Min Sae-rom (; born in 1974 in Seoul), is a South Korean actor, playwright, theater director, and lighting designer. He is also a professor at the School of Performing Arts at Chungkang College of Cultural Industries. For his contributions to the theater industry, Min received the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award in 2017 and the Young Artist Award in Theater in 2025.
In 2005, Min won the Silver Prize and the Best Director Award at the National University Theater Festival for his play, Lovers in the Subway. He officially debuted as theater director in 2009 with the premiere of his play, Frontline Human, at the Seoul Fringe Festival. That same year, he established the Cheongnyeondan Theater Company.
Early life and education Min Sae-rom studied Business Administration and Sociology at Sogang University. He began his theatrical career as an actor in the university's theater club. He has stated that in the university club, it was customary for upperclassmen to handle the technical and production roles, while underclassmen took on the acting parts. After his mandatory military service, he found that many of the senior students had left, which led him to take on various staff responsibilities, including directing. This experience sparked his passion for the technical side of theater.
In 2005, Min won the Directing Award at the 27th National University Theatre Festival. His production, Lovers in the Subway, also won the Silver Prize. The festival is a national event for non-theater majors, inviting theater clubs from eight universities, supported by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development. Min credited the win to his team, saying, "I think the winning factor was the excellent theatrical elements captured by the stage, sound, and lighting staff in a highly flexible script."
Career
As playwright and director In 2009, Min established the Cheongnyeondan Theater Company and premiered his play, Frontline Human, which he also wrote and directed, at the Seoul Fringe Festival. The play was later performed at the Ansan Arts Center as part of its Open Space Project, and in 2010, it was staged at Sogang University's Mary Hall after being selected for the Sogang University Mary Hall Creative Support Project. In 2011, it was performed at the Gwacheon Cultural Center as part of the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation Regional Culture and Arts Activity Support Project. Other early productions include the reading workshop for Which Star Are You From? (2010), the play Elephant at Sanullim Small Theater (2011), and Lovers in the Subway at the Ansan Arts Center (2011).
In 2012, Min and the Cheongnyeondan Theater Company participated in the "Gap@Hyehwa-dong 1-beonji" project. This initiative by the Hyehwadong1beonji Theater Lab, a notable hub for experimental theater, was designed to support emerging directors by providing them with opportunities and resources for stage adaptation and production development. As the project's first performance, Min directed the play Elephant, an adaptation of a short story by Raymond Carver, which ran from August 9 to 19, 2012.
Min also actively worked as a lighting designer for numerous productions, including the Seoul Performing Arts Festival's History of Madness and Choi Yong-hoon's How to Enjoy Home-Cooked Meal. He likes to explore the diversity and expansive potential of stage language.
In 2013, Min directed the play Without a Missing Word, which ran from November 10 to 12 at the Daehangno Arts Theater Small Theater. The play, written by Heo Jin-won, is about a man and a woman who spend a night together by chance. It was part of the "Spring Writer, Winter Stage" series, a program showcasing new works by writers selected in the New Year's Literary Contest, held by the Korea Performing Arts Center.
In 2014, Min directed the play The Grave Has Changed!, which was performed at the Seondol Theater from December 5–14. Written by playwright Lee Mi-kyung, winner of the 2012 Dong-A Theater Award, the production was selected for the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture's Arts Creation Support Program. The play is a humorous and lyrical story about a family collecting inheritance coupons and an elderly man preparing for his death, all set against the backdrop of a company that offers post-mortem services for busy modern people. The cast included Park Sang-jong, Cho Joo-hyun, Choi Jeong-hwa, and Na Jong-min.
Other venture Min Sae-rom serves as a professor of playwriting at the School of Performing Arts at Chungkang College of Cultural Industries. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Maeuldam Theater Cooperative.
Theater
Musical +Musical play performance(s)YearTitleRoleTheaterDateEnglishKorean2024Thougtful Theater TrancendenceDirectorYong Theater in the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-guSeptember 7 to 82025 Thougtful Theater Sa-yU October 31 to November 2
Theater play +Theater play performance(s)YearTitleRoleTheaterDateEnglishKorean 2009 Frontline Human DirectorPlaywright Seoul Fringe Festival August 2010 Which Star Are You From? Director Hyehwa-dong Mudis Hall Frontline Human DirectorPlaywright Sogang University Mary Hall July 2010 Frontline Human Ansan Arts Center July 2010 2011 Frontline Human Gwacheon Citizens' Hall Small Theater November 2011 Lovers in the Subway Director Ansan Arts Center September 16–18, 2011 20132013 Spring Writer, Winter Stage - Without EmbellishmentsDirectorDaehakro Arts Theater Small TheaterNovember 10 – 122014The Grave Has ChangedDirectorDaehakro Sundol TheaterDecember 5 – 142015Three Men in a BathhouseLighting DesignHyehwadang Small TheaterJune 9 – 142017The Fairy KingDirectorProject Box CyaFebruary 17 – 19ManseonLighting DesignSuncheon Culture and Arts CenterDecember 14 – 15The Fairy KingDirector, ScriptProject Box CyaDecember 27 – January 6, 20182018My EleninDirectorYeonwoo Small TheaterMarch 22 – 259th National and Public Theater Festival Gyeongju - Jungang-dong 124Lighting DesignGyeongju Arts Center Small Performance HallJuly 15Distant NeighborDirectorMiarigogae Arts TheaterAugust 16 – 19ChristiansDirectorDaehakro Arts Theater Small TheaterSeptember 27 – October 72019 2019 Sero Reading Festival Director Seochon Gonggansero May 16 – June 23 AlmondDirectorSejong Center for the Performing Arts S TheaterSeptember 19 – 25Mend the LivingDirectorWooran Foundation Hall 2December 13 – 212020Le FilsDirectorYes24 Art One 2September 15 – November 222021 Almond Director Goyang Aram Nuri Theater May 15 – 30 Mend the LivingDirectorNational Jeongdong TheaterJune 1 – 272022 Almond Director Goyang Aram Nuri Theater May 6 – 28 Mend the LivingDirectorLee Hae-rang Arts TheaterJuly 26 – September 42022On the BeatDirectorDaehakro TOM 2November 21 – January 1, 20232023A Tree on the HillDirectorLG Arts Center Seoul U+ StageJune 20 – August 122024Mend the LivingDirectorNational Jeongdong TheaterJan 20 – Mar 20JellyfishDirectorModu Arts TheaterMay 22 to 28, 20242025The EffectDirectorNOL Seogyeong Square Scone 2nd BuildingJune 10, 2025, to August 31, 2025July 23 to 26, 2025National Theater Company [2025 Special Invitational Pick Clinic] JellyfishDirectorNational Theater Company of Korea Myeongdong Arts TheaterSeptember 12 to 21, 2025 2026 Secret Passage: Interval Director NOL Theater, Middle Theater February 13 to May 3
Accolades Awards and nominations Award ceremonyYearCategoryNomineeResult DongA Theater Awards 2025 Best Play Jellyfish National University Theater Festival 2005 Silver Prize Lovers in the Subway Best Director Award
State honors +List of State HonourCountryAward CeremonyYearHonorSouth KoreaMinister of Culture, Sports and Tourism2017Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism AwardThe National Academy of Arts of the Republic of Korea2025Young Artists Award
Notes
References
External links Min Saerom at Naver