Diana Miae Son is an American playwright, television producer, and writer. She is known for her work on '' American Crime'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', '' Southland'', and '' Blue Bloods''. She, along with Brian Yorkey, has also served as the

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

for '' 13 Reasons Why''.

Early life

Son was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

and raised in

Dover, Delaware Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part o ...

, which Son has described as a very small town with very few

Asian-Americans Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...

. Son has an older brother, Grant Son. Son's father, Yong Sup Son, and mother, Soon Chum "Ruby" Son, were both from

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

. Son's mother came to the United States in 1963. She had six sisters in Korea. Son's parents met in Philadelphia, where her father was a student at the College of Pharmacy (now the

University of the Sciences University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (University of the Sciences or USciences) was a private university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. USciences offered bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in pharmacy and other health-related dis ...

) and her mother was an exchange nurse at

Lankenau Medical Center Lankenau Medical Center, part of Main Line Health, is a 370-bed acute care, teaching hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Lankenau Medical Center has been named as one of the top 5 hospitals in the Philadelphia region by '' U.S. News & World Repo ...

. They moved to Dover in 1967, where they owned and operated the Town Drug Store in the Milford Shopping Center in

Milford, Delaware Milford is a city in Kent and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. According to the 2020 census, the population of the city is 11,190 people and 4,356 households in the city. The Kent County portion of Milford is part of the Dover, DE ...

. Son grew up working in the drug store. Son credits seeing

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a ...

's production of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' at the Joseph Papp Public Theater and

New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...

on a 1983 high school senior class trip for her inspiration to be a playwright. Diane Venora starred in the lead role of Hamlet. ''Hamlet'' was the first play she saw, and it was her first visit to a theater. Son studied Dramatic Literature at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

. When she was a senior in college she interned at

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

, an

off-off Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the prof ...

theatre and cultural institution.

Theater

Son's first play was called ''Wrecked On Brecht'' and was published in 1987. For eight to 10 years, she wrote and produced short plays in the downtown area of Manhattan. Her play ''BOY'' premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 1996 and was directed by Michael Greif. The storyline for ''BOY'' is based on Son's mother's family adopting a male cousin. It is a story in which a young girl's parents decide to raise her as a son. In 1998, her play ''Fishes'' premiered at New Georges in New York City. Son wrote the short play ''R.A.W. ('Cause I'm A Woman)'', which explores how men view Asian-American women. Her first full-length play, '' Stop Kiss'', debuted in 1998. It was critically acclaimed. The play was produced

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

in 1998 at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

in New York City. It was extended three times. The play's initial run featured

Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht is an American actress and singer who played Gretchen Schwartz on ''Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', and Carol on '' The Boys''. She has also made numerous Broadway appearances. Early life and education Hecht was born ...

, Saul Stein,

Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005 ...

, Saundra McClain, Kevin Carroll, and Rick Holmes. Son met Oh—who has participated in readings of every play by Son since they met—in 1995 in Los Angeles while involved in the New Works Festival. The play features two women who kiss on the street, and are "grievously injured" in an attack. Themes include gay bashing and identity. After the first night's performance of ''Stop Kiss,'' Son realized she would no longer have to do "copyediting, proofreading, waitressing, and temping"—jobs she took to support herself before the play came out. It has since been produced by hundreds of theaters. In 2014, ''Stop Kiss'' was produced at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

, where it made the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

' "Best of 2014" list. In 2006, Son wrote ''Satellites,'' a play

starred in that was directed by Michael Greif at

Television

Son has worked in television since 2000, starting out as a story editor for ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

.'' She was Playwright in Residence at the Taper during the same period. She has also worked on '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', '' Southland'', and '' Blue Bloods.''

Recent work

In March 2015, Son began work on the ABC series '' American Crime''. At the 2015 TCAs,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

ordered the pilot for ''Love is a Four Letter Word.'' It will be produced by

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Co ...

and Red Arrow’s U.S. scripted arm, Fabrik Entertainment. Son will write and executive produce with Mikkel Bondesen and Kristen Campo.

Personal life

Son has taught playwriting at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

and

. , Son is the Playwrighting Program Chair of the Dramatists Guild of America's Fellows Program, a mentorship and support program for playwrights and musical theater writers. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Women in Theatre, and the

Writers Guild of America, East The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is a labor union representing writers in film, television, radio, news, and online media. The Writers Guild of America, East is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America West. Together the guilds admin ...

. Son is an alumna of New Dramatists. Son has written much of her work (plays and television) at the non-profit urban writer's colony The Writers' Room in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. Son lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband Michael Cosaboom and their three boys, the youngest of whom are twins. Son met Cosaboom, an Interactive Telecommunications Program major, when she worked at NYU in that department. Son has said her parents are very supportive of her writing career.

Filmography

Awards and grants

* Won the Berilla Kerr award for playwriting *

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their liv ...

for Best New York Production for '' Stop Kiss'' * Nominated for the John Gassner Playwriting prize * Recipient of an NEA/TCG Theatre Residency Grant with the

Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a 739-seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center designed by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of Downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the Forum, the neighborin ...

* Brooks Atkinson Fellowship at the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

in London * A member of the Playwrights Unit in Residence at the Joseph Papp Public Theater

Works and publications

Short plays

* Son, Diana. ''Wrecked On Brecht.'' 1987 * Son, Diana. ''Stealing Fire.'' 1992 * Son, Diana. ''2000 Miles.'' 1993. * Son, Diana. ''R.A.W. ('Cause I'm a Woman)'' 1993. * Son, Diana. ''Happy Birthday Jack.'' Dixon, Michael Bigelow, and Amy Wegener.
Humana Festival '99: The Complete Plays.
' Lyme, NH: Smith and Kraus, 1999. * Son, Diana. ''The Moon Please.'' Lane, Eric, and Nina Shengold.
Take Ten II: More Ten-Minute Plays.
' New York: Vintage, 2003. * Son, Diana. ''BOY.'' Yew, Chay.
Version 3.0: Contemporary Asian American Plays.
' New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2011. * Son, Diana. ''R.A.W. ('Cause I'm A Woman).'' Perkins, Kathy A., and Roberta Uno.
Contemporary Plays by Women of Color: An Anthology.
' London: Routledge, 1996. pp. 289–296. * Son, Diana. ''Fishes.'' 1998. * Son, Diana. ''Siberia.'' 2003. * Son, Diana. ''The Moon Please.''
Great Short Plays: Volume 10.
' New York: Playscripts, 2013. pp. 63–74. * Son, Diana. ''Blind Date.'' 2011. * Son, Diana. ''Axis.'' Tricycle Theatre.
The Bomb: A Partial History.
' London: Oberon Books, 2012.

Full length plays

* Son, Diana.
Stop Kiss.
' Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 1999. * Son, Diana.
Satellites.
' New York: Dramatists Play Service, 2008.

Essay

* Son, Diana. ''I Will Follow.'' Hodges, Ben, and Paula Vogel.
The Play That Changed My Life: America's Foremost Playwrights on the Plays That Influenced Them.
' New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2009. pp. 136–141.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Son, Diana Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American dramatists and playwrights of Korean descent American television producers American women television producers American television writers American women television writers Showrunners New York University alumni American writers of Korean descent 21st-century American women