This year, Playbill is inviting two artists performing their shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to write down their reflections. These artists first perform their works in New York City, and then again abroad—and Playbill is asking for a behind-the-scenes look before, during, and after their Edinburgh run. Below is an essay by Zoë Kim, whose solo show, Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?), first premiered at Off-Broadway’s 59E59 as part of its East to Edinburgh Festival. The six performances quickly sold out.

Now Kim is at Edinburgh August 4-26 with Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?). The play is directed by Chris Yejin and co-produced by Zoë Kim and Kayla Kim Votapek, as part of their newly created Seoulful Productions. While the show is primarily a story about generational trauma and how it affects our love language between lovers, friends, and family—it’s also a story about food, identity, parent-child relationships, and the Korean-American experience. In this second essay, Kim reflects on the art of self-producing (you can read the first essay here).

When the pandemic hit in 2020, I thought long and hard about how I would move forward as a human and as an artist.

COVID-19 marked the resurgence of blaming the Asian communities for the spread of infectious diseases. Anti-Asian hate crimes skyrocketed across the globe and hearing hateful language simply due to my appearance quickly became the new norm. Witnessing and living through this experience made me think about what I could do to create something positive and healing.

First, I wanted to make art that speaks to hate speech and the overall impact of language in our lives and how, collectively, we deeply struggle to connect with one another’s humanity. Second, I wanted it to be about love, something that gives space to reflect on the different ways that people can love one another. Third, I wanted to be seen unapologetically, dare myself to be brave, truthful, and vulnerable like never before. I wanted to revolt.

Lastly, I wanted to do this with a tribe who shared the same dreams, purpose, and vision for the future. For a long time, I had fantasized about creating a platform that would enable me to live a life of service and to give back to society by creating helpful art. In tandem, I wanted it to be an avenue to reclaim my Korean heritage, celebrate multi-cultural identities, and uplift others like me to do the same.

So, along with three of my trusted friends, we founded Seoulful Productions—a Korean-American women-led, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization—with the mission to create artistic experiences that celebrate the culture, artistry, and voices of the Korean diaspora through our own eyes and lived experiences. Our organization is committed to uplifting storytelling as a vehicle to dismantle systemic racism, amplify marginalized voices, and advocate for humanity.

During the process of ideating all the aforementioned goals, I was saving as much money as possible. I wanted to be ready for us to launch when the time came. I worked three to five jobs, putting aside cash that I could eventually use as seed funding for Seoulful Production’s debut show.  

I’m no stranger to hustling. Since I was 16, I’ve worked close to 40 jobs to support my family and myself.

Starting in July of 2022, my director, Chris Yejin, and I started our script sessions. We met weekly to collaborate in finding the shape of our story. By November, we had a working draft of Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) and started thinking about what our next steps would be in producing it.

Immediately, it became apparent that it would be unaffordable to realize the show as we desired it in New York City, arguably the most expensive city in the world to produce any art. We needed funding, and we would need the right grant opportunity to be able to honor our truest vision of the work. We continued to apply for grants and raising money for an eventual production in NYC, along with the help of our co-producer, Kayla Kim Votapek. At the same time, we decided to workshop our play with an audience.

After that, our next step was to lean into our scrappy theatre roots: the Fringe scene. Back in 2017, Chris and I participated at The Hollywood Fringe Festival with a show she created, The King’s Language. At that time, our show was the only Asian ensemble show and had quickly become an Encore Award Winner, as well as becoming a finalist in the UTM Diversity in American Theater Award and the Inkwell Playwright's Promise Award.

Then, a lightbulb went off in our heads. We could bring our show to Edinburgh-the largest Fringe out there and a long time dream of ours.

After extensive research and cold-emailing former participants for advice, by December, we confirmed an Edinburgh venue that felt like the right fit for our story. We registered our show on the day that registration for the Fringe opened. The very next day, we booked lodging with a local host family via Theatre Digs Booker. Shortly after that, we booked our travels. 

By the end of January, it was settled: We were going to Edinburgh Festival Fringe to premiere Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) (also by this time, we had been confirmed to do previews at 59E59 as part of its East to Edinburgh Festival).

We continued honing the script, working diligently to get it fitted for what we know works for a Fringe showcase: minimal, short, and portable. It also included cutting our 75-minute show down to an hour to fit the venue-mandated hour-long running time. 

In July, we had eight rehearsals leading up to the East to Edinburgh Festival at 59e59 and were able to sell out every show by our first preview. We ended our six-show preview engagement with an outpour of love, enthusiasm, and excitement for us to bring the show back at a later date.

As I sit at a cafe writing this, we’ve completed week one at Edinburgh. Our team has been working relentlessly to get the word out—from flyering on the street daily, to showing up to every networking event, to reaching out to nearly 300 reviewers inviting them to the show. 

Our work has begun to pay off. We received two four-star reviews in just under one week. Our first critic’s review called it “a show not to be missed.” The next called it a “must see show.” The response from the audience has been incredible and warm. We’ve been approached with potential opportunities to tour.

It’s been nothing short of a rollercoaster of an experience, with highs and lows I’ve never felt before as a theatre-maker. It’s a different type of beast doing art here and I’m already a little bit transformed with how much I’ve learned. I can’t wait for the remaining two weeks of the run and am even more excited about what’s next for us when we return to America.

If you’re here at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, I’d love to be able to share Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) with you and say hello!

Zoë Kim (she/her) is a storyteller who is passionate about creating art that encourages humanity, compassion, and kindness. She is the Founder of Seoulful Productions, Korean-American women-led, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to create artistic experiences that celebrate the culture, artistry, and voices of the Korean Diaspora. Did You Eat? (밥 먹었니?) is a debut play by Seoulful Productions. To buy tickets or to learn more about Seoulful Productions, visit: seoulfulproductions.org. Special thanks to Saenam Kim.