John hails from Atlanta, GA and graduated from Elon University with a B.F.A. in Music Theatre. After graduation, John entered the Teach For America Houston corps and taught 7th grade Reading at Frank Black Middle School, a Title 1 school serving low-income children, for two years. John was a 2013 nominee for the Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teacher Leadership Award for his exceptional outcomes in the classroom.
After completing the corps, John moved to New York City and shortly thereafter went on the road for two years with the First National Tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, traveling to over 54 cities and performing in the ensemble and as the cover for ‘Prince Topher’ and ‘Jean-Michel’. In the Fall of 2017, John originated the role of ‘Bobo’ in the world premiere of the musical KPOP Off-Broadway at Ars Nova.
In the Fall of 2022, “the always wonderful John Yi” (The New Yorker) made his Broadway debut originating the role of ‘Danny’ in KPOP. KPOP began previews on Thursday, October 13 at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre, with an official opening night on Sunday, November 27. The show gave its final Broadway performance Sunday, December 11th, 2022. The KPOP original Broadway cast album released digitally on May 8th, 2023 with a CD album release on May 12, 2023. The album is produced by Harvey Mason Jr. for Sony Masterworks Broadway. KPOP earned three Tony nominations for Best Original Score, Best Choreography, and Best Costume Design of a Musical for 2023.
In Spring and Summer of 2023, John starred as ‘Cinderella’s Prince/Milky White’ in Into the Woods at the Guthrie, directed by Sarna Lapine, in a “scene stealer” performance coined as “comedy gold,” “absurdly funny,” and “played to insane hilarity…who darn near steals every scene he is in as the lovable pet.” Performances ran through August 13. In February 2024, John booked the pilot VIAL as ‘Sunny,’ written by Pete Cestaro and Bruce Buschel and directed by Steve Gomer. Later that Spring, John starred as ‘Michael’ in tick, tick…BOOM! at George Street Playhouse with book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson, directed by David Saint. In the Fall, John originated the role of ‘Dewey’ in The Big Gay Jamboree, directed and choreographed by Connor Gallagher. Performances ran until December 15th, 2024. You can catch John as recurring character ‘Cho-Young Woo’ in the heist series Kaleidoscope, streaming only on Netflix.
In early 2025, John portrayed ‘Tiny Tom’ and ‘Dr. Billeaux’ in Urinetown at New York City Center until February 16th. The production was directed by Teddy Bergman and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Later that summer, John was “sneakily effective” (The New York Times) as the “lovably dim” ‘Cléante’ in The Imaginary Invalid by Molière, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Jesse Berger for Red Bull Theater. The show ran until Sunday, June 29th at New World Stages. John is a recipient of The Theatrely 31: class of 2025, an annual compilation of visionary actors, directors, and theatre makers “poised for a meteoric rise…carving unique paths within our industry.”
