September 25, 2024 (Boston, MA) – CHUANG Stage, Boston’s Asian American theatre company, announces the world premiere of a new one-person play, Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) co-produced with Seoulful Productions, written and performed by Zoë Kim, and directed by Chris Yejin. Performances will begin at the Boston Center for the Arts, Black Box Theater, with a preview performance on Tuesday, November 12 and will run through Saturday, November 30. The production officially opens on Wednesday, November 13.
In this intimate solo performance, acclaimed writer and performer Zoë Kim shapeshifts into her family members, unraveling a candid semi-autobiographical story about our love languages and how we often fail to communicate with the ones we love the most. Over the course of 75 whirlwind minutes, audiences will experience moments of laughter and heartbreak in an intimate journey that delves into the complexities of family, love, and Korean/American identity.
“Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) is an autobiographical solo show about love. It’s a play about how we learn to love, how we love, and how we love ourselves. It’s a love letter to my inner child and hopefully to yours, too.” shares playwright Zoë Kim. "It’s meaningful for Seoulful Productions to be co-producing our first theatrical endeavor with CHUANG Stage, whose values align so closely with our own. We are thrilled for our collective communities to come together in celebration of Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) and to be able to share stories that center the AANHPI experience with the wider Boston audience." shares The Board of Directors at Seoulful Productions.
The production will include choreography by Christopher Shin, lighting design by Ari Kim, projection design by Michi Zaya, sound design by Katie Kuan-Yu Chen, set and costume design by Szu-Feng Chen.
“As a Director, I created a private space for a life story where it can be seen, felt, and experienced. This space is so small that one can hardly breathe, or it is too big that one gets lost. Sometimes, words and emotions are thrown from everywhere. Often, there are echoes of lost voices that no one listens to,” says Director Chris Yejin. “I admire the bravery of the playwright in opening up this space for us."
CHUANG Stage is currently a resident theatre company at Boston Center for the Arts, committed to fostering joyful and radical stories that transform the narrative of Asian Americans in the city of Boston and beyond. Associate Producer of CHUANG Stage, Jenny S. Lee shares: “It is such an honor and an excitement to be able to bring the world premiere of Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) to life, helmed by visionary director Chris Yejin. Putting the voice of a bilingual, Korean American femme creative in center stage is our version of a love letter to our community in the city of Boston–one that is so deeply personal that it becomes uniquely universal. Kim and Yejin have crafted an experience that will tear you apart, cradle the pieces back together, and leave you pondering what it means to eat and be eaten and therefore to love and be loved.”
Michaila Cowie is the Director of Theatre Arts at Boston Center for the Arts, and shares her excitement about investing in another season of radically joyful Asian American new work at CHUANG Stage. Cowie shares: “CHUANG Stage is entering their second year as our Launchpad Resident, here at Boston Center for the Arts, and I could not be more excited to have DID YOU EAT? (밥 먹었니?) as their first production of the season. I'm eager to see how this show will elevate conversations about identity, love and connection. CHUANG Stage consistently pushes the boundaries of theatre by showcasing diverse voices and narratives, fostering dialogue within communities, and highlighting underrepresented stories, and this show is a great example of that. I’m honored to collaborate with them as a vital part of BCA’s community.”
Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?), written and performed by Zoë Kim and directed by Chris Yejin. Produced by CHUANG Stage and Seoulful Productions. Venue: Boston Center for the Arts, BCA Black Box Theatre, 539 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116. For more information, please visit www.chuangstage.org. Tickets are pay-as-you-are, starting at $0. (Suggested Price: $30).
BIOS:
ZOË KIM (Playwright/Actor) is a storyteller who is passionate about creating art that encourages humanity, compassion, and kindness. She is a classically trained Actor and the Founder of Seoulful Productions, a Korean-American women-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose primary mission is to create artistic experiences that celebrate the culture, artistry, and voices of the Korean Diaspora. Her acting credits include The Heart Sellers, Pride and Prejudice, Eureka Day, Motherf**ker with the Hat, The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare’s Globe in London), 4000 Miles, and The King’s Language (world premiere). She wrote Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) and screenplays for Phone Call, Meet Me at a Funeral (MMF), Say, Do You Wanna Be White?, and multiple episodes of Blue Match Comedy. MMF and Phone Call became official selections at various film festivals and have won her numerous awards including EMERGING FILMMAKER, BEST COMEDY, and BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE. www.thezoekim.com @thezoekim
CHRIS YEJIN (Director) is a first-generation Korean American who has steadily worked as a Director, Writer, and Dramaturg in theater and film. Strongly influenced by both Korean and American cultures, she has assimilated her experiences and given them a voice through her work. Her theater directing includes Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?), The King's Language (world premiere), I Do for You (musical), Your Final Moment, Three Girls, Their Dreams, The War (world premiere), Medea The Woman, Ahn’s Three Daughters, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her writing includes Belong (screenplay), The King's Language, and Three Girls, Their Dreams, The War. www.chrisyejin.com
ABOUT CHUANG STAGE:
Founded in 2018, CHUANG Stage is Boston’s Asian American theatre company, cultivating joyful and radical pan-Asian stories that pioneer a translingual activism in the arts. CHUANG Stage envisions a future in the American theatre moved forward by theatre artists and audiences of Asian descent through innovative productions that focus on the diverse language needs of the pan-Asian immigrant community. For more information, please visit chuangstage.org.
ABOUT SEOULFUL PRODUCTIONS:
SEOULFUL PRODUCTIONS is dedicated to creating artistic experiences that celebrate the culture, artistry, and voices of the Korean Diaspora through our own eyes and lived experiences. Seoulful Productions strives in uplifting storytelling as a vehicle to dismantle systemic racism, amplify marginalized voices, and advocate for humanity. www.seoulfulproductions.org
ABOUT BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) supports working artists to create, perform, and exhibit new works; develops new audiences; and connects the arts to community, and has for over five decades engaged the creative community for public good. While the organization’s physical residence is in the historic South End, BCA touches every part of Boston’s cultural ecosystem. A leading force in the city’s cultural community, BCA has supported thousands of individual artists, small organizations, and performing arts companies, who add depth and dimension to the Boston arts ethos. Through residencies and programming, BCA serves as an epicenter for an expanding cohort of artists working across all disciplines, and has catalyzed careers by providing fertile ground for experimentation and artistic risk-taking. To learn more about Boston Center for the Arts, visit bostonarts.org.
