Can a Mother Love Her Rapist Son... The Play 'Geuui Eomeoni'

Playwright Evan Placey: "I Wonder If a Parent's Love Is Infinite"
April 2-19 at Daloreum Theater, National Theater of Korea

"I was curious whether a parent's love is infinite, the breaking point of that love, and the point at which love for a child stops."

British playwright Evan Placey explained the reason for writing the play Mother of Him in this way.

Mother of Him, a 2025 overseas premiere presented by the National Theater Company of Korea, tells the story of a mother whose teenage son committed a rape crime. The mother shows emotional turmoil while trying to reduce her son's sentence. The play will be performed from April 2 to 19 at the Daloreum Theater in the National Theater of Korea.

Placey is a playwright who has received the Royal Society of Literature Award, the Brian Way Award in the UK, the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Youth Theatre Award, and the Baden-W?rttemberg Youth Theatre Award in Germany. Through works such as Children Born in Prison, Sexting, and Transgender, he has demonstrated outstanding ability in portraying moral dilemmas and ethical conflicts captured in dehumanizing situations. Placey’s plays have been translated into more than 12 languages and performed worldwide.

Mother of Him is Placey’s debut full-length play, first premiered in 2010. The work was selected for the Canadian Playwright Award and the UK Cross Award for New Plays. It is a work that sharply reveals human instincts and conflicts of values as social beings, featuring intense psychological depictions of the characters.

Actor Kim Sun-young, who plays the role of the mother 'Brenda' in the National Theater Company's production of 'His Mother'
[Photo by National Theater Company]

The role of Brenda, the mother who cracks the infinite maternal love and reveals human nature and self-protection instincts, is played by actress Kim Sun-young, known for dramas such as Reply 1988 and Ilta Scandal. Kim Sun-young debuted in 1995 with the play After the Play Ends and has led her own theater company producing plays. This is her first time on stage as an actress in seven years since Nassim in 2018.

Director Ryu Ju-yeon, representative of the theater company Sansuyu, is in charge of directing. Ryu Ju-yeon has received the 47th Dong-A Theatre Award for Best New Director, the 37th Younghee Theatre Award, and the 24th Kim Sang-yeol Theatre Award, and has directed works such as Gilgok-myeon, Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam, Strange Journey, 12 Angry Men, and 1945.

Director Ryu described the play as "an interesting work where unexpected dramatic developments and flow create surprise." He added, "It aims to meticulously portray the negative and uncomfortable emotions of humans. You will be able to watch with great interest the instinctive aspects of all of us that emerge when pushed into a corner."

Actors Choi Ho-jae and Choi Ja-woon play the two sons, Matthew and Jason. Hong Sun-woo, a 2025?2026 National Theater Company season member, plays Robert, Brenda’s friend and lawyer who causes conflict. Kim Yong-jun, active on both screen and stage, appears as the father, Steven. Lee Da-hye (Jessica) and Kim Si-young (Tess), who were 2024 and 2025?2026 National Theater Company season members respectively, also join the cast.

Performances from April 11 to 13 will be accessibility performances aimed at providing viewing opportunities without exclusion and enjoying theater culture without barriers. Services such as stage model touch tours, audio description, Korean sign language interpretation, Korean subtitle explanation, and mobility support will be provided. After the performance on April 6, a talk with the artists is scheduled, featuring director Ryu Ju-yeon, actress Kim Sun-young who plays Brenda, and actor Kim Yong-jun who plays Steven.