Jeon Do-yeon: “Let’s not be intimidated even if we make eye contact with New York audiences ... The standing ovation for ‘The Cherry Orchard’ gave me confidence.”

[Financial News] Actor Jeon Do-yeon shared her thoughts on taking the stage in New York with the play ‘The Cherry Orchard.’ She said she had been especially nervous because the audience was so close, but recalled that the standing ovation after the first performance let her enjoy the stage together with the audience.
In an interview on the 9th about the film ‘Possible Love,’ Jeon Do-yeon said, “The New York stage is like a dream stage for theater people, isn’t it? I had high expectations, too.” She added, “At first, I went onstage telling myself not to be intimidated when I made eye contact with the audience.”

‘The Cherry Orchard,’ starring Jeon Do-yeon and Park Hae-soo, is an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s classic set in contemporary Seoul. It was produced by LG Arts Center Seoul and directed by Simon Stone. The production’s journey, which began in Seoul in 2024, concluded at Park Avenue Armory in New York on September 16–26 (local time). It was the first Korean production to be staged at Park Avenue Armory; it was performed in Korean with English subtitles.
Jeon Do-yeon first recalled the distinctive performance space. Park Avenue Armory is a former armory converted into a venue for exhibitions and performances. She said, “The venue was very special,” adding, “We built a new set to fit the space, and Simon Stone also directed it a little differently. The actors sometimes went up into the audience, so it felt like we were doing a new play.”
The changed space brought excitement as well as tension. She admitted, “The audience seating was right in front of me, and I was scared because the audience was so close.”
But her feelings changed after the first performance. The local audience responded enthusiastically and gave the cast a standing ovation, even though the performance was in an unfamiliar language, giving her confidence for the remaining shows.
“I didn’t know there would be so many audience members from abroad,” Jeon Do-yeon said. “When the first performance ended and we got a standing ovation, I thought, ‘We’ve achieved something,’ and ‘We can finish the rest of the run well, too.’”
Her determination not to be outdone by the audience turned into the joy of creating the performance together. She recalled, “I wondered why I had tried to fight the audience during the first performance, why I had gone in determined not to lose.” She added, “They were there to support us, and with the mindset of enjoying it, we successfully completed all 11 performances.”
She added, “Every performance played to a full house right through the end, and we received standing ovations all the way to the end. The audience response was so good that I felt incredibly proud.”

[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter