Esther K. Chae

Esther K. Chae serves as Assistant Professor of Acting at the University of Southern California's School of Dramatic Arts, teaching Intermediate Acting, Actor's Instrument, English Language Dubbing, and cross-disciplinary courses for Engineering and Education schools. As an inaugural iPodia Faculty Fellow (2023), she pioneers "learning-through-diversity" pedagogy and borderless classrooms via technology.

Her academic foundation includes:

• MFA in Acting, Yale School of Drama
• MA in Theater Studies, University of Michigan
• BA in French Literature, Korea University

Chae's creative scholarship interrogates systemic inequities through performance, exemplified by her internationally acclaimed solo play So the Arrow Flies (published bilingually) and TEDx talk "WIBLDD: What If Bruce Lee Didn't Die," which analyzes #HollywoodSoWhite, Yellowface casting, and Asian American media erasure. Her recent VR performance Ae-ri in Otherland merges Eastern/Western linguistic traditions via multilingual ensemble work.

Her major recognitions include:

• Martin Luther King Jr./Cesar Chavez/Rosa Parks Visiting Professorship
• Asian Pacific Islander American Trailblazer Award
• Korean Wave (Hallryu) Asia Star Award
• Inaugural TED Fellow (2009)

Chae mentors globally across institutions in Nigeria, Italy, and Korea while consulting for industry giants like Marvel (Black Panther) and NBC (World of Dance). Her speaker coaching for Google, Sephora, and XPrize bridges performance techniques with corporate communication. The Ae-ri in Otherland project demonstrated innovative global collaboration through VR headsets and Spatial.io, featuring bi-cultural performers navigating linguistic collisions between English, Korean, and Chinese characters.