Ji Won Jeon

​As a theatre artist, Ji Won is committed to the power of theatre and art as catalysts for meaningful conversations that drive social change. She views theatre as a unique medium capable of challenging perceptions of reality and the social structures we inhabit. Her work focuses on telling stories that reveal the essence of human emotions and celebrate the vulnerability of the human condition, approached through diverse cultural perspectives.

​​Ji Won’s current research project, Silent Clamor, is a devised physical theatre production that explores the long-silenced stories of the “comfort women”—victims of sexual slavery by Japanese Imperial forces during 1932–1945. The project seeks to address the erasure of this gender-based violence while highlighting theatre’s potential to foster public awareness and inspire activism. Her main research question for the project focuses on the ethical representation of staging trauma using non-textual mediums.

​Ji Won holds a B.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in Visual and Performing Arts Studies from the University of Southern California. She earned her M.F.A. in Directing from Northwestern University. Since September 2024, she has served as a co-founder and board member of the Chicago-based Alien Theatre Company. 

​As an educator, Ji Won has taught at Northwestern University, Skidmore College, and Michigan State University, where she is currently an Assistant Professor in Directing. At MSU, she developed and directed the department’s inaugural MFA New Play Commission, Stevie and The Real World by Iraisa Ann Reilly. She is currently spearheading a new MFA Catalyst Play Commission in collaboration with the MFA Playwriting Program at the University of Iowa.

Her favorite directing credits includeInching Towards Yeolha,  Peerless, Water by the Spoonful, A Christmas Carol, Buried Child, Polaroid Stories, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Armstrong’s Moon, Ubu Roi Project, The History Boys, No Exit,andThe Pillowman.

Upcoming Projects: Silent Clamor.