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{{Tone|date=May 2020}}{{short description|Korean Canadian actor and playwright|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{short description|Canadian actor and playwright|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=March 2021}}
{{Tone|date=May 2020}}{{Use Canadian English|date=March 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Ins Choi
| name = Ins Choi
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1974}}
| caption =
| birth_date = 1974
| birth_place = [[South Korea]]
| birth_place = [[South Korea]]
| alma mater = [[York University]]
| education = [[York University]] ([[Bachelor of Fine Arts|BFA]])<br>[[University of Toronto]] ([[Master of Theological Studies|MTS]])
| nationality =
| occupation = Playwright, Screenwriter, Actor
| occupation =
| yearsactive =
}}
}}
⚫
'''Insub "Ins" Choi''' ({{korean|hangul=최인섭|rr=Choe Inseob}}) is a Canadian actor and playwright best known for his [[Dora Mavor Moore Award]]-nominated 2011 play ''[[Kim's Convenience (play)|Kim's Convenience]]''<ref name="cbc">[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/kim-s-convenience-drawing-tv-interest-ins-choi-says-1.1331065 "Kim's Convenience drawing TV interest, Ins Choi says"]. [[CBC News]], July 7, 2013.</ref><ref name="now">[http://www.nowtoronto.com/guides/fringe/2011/story.cfm?content=181679 "Ins Choi: Actor/writer sells some hard-hitting immigrant truths in Kim’s Convenience"]. ''[[Now (newspaper)|NOW]]'', July 7, 2011</ref> and its subsequent [[Kim's Convenience|TV adaptation]].

⚫
'''Ins Choi''' ({{korean|hangul=최인섭|rr=Choe Inseob}}) is a [[Korean Canadians|Korean Canadian]] actor and playwright best known for his [[Dora Mavor Moore Award]]-nominated 2011 play ''[[Kim's Convenience (play)|Kim's Convenience]]''<ref name="cbc">[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/07/07/toronto-ins-choi-kims-convenience.html "Kim's Convenience drawing TV interest, Ins Choi says"]. [[CBC News]], July 7, 2013.</ref><ref name="now">[http://www.nowtoronto.com/guides/fringe/2011/story.cfm?content=181679 "Ins Choi: Actor/writer sells some hard-hitting immigrant truths in Kim’s Convenience"]. ''[[Now (newspaper)|NOW]]'', July 7, 2011</ref> and its subsequent [[Kim's Convenience|TV adaptation]].


Choi was born in [[South Korea]] and raised in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]. He is a graduate of the theatre program at [[York University]].<ref name=cbc />
Choi was born in [[South Korea]] and raised in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]. He is a graduate of the theatre program at [[York University]].<ref name=cbc />


==Early life==
==Early life and education==
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.<ref name="library.ryerson.ca">{{Cite web|title=Ins Choi {{!}} Asian Heritage in Canada|url=https://library.ryerson.ca/asianheritage/authors/ins-choi/|access-date=June 3, 2019}}</ref> An immigration officer misspelled his name as "Insurp" and in Grade 9 Choi began using the name "Danny." <ref>{{Cite web|last=Bell|first=David|date=November 2, 2018|title=Kim's Convenience co-creator on anglicization, role models and comedy as a uniting force|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ins-choi-kims-convenience-1.4889951}}</ref> When he went to the acting program at York University, he met other struggling Asian immigrants and became inspired to adopt Ins as a shortened form of his birth name. {{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
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.<ref name="library.ryerson.ca">{{Cite web|title=Ins Choi {{!}} Asian Heritage in Canada|url=https://library.ryerson.ca/asianheritage/authors/ins-choi/|access-date=June 3, 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kim's Convenience - Playbill|url=https://issuu.com/soulpepper/docs/2012-kims-playbill|access-date=2021-03-10|website=Issuu|language=en}}</ref> His father worked as a pastor of an immigrant church in downtown Toronto that he owned and founded.<ref name="Leadlay">{{Cite news|last=Leadlay|first=Christina|date=February 10, 2017|title=15 Things You Didn't Know about Playwright Ins Choi|publisher=The Hill Times|url=https://www.hilltimes.com/2017/02/08/15-things-didnt-know-playwright-ins-choi/95352}}</ref>


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 (film)|Grease]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bell|first=David|date=November 2, 2018|title=Kim's Convenience co-creator on anglicization, role models and comedy as a uniting force|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ins-choi-kims-convenience-1.4889951}}</ref> 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|date=March 2021}}
⚫
As a child, Choi played volleyball, football, rugby, hockey, was cast in a school production called "Damn Yankees" at Victoria Park S.S., and performed in ''Banana Boys''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Big Interview: Playwright Ins Choi makes it big with Kim's Convenience {{!}} The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2012/01/12/the_big_interview_playwright_ins_choi_makes_it_big_with_kims_convenience.html |access-date=June 3, 2019 |website=thestar.com |language=en}}</ref> After school he worked at his parents’ friends' convenience stores.<ref>{{Cite web |last=May 20 |first=Ottawa Citizen Updated |last2=2014 |date=January 21, 2014 |title=A convenient solution {{!}} Ottawa Citizen |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/a-convenient-solution |access-date=June 3, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Choi attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute in the early 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lexis Advance® - Sign In {{!}} LexisNexis |url=https://signin.lexisnexis.com/lnaccess/app/signin?back=https%3A%2F%2Fadvance.lexis.com%3A443%2Furl-api%2Flaapi%2Fdocument%3Fcollection%3Dnews%26id%3Durn%253AcontentItem%253A5BB9-NCY1-DY2T-82V4-00000-00%26context%3D1516831.&aci=la |access-date=June 3, 2019 |website=signin.lexisnexis.com}}</ref> Choi graduated from York University's theatre program in 1998<ref name="library.ryerson.ca" />


⚫
In high school, Choi played various sports and performed in a school play.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Big Interview: Playwright Ins Choi makes it big with Kim's Convenience {{!}} The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2012/01/12/the_big_interview_playwright_ins_choi_makes_it_big_with_kims_convenience.html |access-date=June 3, 2019 |website=thestar.com |date=January 12, 2012 |language=en}}</ref> After school he worked at convenience stores owned by friends of his parents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 21, 2014 |title=A convenient solution |publisher=Ottawa Citizen |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/a-convenient-solution |access-date=June 3, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
Choi was rejected the first time he applied to the fine arts program at York. "I wasn't talented enough", Choi says.<ref name=":0" /> He completed a Master of Theological Studies instead at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto.<ref name="library.ryerson.ca" /> In that time he was forced to read more and do more reading analysis; Choi asserts that this scholarly activity made him a better writer and were a contributing factor to his success.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Kim's Convenience Creator Reflects on his background as a theology student {{!}} Faith Today Blog |url=https://l.faithtoday.ca/2NKZCnf |access-date=June 3, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> His professors at Wycliffe, such as John Bowen, Brian Walsh, and Marion Taylor were a great influence, and encouraged him to be an artist.<ref name=":1" />


Choi attended [[North Toronto Collegiate Institute]] in the early 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lexis Advance® - Sign In {{!}} LexisNexis |url=https://signin.lexisnexis.com/lnaccess/app/signin?back=https%3A%2F%2Fadvance.lexis.com%3A443%2Furl-api%2Flaapi%2Fdocument%3Fcollection%3Dnews%26id%3Durn%253AcontentItem%253A5BB9-NCY1-DY2T-82V4-00000-00%26context%3D1516831.&aci=la |access-date=June 3, 2019 |website=signin.lexisnexis.com}}</ref> He graduated from York University's theatre program in 1998.<ref name="library.ryerson.ca" /> His first application to the fine arts program at York was rejected.<ref name=":0" /> He completed a Master of Theological Studies at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, graduating in 2002.<ref name="library.ryerson.ca" /> He credits his success to his studies at Wycliffe, which he believes made him a better writer.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Kim's Convenience Creator Reflects on his background as a theology student {{!}} Faith Today Blog |url=https://l.faithtoday.ca/2NKZCnf |access-date=June 3, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref>
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.<ref name=":0" /> Choi emphasizes the importance of community as the goal for his shows to play in cities worldwide, predominantly in Korean communities, to honour Koreans who made sacrifices for other migrating Koreans.<ref name=":0" /> Working with fu-GEN showed him "who [he] really was and what [he] really wanted to say mattered in the world of art," according to Choi, and inspired him to write Kim's Convenience.<ref name=":0" />


==Career==
==Career==
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.<ref name=":0" /> He is credited as a co-creator, producer, and main screenwriter on the series, which ended after its fifth season.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Kim's Convenience closing after 5 seasons on CBC {{!}} CBC News|language=en-US|work=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/kims-convenience-concluding-1.5941254|access-date=2021-03-10}}</ref>
⚫
Choi's writing experience came from songwriting, poetry, and eventually play-writing. He proceeded to write for television and turned ''Kim's Convenience'' into a popular TV show on CBC. He is an official co-creator, producer, and main screenwriter. Choi claims to take inspiration in strange places, exemplified by his play "The Subway Stations of the Cross," which Choi says was inspired by the homeless and mentally ill men he met in parks and public spaces across Toronto.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldman |first=Jessica |date=October 3, 2013 |title=Subway Stations of the Cross – Review |url=https://applause-meter.com/2013/10/02/subway-stations-of-the-cross-review/ |access-date=June 3, 2019 |website=Applause! Meter |language=en}}</ref> He has also created the show, ''The Beats and the Breaks'', about hip-hop, as well as ''The KJV: The Bible Show''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=12 to watch in 2012: Ins Choi {{!}} The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/01/09/12_to_watch_in_2012_ins_choi.html |access-date=June 3, 2019 |website=thestar.com |language=en}}</ref> In 2018 and 2019 Choi toured with his stage show ''Ins Choi: Songs, Stories and Spoken Word''. <ref>{{Cite web|title=Ins Choi: Songs, Stories and Spoken Words|url=https://ontheboards.ca/events/songs-stories-and-spoken-words/|access-date=2021-03-10|website=On The Boards Staging Company|language=en}}</ref>


In 2012, he collaborated with [[Gregory Prest]], Raquel Duffy, Ken MacKenzie and Mike Ross on a theatrical adaptation of [[Dennis Lee (poet)|Dennis Lee]]'s children's poetry book ''[[Alligator Pie]]'',<ref>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.</ref> for which they received ensemble Dora nominations for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Direction in the Theatre for Young Audiences division in 2013.
On March 8, 2021, the ''Kim's Convenience'' TV series producers announced the show would end after its fifth season, due to Choi and co-creator Kevin White, "moving onto other projects."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Kim's Convenience closing after 5 seasons on CBC {{!}} CBC News|language=en-US|work=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/kims-convenience-concluding-1.5941254|access-date=2021-03-10}}</ref>


⚫
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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldman |first=Jessica |date=October 3, 2013 |title=Subway Stations of the Cross – Review |url=https://applause-meter.com/2013/10/02/subway-stations-of-the-cross-review/ |access-date=June 3, 2019 |website=Applause! Meter |language=en}}</ref> He has also created the show, ''The Beats and the Breaks'', about hip-hop, as well as ''The KJV: The Bible Show''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=12 to watch in 2012: Ins Choi {{!}} The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/01/09/12_to_watch_in_2012_ins_choi.html |access-date=June 3, 2019 |website=thestar.com |date=January 9, 2012 |language=en}}</ref> In 2018 and 2019 Choi toured with his stage show ''Ins Choi: Songs, Stories and Spoken Word''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ins Choi: Songs, Stories and Spoken Words|url=https://ontheboards.ca/events/songs-stories-and-spoken-words/|access-date=2021-03-10|website=On The Boards Staging Company|language=en}}</ref>
Some awards and achievements won by the ''Kim's Convenience'' team are:

* Best Picture Editing in a Comedy Program or Series (Kye Meechan) (2017)
* Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) (2017)
* Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role or Guest Role in a Comedy Series (Andrew Phung) (2017)
* Best Supporting or Guest Actor, Comedy (Andrew Phung) (2018)
* Best Lead Actor, Comedy (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) (2018)
* Best Comedy Series (2018)<ref>{{cite news |title=Kim's Convenience Gets Five Thumbs up at Toronto Theatre Critics Awards |publisher=National Post |date=May 31, 2012 |url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/kims-convenience-gets-five-thumbs-up-at-toronto-theatre-critics-awards}}</ref>


== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==
Ins Choi married Mari in March 2005, and together they have two children. They reside in Toronto Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Caitlin|last=McKay|date=2013-05-23|title=How They Met: award-winning playwright Ins Choi and his wife, Mari|url=https://trnto.com/how-they-met-award-winning-playwright-ins-choi-and-his-wife-mari/|access-date=2021-06-03|website=trnto.com|language=en-US}}</ref> Like his father who was a preacher, he also follows the Christian faith.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Son of a Preacher Man|url=https://salvationist.ca/articles/son-of-a-preacher-man-kims-convenience/|access-date=2021-06-03|website=Salvation Army Canada|language=en}}</ref>
Choi has said 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 siblings in 1975. <ref>{{Cite web|last=2150191|title=Kim's Convenience - Playbill|url=https://issuu.com/soulpepper/docs/2012-kims-playbill|access-date=2021-03-10|website=Issuu|language=en}}</ref>

According to Choi, his mother is strict. However, she gets things done, which is where he maintains dual attributes of being artistic, focused, and determined.<ref name=":0" /> His father used to be a pastor of an immigrant church in downtown Toronto that he personally owned and founded.<ref name="Leadlay" />

Ins met his wife Mari before her birthday. Years later he saw her again at a mutual friend's wedding and finally found the courage to ask her out. According to Choi that was one of the best days of his life.<ref name="Leadlay">{{Cite news |last=Leadlay |first=Christina |date=February 10, 2017 |title=15 Things You Didn't Know about Playwright Ins Choi |publisher=The Hill Times |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/2017/02/08/15-things-didnt-know-playwright-ins-choi/95352}}</ref> Choi currently lives in Canada with his wife. He is enjoying family life, which was always a substantial value for him, especially since his father was a religious person and believed in the family as an institution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=12 to watch in 2012: Ins Choi |last=Leadlay |first=Christina |publisher=The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/01/09/12_to_watch_in_2012_ins_choi.html |access-date=June 3, 2019 |website=thestar.com}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 02:17, 15 September 2024

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 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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