Meet the Maker: Uhyoung Choi
Published: Thursday 27 November 2025
Introduce yourself and your arts practice.
Hi, my name is Uhyoung Choi. I’m a Korean New Zealander, and I work as a writer, actor, and game developer. My arts practice stems from my insatiable love of theatre in all its forms – whether I’m watching it, writing it, or stepping onto the stage myself.
What’s your favourite thing about what you do?
I often joke that writing gives me a great excuse to stay indoors and alone without feeling too sad, but the truth is — I find it calming. It quietens the noise in my head and gives me a creative outlet. Fear often comes from losing control, and writing gives me a space where I can shape everything: the dialogue, the movements, the intentions, the inflections, and — possibly — my own future in the arts.
What’s the hardest thing about what you do?
Balance — or my complete inability to achieve it. People talk about juggling work, hobbies, gym, rest, relationships, dreams… but I can never figure out how all of that fits into one life. When I care about something, I give all of myself to it and everything else slips into the background.
I want to live a full life, to experience and achieve many things, but every pursuit seems to demand everything I have, leaving little room for anything else. Billy Joel says: Vienna waits for me — but I simply can’t wait for Vienna.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
To read and watch as many plays as possible. Nathan Joe was my first dramaturg during Proudly Asian Theatre’s Fresh Off the Page programme, and he laid the foundations of everything I know about theatre. Whenever I wanted to explore a new idea, a theme, a convention — anything — Nathan would have three plays on hand that had already explored it with precision. This may be obvious, but every play I read just expanded my mind and understanding of theatre, and made me fall deeper in love with the medium.
What’s the best show you’ve seen this year?
Maybe Happy Ending. It’s a South Korean musical with a predominantly Asian cast that made it all the way to Broadway and even won the Tony for Best Musical. I’m a real sucker for love stories, musicals, and Asian representation, and this show hits all three beautifully.
What was your inspiration behind Genuine and Stable?
I was inspired to write this play while handling my very first partnership visa application as a lawyer. There was something so eerily dystopian about the process — a couple in love having to convince a faceless government entity that their relationship is “genuine and stable.” The case stayed with me, and I felt compelled to explore that unique tension and power dynamic on stage.
What was your creative writing process behind Genuine and Stable?
An endless cycle of writing and deleting. Some days I couldn’t figure out what I liked doing more. Most days I’d spend all day writing multiple scenes, only to wake up the next day, read it, and delete everything instantly. This ability to aggressively delete my own work was so liberating. It gave me permission to write more freely. It let me take bigger swings because the work didn’t represent my ability, just an impulse, and could be gone with the same ease that it had arrived.
Do I still have things in this play I would delete and rewrite? 100%.
Am I proud of the state it is in now? Yes.
Could I have done more? Always.
Describe Genuine and Stable in three words.
Love. Proof. Truth.
What has it been like to partner with Proudly Asian Theatre and Auckland Live to bring your vision to life?
It may sound cliché, but it has truly been a dream come true. I love to write, but had no idea how to take the next steps to bring a script into production. The team at PAT and Auckland Live have made that leap possible, and I still can’t believe opening night is so close. I’m so grateful, nervous, and oh so very excited.
