Artistic Director
Chil Kong is the current artistic director at Adventure Theatre MTC located in Glen Echo, Maryland. Returning to his hometown in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area, Chil took on the role of Artistic Director of Adventure Theatre at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.
Against the unprecedented rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans due to the pandemic, Chil Kong met the movement with his experience in digital, film, and television, community activism, and the connective power of theater by bringing a fresh voice to the social crisis. His leadership in social justice has been highlighted in multiple news outlets across the DC Metro area as well as in The New York Times article “Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked…”, which shined a light on the quick rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 crisis.
Chil Kong is currently producing over 2 hours of live theatrical digital presentations a week, including interviews, talkbacks, digital readings of new works, and creative panels with Tony Award-winning playwrights such as David Henry Hwang and Broadway stars like Merle Dandridge. He has helmed Adventure Theatre’s push into uncharted waters with creative digital events that preserve the live, “theatrical” element of theater.
Suddenly, Last Summer by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Chil Kong, Lodestone Theatre Ensemble
Chil Kong began his Artistic Director experience in the 1990s, notably serving as the Co-Artistic Director of the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble in Los Angeles, California from 1999-2009.
A founder of this artistically relevant and fiscally successful theatre company, Chil Kong led Lodestone Theatre Ensemble through 10 seasons over 10 years. In that time, the company garnered rave reviews and multiple awards, including the Best of Los Angeles Award and an award for Contribution to the Los Angeles Theatre Community. Through his work, Chil Kong inspired a generation of Lodestone alumni through workshops, new work development programs, and producer mentorships. He also built an active board of directors, transitioning them from an organizational oversight board to a motivated, fundraising board.
Chil Kong’s contributions raised over one million dollars using an innovative combination of micro-campaigns, grants, personal networks, and highly entertaining events. His work culminated in the development of over 20 new plays and over 10 different playwrights who entered the American and Asian American theater lexicon. Chil Kong oversaw a team of over 200 full-time and part-time employees and volunteers, set short and long-term team expectations, and encouraged passionate ownership from each and every member of the Lodestone family.
Director
Chil Kong has a passion to tell stories that represent the rich tapestry of the American experience while maintaining artistic excellence under impossible deadlines and budgets. He has proven that passion throughout his vast directing history.
Chil Kong has directed a variety of productions, from classics such as West Side Story (Sondheim, Bernstein, and Laurents) at Northwest AA Theatre and Suddenly, Last Summer (Tennessee Williams) at Lodestone Theatre Ensemble, to world premieres of The Mikado Project (Ken Narasaki and Doris Baizley) and A Dirty Secret Between the Toes (Annette Lee) both at Lodestone Theatre Ensemble.
His success has garnered recognition from the LOS ANGELES TIMES and the SEATTLE TIMES. Chil Kong also continues to educate others through masterclasses, workshops, and adjunct professor positions.
To see excerpts from Chil Kong’s directing works, including the world premiere feature film The Mikado Project, click the button below.
Producer
Chil Kong wears many hats, and along with his artistic direction, Chil was a producer at iGOO.tv in Seattle, Washington. There he created, developed, and produced five different shows for the studio as one of the four original founders of the B2B content-providing studio. He also developed the short and long-term creative strategy of the innovative studio, which includes setting formats, themes, and story ideas for each of the streaming “channels.” Furthermore, while working with talent agencies in Los Angeles to bring in “name talent,” Chil Kong cultivated and nurtured local talent in front of and behind the camera, a practice which he continues today.
Chil Kong began his highly successful career in the arts the way many people begin, as a performer. A singer since a young age, Chil Kong has had the opportunity to sing at many renowned events such as the Miss Virginia Pageant. To see more of Chil’s performances, click here to visit his YouTube channel.