Korean adoptees in Boston find new play "Did You Eat?" relatable about their upbringing
BOSTON - The new solo play "Did You Eat?" about the upbringing of a Korean-American woman is resonating with Boston's Korean adoptees during National Adoption Month.
The play's writer and performer Zoe Kim told WBZ-TV it's not just a story and not just a play.
"Did You Eat?" is a love letter to Kim's inner child, she explained, bringing her Korean culture, upbringing and lived experiences to an intimate stage at Boston Center for the Arts' Plaza Black Box Theatre.
"Did you eat?" as love language
"The phrase 'Did You Eat?' sort of incapsulates a lot of different things that they would like to say," Kim explained. "For example 'Did you eat' can mean how are you, 'Did you eat' can mean I'm sorry, 'Did you eat' can mean I love you. It's sort of the love language at least within my own family."
Kim's journey through love's many forms – how it's learned, given and received – resonated deeply with Boston's Korean adoptees. The solo play debuted during National Adoption Month, forming a powerful connection with Asian Americans and Asian adoptees.
"Coming to the show as a Korean adoptee, I very much felt seen," Kathy Eow said. She's the Vice President of the Boston Korean Adoptees group. "Sort of always craving a sense of belonging with our White families and just growing up in very White environments."
Without giving too much of the storyline away, Eow said she saw a lot of her own upbringing as an adoptee on the stage. Although Kim isn't an adoptee, Eow say the character's journey resembles those who were adopted.
"The sort of emotional reckoning and reconciliation… that the actor Zoe was taking us through," Eow said.
Pay-as-you-go program
The non-profit CHUANG Stage offers a pay-as-you-can program allowing audiences to experience the arts for as little as a dollar and up to $30 through Nov. 30.
"This will open doors for them," Kim said.
An emotional 75 minutes. Eow said her takeaways from the play are priceless.
"The arts connect us, the arts do help us feel seen and heard and I think this show and what Zoe has done is really an awesome example of how Korean diaspora and Asian diaspora storytelling can have such an impact our own experiences."