Yi Sang-woo

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.

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 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.

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. 1994 Out to the World 세상 밖으로 Yeo Kyun-Dong 1995 Sunset Into the Neon Lights 네온 속으로 노을지다 Lee Hyun-seung 1998 Film-making 죽이는 이야기

2000 La Belle 미인 2010 A Little Pond Yi Sang-woo Theater

Awards and nominations