since their premiere, yet they continue to resonate with audiences through their diverse narratives.
Film Director debut In 2009, Yi Sang-woo's first film as director, A Little Pond, was released. It is a historical film that exposes the massacre of civilians in Nogeun-ri during the Korean War, when American soldiers killed South Koreans who were seeking refuge. Yi Sang-woo initially planned the project as a documentary but later changed it into a feature film due to insufficient investment. The film was completed after an extensive production period of eight years, including four years of on-site research. Its most significant achievement lies in its realistic portrayal of the long-suppressed Nogeun-ri incident.
Unlike typical war films, A Little Pond treats all characters as main characters without a specific protagonist. Notably, theater actors such as Moon Seong-geun, Kang Shin-il, Lee Dae-yeon and Park Gwang-jeong participated in the film out of their commitment to its significance, appearing without any guarantee. It received high praise for its authentic depiction of a hidden historical event, but it also faced criticism for its perceived lack of cinematic quality.
Filmography Film + Film credit Year Title Credited as English Korean Scriptwriter Director1988Chil-su and Man-su칠수와 만수Yi Sang-woo Park Kwang-soo 1994Out to the World세상 밖으로Yeo Kyun-Dong1995Sunset Into the Neon Lights네온 속으로 노을지다Lee Hyun-seung 1998Film-making죽이는 이야기 Yeo Kyun-Dong 2000 La Belle 미인2010 A Little Pond Yi Sang-woo
Theater Musical and Opera +Musical works of YiYearTitleCredited asEnglishKorean Translation Adaptation Playwright Director1979 Opera: Marriage 결혼 rowspan="2" rowspan="2" Yi Sang-woo Yi Sang-woo1995 Musical: "I Will Become a Star," 뮤지컬 '스타가 될꺼야'
Theater +Theater works of YiYearTitleCredited asEnglishKorean Translation Adaptation Playwright Director 1978The Sculptor and the Detective조각가와 탐정 Oh Jong-woo Yi Sang-woo 1979 Our Afterlife 우리들의 저승 Kim Kwang-rim 1980 Ma at Jangsan Pass 장산곶 매 Yi Sang-woo 1981 Children of Darkness 어둠의 자식들 1986 Chilsu and Mansu 칠수와 만수 Yi Sang-woo, Oh Jong-Woo 1989The Story of an Old Thief늙은 도둑 이야기 Yi Sang-woo1990Bosunga Flower Water봉숭이 꽃물 Yi Sang-woo 1992 Cooney Country - Wonderland 쿠니 나라 - 이상한 나라 Bertolt Brecht1994 April 9 4월9일 Yi Sang-woo 1994 Apartment's Leucistrate - Let's unify men and women 아파트의 류씨스트라테 - 남녀통일합시다 Yi Sang-Woo Aristophanes1995 Playland 플레이랜드 Athol Fugard1996 The Dwarf Shoots a Small Ball 난장이가 쏘아올린 작은 공 Yi Sang-woo Jo Se-hee 1996 Be Unspoken 비언소 Yi Sang-woo Yi Sang-woo, Park Gwang-jeong 1997 Peace 평화 씨 Yi Sang-Woo Aristophanes Yi Sang-woo1997Fish Man물고기 남자 Lee Kang-baek 1998Moral thief Yi Sang-Woo1999Unification Express통일 익스프레스 Oh Tae-young 2000 Korea Fantasy 마르고 닳도록 Lee Kang-baek 2003Pig Hunting돼지 사냥Yi Sang-wooMin Bok-ki 2007 Change 변 Hwang Ji-woo, Yi Sang-woo Yi Sang-woo 2010 The Pitmen Painters 광부화가들 Yi Sang-Woo Lee Hall2010–2011 Almost, Maine 올모스트 메인 John Cariani 2013 Love, Love, Love 러브 러브 러브 Mike Bartlett 2014The Cosmonaut's Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union한때 사랑했던 여자에게 보내는 구소련 우주비행사의 마지막 메시지 David Greig2016 Twenty Twenty Chaimu - Tail Cotton Story 스물스물 차이무 - 꼬리솜 이야기 Yi Sang-Woo That place - 2016 Series theatre full (滿員) - Seongnam 거기-2016 시리즈 연극 만원(滿員) - 성남 Seong Su-jeong Yi Sang-woo Conor McPherson
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultRef198723rd Dong-A Theatre AwardsBest DirectorChilsu and Mansu 23rd Baeksang Arts AwardsBest Director — Theater 1995The 1st Korea Musical AwardsPlay of the Year AwardI Will Become a Star 1998Korea Theater Association Award Best Director — TheaterMoral Thief 1999Korean Theater Association Play of the Year AwardUnification Express2000Korean Theater Association AwardBest DirectorKorea Fantasy 20023rd Kim Sang-ryeol Theater AwardTheater AwardYi Sang-Woo Korea Theater Critics AssociationPlay of the Year AwardThere Korean Theater Association AwardPlay of the Year Award
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