Insook Chappell
British-Korean playwright and screenwriter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Insook Chappell is a British playwright and screenwriter of Korean descent. Her debut play, This Isn't Romance, won the Verity Bargate Award,[1] and she has had several plays produced in both the UK and Korea.
Insook Chappell | |
|---|---|
| Born | South Korea |
| Occupation | Playwright |
Early life and education
Chappell was born in South Korea but raised in England. She studied dance in New York at the Alvin Ailey School before moving into acting.[2]
Career
Chappell started writing between acting jobs, initially for the stage. Her first play, This Isn't Romance, won the Verity Bargate Award[1] and was produced at the Soho Theatre.[3] It was later translated and produced at the National Theatre Company of Korea.[4] Her play P'Yongyang was shortlisted for the Bruntwood Prize[5] and produced at the Finborough Theatre to critical acclaim.[6][7] It was also translated and produced at the Modu Art Theatre in Seoul.[8] Other plays include Tales of the Harrow Road at Soho Theatre[9] and Mountains: the Dreams of Lily Kwok at the Royal Exchange Theatre.[10] Her play The Free9, written for the National Theatre Connections programme, is studied in British schools for the GCSE Drama curriculum.[11][12]
More recently, Chappell has written for television. She wrote two episodes of the historical drama series A Thousand Blows for Disney+, the first season of which was released in 2025.[13][14]She is currently developing several of her own projects for television and film, and writing an episode of the upcoming Apple TV series The Husbands.[15]