Namoo Chae Lee is a London based South Korean director and writer whose interdisciplinary work spans continents and genres. With roots in physical and musical theatre, she specializes in blending East Asian ritualistic forms with Western texts to explore themes of cultural colonialism, body politics, and liminality. Her creative practice crosses national and linguistic borders, with productions staged across the UK, U.S.A., Korea, and Japan.
Lee is the Artistic Director of KASSNA KOLLEKTIV, an East Asian female-led interdisciplinary collective, and the 2025 Headlong Origins 5.0 Director in the UK. Her libretto The Man Who Goes Transparent was published by Doyo Arts Books, and she has been recognized by institutions including the Royal Opera House in the UK, Daegu International Musical Theatre Festival in Korea, and the New York Dramatists Guild of America.
The Fountain, a work created with her collaborator Paul Castles, received the Best Musical Award at the Daegu International Musical Festival in South Korea. Lee was a finalist for the Jette Parker Directing Fellowship at the Royal Opera House, UK, and the Dramatists Guild Foundation National Fellowship, U.S.A. In 2026, she will participate in the Women Opera Makers Workshop at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, France.
At MacDowell, Lee rewrote the libretto of The Diluted, a music drama exploring human experimentation during the World War II through the poetry of Yoon Dong-ju. In collaboration with composer Paul Castles, she completed a full redraft of the libretto. She also completed the first draft of Royal Thai Massage, a play examining how capitalism reproduces colonial structures in contemporary society, with a building in Seoul as its central protagonist.
