JI WON JEON

Ji Won Jeon (she/her) is a Michigan-based theatre director from South Korea working internationally. She believes in the power of theatre and storytelling to jumpstart conversations that challenge and move us outside our comfort zones. She thinks the stories we tell about ourselves are formative of who we become as individuals, communities, and society. Her work is therefore centered around the idea of bringing individual and collective cultural history that makes us who we are today and allows us to move forward. She holds a B.A degree in Theatre and a B.A in Visual and Performing Arts Studies from the University of Southern California and received an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University. She joined Michigan State University in 2022 as a Research Associate in Directing and currently serves as an Assistant Professor in Directing. Before joining MSU, She also taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Skidmore College. Most recently at MSU, she directed a modern re-telling of Othello in the Pasant Theatre. She is currently spearheading a cross-university MFA Catalyst Play Commission in collaboration with the University of Iowa’s MFA Playwriting Program, following her development and direction of the department’s inaugural MFA Play Commission project, Stevie and The Real World. Her other favorite directing credits include A Christmas Carol, Peerless, Buried Child, Polaroid Stories, Armstrong’s Moon, Ubu Roi Project, The History Boys, No Exit, and Pillowman.