Ins Choi

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Ins Choi
Born1974 (age 49–50)
South Korea
EducationYork University (BFA)
University of Toronto (MTS)
Occupation(s)Playwright, Screenwriter, Actor

Insub "Ins" Choi (Korean: 최인섭; RR: Choe Inseob) is a Korean Canadian actor and playwright best known for his Dora Mavor Moore Award-nominated 2011 play Kim's Convenience[1][2] and its subsequent TV adaptation.

Choi was born in South Korea and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He is a graduate of the theatre program at York University.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

Born Insub Choi in South Korea in 1974, Choi moved to Canada at the age of one and grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, which is now part of Toronto.[3] His father was born in North Korea and "walked south" with his family as a child. Choi's mother grew up in South Korea, where she met and married her husband before emigrating to Canada with Choi and his two older sisters in 1975.[4] His father worked as a pastor of an immigrant church in downtown Toronto that he owned and founded.[5]

An immigration officer misspelled his name as "Insurp" and in Grade 9 Choi began using the name "Danny", inspired by John Travolta's character in Grease.[6] When he attended the acting program at York University, he met other struggling Asian immigrants and began going by Ins, as a shortened form of his birth name.[citation needed]

In high school, Choi played various sports and performed in a school play.[7] After school he worked at convenience stores owned by friends of his parents.[8]

Choi attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute in the early 1990s.[9] He graduated from York University's theatre program in 1998.[3] His first application to the fine arts program at York was rejected.[7] He completed a Master of Theological Studies at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, graduating in 2002.[3] He credits his success to his studies at Wycliffe, which he believes made him a better writer.[10]

Career[edit]

Following his graduation from York University, Choi worked with fu-GEN, a Toronto-based Asian Canadian theatre company, which helped him figure out what he wanted to portray to an audience through his work. He stated that working with fu-GEN showed him "who [he] really was and what [he] really wanted to say mattered in the world of art," and it was there that he first envisioned Kim's Convenience, a play that eventually became a successful television series.[7] He is credited as a co-creator, producer, and main screenwriter on the series, which ended after its fifth season.[11]

In 2012, he collaborated with Gregory Prest, Raquel Duffy, Ken MacKenzie and Mike Ross on a theatrical adaptation of Dennis Lee's children's poetry book Alligator Pie,[12] for which they received ensemble Dora nominations for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Direction in the Theatre for Young Audiences division in 2013.

Choi's 2013 one-man show, The Subway Stations of the Cross, was inspired by the homeless and mentally ill men he met in parks and public spaces across Toronto.[13] He has also created the show, The Beats and the Breaks, about hip-hop, as well as The KJV: The Bible Show.[14] In 2018 and 2019 Choi toured with his stage show Ins Choi: Songs, Stories and Spoken Word.[15]

Personal life[edit]

Ins Choi married Mari in March 2005, and together they have two children. They reside in Toronto Canada.[16] Like his father who was a preacher, he also follows the Christian faith.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Kim's Convenience drawing TV interest, Ins Choi says". CBC News, July 7, 2013.
  2. ^ "Ins Choi: Actor/writer sells some hard-hitting immigrant truths in Kim’s Convenience". NOW, July 7, 2011
  3. ^ a b c "Ins Choi | Asian Heritage in Canada". Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  4. ^ "Kim's Convenience - Playbill". Issuu. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  5. ^ Leadlay, Christina (February 10, 2017). "15 Things You Didn't Know about Playwright Ins Choi". The Hill Times.
  6. ^ Bell, David (November 2, 2018). "Kim's Convenience co-creator on anglicization, role models and comedy as a uniting force".
  7. ^ a b c "The Big Interview: Playwright Ins Choi makes it big with Kim's Convenience | The Star". thestar.com. January 12, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  8. ^ "A convenient solution". Ottawa Citizen. January 21, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  9. ^ "Lexis Advance® - Sign In | LexisNexis". signin.lexisnexis.com. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  10. ^ "Kim's Convenience Creator Reflects on his background as a theology student | Faith Today Blog". Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "Kim's Convenience closing after 5 seasons on CBC | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  12. ^ Victoria Ahearn, "Alligator Pie lifted from page to stage; Lee's ever-popular children's poem takes on new life form". Kamloops Daily News, October 29, 2012.
  13. ^ Goldman, Jessica (October 3, 2013). "Subway Stations of the Cross – Review". Applause! Meter. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  14. ^ "12 to watch in 2012: Ins Choi | The Star". thestar.com. January 9, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  15. ^ "Ins Choi: Songs, Stories and Spoken Words". On The Boards Staging Company. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  16. ^ McKay, Caitlin (May 23, 2013). "How They Met: award-winning playwright Ins Choi and his wife, Mari". trnto.com. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Son of a Preacher Man". Salvation Army Canada. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
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