ADirector Zoë Kim’s solo show, “Did You Eat?” (밥 먹었니 ?),” examines love languages. It will take place at the Boston Center for the Arts Black Box Theater November 12-30.

“My family uses that expression in place of other things they really need to say,” Kim told the Globe in the CHUANG Stage studio at BCA. “‘Have you eaten?’ could mean “I’m sorry”. It could mean “I love you”. It could mean “I’m worried about you” or “I miss you”.

In the play, Kim plays several members of her family in Seoul. She took him to Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023. The Boston production, a presentation of CHUANG Stage and Seoulful Productions, is its full world premiere.

“A playwright friend asked me when I was writing my first draft, ‘If you could go back in time, what do you think you would like to say to little Zoë?’” Kim said.

It’s a story, she says, “about how we learn to love and how we love ourselves.”

Where to find it: www.instagram.com/thezoekim

Age: Kim refused to say. “Publishing an actor’s age has never helped any actor or actress I know, no matter how young or old they are.”

Originally from: Seoul. She moved to Northern California at age 16.

Lives in:Brooklyn

Earn a living: Kim is a new work development manager in New York Public Theater.

Studio: Tape on the floor marks the stage design. The actress said she was “playing with movement” for a show that emphasizes physical expression.

Director Chris Yejin “is interested in the body doing something very different from what is said, to create this feeling of life that doesn’t always make sense,” Kim said.

How she started: “I was raised by my grandmother. I would always play for her and it would be the only time she would laugh,” Kim said. “I knew this was what I wanted to do – anything that would make the people who cared about me feel better.”

What she does: Stories. During COVID, the surge anti-Asian hatred alarmed him. “As a storyteller, it made me wonder: What could I do to combat this? This led me to learn more about the stories that were being told, the stories that had been told, and the stories that were going to be told about our community. This led to “Have you eaten?” »

How she works: The one-woman show was an “intense collaboration” with Yejin, Kim said. “It was Chris who brought up the question: ‘What if you told your own story instead of presenting it through the lens of other characters?’ How about you just tell the truth?’

What she would advise her younger self: “Create a life you can love outside of your art. Have real friendships. Have true love in your life. Have healthy boundaries. It is so important to stay sane and continue creating your art.

HAVE YOU EATEN? (and what is it?)

Piece by Zoë Kim. Directed by Chris Yejin. November 12-30. Black Box Theater, Boston Center for the Arts. Suggested price $30. www.chuangstage.org/did-you-eat

Cate McQuaid can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @cate.mcquaid.