Son Ji-yoon (; born February 18, 1983), born Son Su-jeong, is a South Korean actress. She made her debut in the play Sea Fog in 2007. She primarily focusing on theater plays and some musicals in her portfolio. Starting from 2017, Son began taking on minor roles in films and television dramas.
Son's prominence as an actress in Daehangno is evident through her two nominations and one award as Best Supporting Actress at the StageTalk Audience's Choice Awards (SACA). She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at SACA in 2016 for her roles in Gloria and Toc Toc. Son received another nomination at SACA in 2018 for Best Supporting Actress in the play The Helmet. She won the SACA Best Supporting Actress award in 2019 for her role as Sylvia in the play The Pride.
Early years and education Son Ji-yoon, born Son Su-jeong on February 18, 1983, in Seoul. She attended an all-girls high school. Known for her talkative nature, her friends encouraged her to enroll in a theater and film department. Taking their advice to heart, she prepared for three months and successfully passed the entrance exam.
During her studies, Son attended her first play, Our Town, and was captivated by the experience of performing on stage, wearing costumes, and portraying another character. From that moment, she earnestly aspired to become an actress. Although she was not always a diligent student and often missed classes, Son consistently attended theater workshop sessions and dedicated her vacations to working on performances, spending the majority of her time in academic and theatrical settings. This experience solidified her desire to pursue a career as a theater actress.
Career
Early career A year after graduating, Son joined the Yeonwoo Theater Company. Within six months, she debuted as a theater actress in the 2007 play Haemoo (also known as Sea Fog).
In 2008, Son was cast as Louise Hamilton in the play Loving You, a Korean adaptation of Ray Cooney and Gene Stone's Why Not Stay for Breakfast. Produced by Papa Productions, its Korean premiere ran at the Happy Theater in Daehangno from July 11 to August 31. This marked her first leading role, performed under director Lee Hyun-gyu alongside veteran actor Hong Sung-duk.
In 2009, Son joined the cast of Gil Sambongdeum as Maeng-hwa. This work was a collaboration between writer Kim Min-jung and director Ahn Kyung-mo, who had previously worked together on the 2007 play Haemoo. The play was produced by Yeonwoo Theater Company and Namsan Arts Center as part of the Namsan Arts Center's 2009 Season Program.
In late 2009, Son co-starred alongside Min Jun-ho in the romantic comedy play A Dramatic Night. She portrayed Si-hoo, while Min Jun-ho played Jeong-hoon. The play explored the subtle psychological changes between its male and female leads, focusing on a one-night stand. The Yeonwoo Theater Company presented this performance, which was written by Hwang Yun-jeong and selected for the 2009 New Year's Literary Arts Festival. The play was directed by Lee Jae-jun, who had won both Best Director and Best Picture at the 2007 Miryang Summer Performing Arts Festival's Young Director's Home Awards. A Dramatic Night premiered at Yeonwoo Theater in Daehangno, running from December 16, 2009, to January 17, 2010.
In 2010, Son auditioned for the play Rooftop House Cat, an adaptation of a web novel previously made into an MBC drama series of the same name. She was triple-cast as Nam Jeong-eun, the female lead, alongside Hwang Bo-ra and Kim Yeo-jin, in the play's first season. The play was directed by Kim Tae-hyung, with Sung Tae-joon playing opposite Son as Lee Kyung-Min. Also in 2010, Son reunited with Sung Tae-joon for an encore performance of the play A Dramatic Night. Sung was double-cast as Jeong-hoon, a role previously shared with Min Jun-ho in the premiere. Son reprised her role as Si-hoo, sharing it with Yoon Jeong-sun.
In 2011, Son again collaborated with Min Jun-ho, who served as director for the play If With You. Written by Japanese playwright Koki Mitani, If With You (2011) was part of the 'Best Plays' Repertoire'. Son played the supporting role of Koiso Fujimi, the youngest sister of the Koiso family. The comedy centers on the love story between a 70-year-old gentleman and a 28-year-old lady. Its episodes unfold through lies that entangle the characters. This performance had an encore run in Gangnam following its initial presentation in Daehangno.
Musical theatre works In 2012, Son debuted as a musical actress in a supporting role in the musical Rude Miss Young-ae. This creative musical, produced by CJ E&M after two years of preparation, was based on the long-running tvN drama series Rude Miss Young-ae. It also served as the final work of the late playwright Ahn Hyeon-jeong. Son reprised her role in two revival productions in 2013.
In 2014, Son joined the musical production of Two Weddings and a Funeral, which was an adaptation of the film of the same name. Playwright Cho Min-ju was in charge in writing the adaptation. It was directed by Kim Tae-hyung. The story centered on Hyo-jin, a lesbian, who enters into a marriage of convenience with Min-soo, a gay general hospital doctor, to adopt a child. Son and actress Cha Su-yeon shared the role of Hyo-jin, while Jung Dong-hwa and Park Seong-hoon shared Min-soo's role.
Theater Ganda In 2013, Son reunited with Min Jun-ho for the premiere of his play Me and Grandpa. The play had a reading performance at the Namsan Drama Festival on February 21, 2013. Son shared the role of Jun-hee's grandmother with Jeong Seon-ah, who had participated in the reading performance alongside Jin Seon-gyu (as grandfather), Oh Eui-sik (as Jun-hee), and Lee Seok (as writer). The cast for the premiere included Oh Yong-lee (as grandfather), Hong Woo-jin (as Jun-hee), and Yang Kyung-won (as writer). It ran from July 11 to August 4 at the Daehangno Information Center.
In the end of the same year, Son was invited as one of representative actress of Daehak-ro, in 'Ganda GO', a project by the Ganda theater company, as part of their 10th-anniversary celebration. The first work presented was Almost Maine by John Cariani. Following Almost, Maine, the play Me and Grandpa was selected as the second work for 'Ganda GO'. It ran from February 7, 2014, at Art One Theater 3 in Daehak-ro, Dongsung-dong, Jongno District, Seoul. Son reprised her role, performing both the grandmother and multiple other characters.
Working with Kim Tae-hyung/No Name In 2013, Son collaborated once again with Director Kim Tae-hyun in play The Age of Love (2013), which was an adaptation of Hisashi Nozawa's best-selling Japanese novel. She shared the leading female role of Haru, a sports center instructor, with actresses Hwang In-young and Shim Eun-jin.
In 2014, Son had her first collaboration with the Noname Theater Company for the Korean premiere of Fight of Cocks written by a young British playwright Mike Bartlett. The play explores the weighty subject of "subjectivity and choice" through the character of John, who must make a decision between a man and a woman due to gender identity confusion. The play garnered attention during its UK premiere in 2009 for its cast, including Ben Whishaw. It won the Lawrence Olivier Award in 2010, and was performed off-Broadway in New York in 2012. In the Korean production, actor Park Eun-seok was cast as John and Son Ji-yoon appeared as W, John's new lover of the opposite sex. The other cast members included Kim Jun-won and Seon Jong-nam. The play ran at Doosan Art Center Space 111 in Seoul from July 11 to August 3, 2014, and received a warm response.
She collaborated with the NoName Theater Company for their sixth production, the Korean premiere of the play Metamorphoses (2015). The work was reconstructed by the renowned American playwright Mary Zimmerman, based on the epic poem "Metamorphoses" by the ancient Roman poet Ovid, which delves into Greek and Roman mythology. The play received major accolades such as the Tony Awards and the Drama Desk Awards in 2022. Directed by Byun Jeong-Ju, the Korean adaptation premiered at the Little Theater of the Seoul Arts Center.
In 2016, Son reunited with Director Kim Tae-hyun for the Korean premiere of the play Gloria, the work of the playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. The play had been nominated for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize and was co-produced by the Noname Theater Company and Dosan Art Center. Son portrayed the female lead, Kendra, opposite actor Won Won-jo as Rorin. The other cast members included Oh Jung-taek as Miles and Gong Ji-ji as Annie. Son's portrayal of Gloria earned her a nomination for Best Theater Actress at the 2016 SACA award.
In 2016, Son joined The 6th Best Plays Festival. She was double cast with actress Lee Jin-hee in the role of Lily, a patient with echolalia in Asian Premiere of play Toc Toc. Derived from the English expression of OCD (Troubles Obsessionnels Compulsifs, TOC), Toc Toc is a riotous comedy about obsessive-compulsive patients. The play was written by Laurent Baffie, a famous French writer, actor, and TV show host.
In 2017, Son reprised her role as W in the encore performance of Fight of Cocks alongside fellow actor Seon Jong-nam, who played F in the original premiere. Lee Myung-haeng and Lee Tae-goo joined the production as new cast members. During the same year, Son also returned for the reenactment of Gloria in 2017, which was performed at Art One Theater 3 from July 14 to August 13.
In 2018, Lee participated in The 7th Best Play Festival. She acted in the adaptation of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. The play is based on Jonas Jonasson's bestselling Swedish novel with the same name, which has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since its release in 2009. Son challenged herself of portraying multiple characters. The ensemble also included Lee Jin-hee, Seo Hyeon-cheol, Oh Yong, Jang Yi-joo, Yang So-min, Kim Do-bin, Ju Min-jin, Kwon Dong-ho, and Lee Hyung-hoon. The play involved "character juggling" as five actors onstage seamlessly transformed into various roles, including the centenarian protagonist Alan and the individuals he encounters. Son portrayed characters such as elephant, a gang boss, a director, a guard, also 'Allan 3'. This production marked the first time Son and Lee Jin-hee shared a stage. In their previous projects together, They usually engaged in double casting, alternating their appearances in the play.
In 2018, Son participated in the 4th encore performance of Capone Trilogy at the Hongik University Daehak-ro Art Center. She shared the role of Lady with actress Kim Ji-hyun and Choi Yu-ha. The other cast members included Lee Seok-jun, Kim Jong-tae, and Kim Joo-hyun, who played the role of Oldman. The role of Young-man was shared by Kim Do-bin, Kang Jung-woo, and Yoon Na-mu. Capone Trilogy is based on the original work of Jamie Wilkes, a writer who has gained popularity in British literature through works like Bunker Trilogy and Frontier Trilogy.
Recent works In 2019, Son shared the role of Sylvia with actress Shin Jeong-won in the 4th Korean encore performance of the play The Pride. Directed by Kim Dong-yeon, the play explores the experiences of social underprivileged groups, particularly sexual minorities, spanning different eras from 1958 to the present. The production took place at Art One Theater 2 in Daehangno from May 25 to August 25. The Pride is the debut work of Greek-British author Alexi Kaye Campbell, which premiered in 2008 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs and received critical acclaim. The South Korean adaptation, written by Ji Yi-seon and translated by Kim Soo-bin, premiered at The 5th Best Plays Festival at Art One Theater in 2014.