About My Work
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As a writer, my work is driven by my commitment to creating theatre, fiction, theory, and film that confront the realities of life under capitalism.
My perspective as an artist is shaped directly by my experience growing up in cities across America and my family’s constantly shifting level of financial stability. Throughout my upbringing, I witnessed firsthand how the economy and financial pressures actively impact lives, relationships, and a community’s sense of the future. These experiences fuel my passion for creating art that validates and uplifts the stories and struggles of ordinary people and workers, especially in modern America.
As a result, my writing draws inspiration from slow cinema, workers’ theatre of the 1930s, performance art, and anti-nihilist, anti-capitalist theory and literature. I often find that life under capitalism is inherently dramatic, and am drawn to stories rooted in the nature and complications of everyday life. My voice itself is narrative and character driven, descriptive, and, of course, hypernatural, with long, detailed stage directions or descriptions of surrounding environments, as well as dialogue grounded in the speech patterns of real life people. What I find results is plays that often read like novels, and fiction that walks the line between the simple and the strange aspects and contradictions of how human nature manifests under late-stage capitalism.
Out of these influences, I have begun to develop a new style of theatre that I call Durational Theatre, which employs real-time action, extended sequences without dialogue, and hypernaturalistic, meticulous attention to character development and environment. This interest in naturalistic, character-driven storytelling extends to my fiction writing and screenwriting as well.
To achieve this style, my writing process has become deeply rooted in research, interviews, political theory, and literature. This is guided by the time I spent studying Public Law and Political Thought in college, and growing up with a poet father, who exposed me to a wide range of literature, philosophy, poetry, film, and art from a young age. I view my writing as an exercise in documenting the world we live in, creating work that leans observational. With that, I workshop my writing heavily, leaning on a communal, dialogical model of receiving feedback and developing my work.
Ultimately, I strive to create work that insists on earnestness, captures the world we live in, and validates the lived experiences and emotions of ordinary working people. Every play I have had produced (thus far), has had free tickets available to the public, which is a huge part of my commitment to dismantling capitalism. I hope to continue to write pieces that contribute to the canon of work that encourages empathy, hope, action, and accessibility.
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Sample some of my work and view my full portfolio here.
FULL LENGTH PLAYS
Indebted - 2023
An Enemy of the People (adaptation) - 2024
Rot - 2025
In Pursuit Of - 2026
NOLA (in development)
Seattle is Beautiful (in development)ONE ACT PLAYS
Grand Visions - 2020
The Interim - 2025FICTION
Home (short story) - 2024
Intimacy (short story) - 2025
Little Flesh Pearls (short story) - 2026THEORY & ACADEMIC WRITING
Interpassivity in Modern Theatre (blog) - 2025
Durational Theatre (book; in development)FILM
Brainstorm (short film) - 2025
Po’ (short film & music video) - 2026
Helen Lapinsky (feature; in development) -
FULL LENGTH PLAYS
In Pursuit Of — world premiere in March of 2026 with Sub Rosa Theatre Collective. Read more here.
NOLA — reading premiere with Theatre L’Acadie and Pocket VR’s 2025 play inc. Ubator in December of 2025. Read more here.
Rot — workshopped from August to October of 2025 with Zack Peercy’s Workshop with The Factory Theatre. Read more here.
An Enemy of the People — adaptation premiered in May of 2024 with Duality Theatre Company. Read more here.
Indebted — world premiere in June of 2023 with Duality Theatre Company. Read more here.
ONE ACT PLAYS
The Interim — performed with RhinoFest in September 2025 and Sub Rosa Theatre Collective in April 2025. Read more here.
Grand Visions — reading premiere with City Theatre Pittsburgh as a 2025 Young Playwrights Competition Honorable Mention. Read more here.
ACADEMIC & FICTION WRITING
Intimacy — published by Knotted Lace Magazine in November 2025.
Interpassivity in Modern Theatre: How Watching Without Engaging Strips Us of our Power — published by Sub Rosa Theatre Collective. Read the blog post here.
SCREENWRITING
Po’ (short film and music video; shot in 2025)
For more information on my plays, screenplays, adaptations, fiction, theory, and other writings, you can reach out to me at: zoeesoteres@gmail.com
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Durationalism, may be described as:
Rooted in hyperrealism; often performed in real time
Addressing a current issue, often through a working-class lens
Well-researched and intentionally structured
Set in present-day
Dramatic only in the most everyday and mundane ways
Action-oriented and limited in dialogue
A character study of an everyday person
Performed naturally and non-theatrically, as if in a film
Designed with authenticity to the real world in mind
Created in a collaborative environment
Accessible to the public and working class
Drawing inspiration from slow cinema, performance art, workers’ theatre of the 1930s, and anti-capitalist theory and literature, Durational Theatre employs real-time action that is never pantomimed, extended sequences without dialogue, character studies on everyday people, and hypernaturalistic performances, direction, and design to comment on the world we live in.
This form of theatre is vital in an age dominated by media that often discourages critical thinking, promotes escapism, and fosters complacency. By providing audiences with challenging art that rejects overdramatized tropes, metahumor, and escapist tendencies, Durational Theatre compels us to confront the stark realities of everyday characters’ lives. It invites viewers to move beyond the initial stage of boredom, leading (hopefully) to a transcendental catharsis, where even a small action can feel emotionally monumental.
I hope that Durationalism encourages viewers to dare to be bored, to be earnest, to take change seriously – things we desperately need in 2025. Living under capitalism means living under fear, oppression, and exhaustion. The fact that the majority of the American public has become vessels for labor, barely surviving under the crushing forces of imperialist expansion, neo-fascism, and surging costs of living, along with constant distractions of soft pleasures like escapist art, short form content, and materialism that prevent us from mobilizing, must be seen in television, film, books, and social media, and must be taken seriously.
These stories, more than ever, must also be portrayed onstage. Watching a person experience the real-life terror of economic precarity right in front of you can be liberating and eye-opening. The more that we can encourage audiences of all backgrounds to attend accessible theatre that validates dissatisfaction toward our American reality, the more that the emotional, not just intellectual understanding of this reality can become widespread.
The path forward to class consciousness lies in empathy, hope for the future, rejection of constant entertainment in favor of action, and education. It lies in validating the experiences of oppressed classes. It lies in community. I hope that Durationalism contributes to the canon of work that actively helps to forge this path.
scroll for a deeper look into my plays, writing, fiction, theory, & other work!
My Oeuvre
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NOLA
A Full-Length Play
7 Actors; Approx. 90 Minutes
First Workshop: December 2025, Reading at The Facility Theatre
Theatre L’Acadie/Pocket VR’s inc. Ubator, Directed by Stefan Roseen -
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IN PURSUIT OF
A Full-Length Play
8 Actors; Approx. 3 Hours
First Production: February 2025, Full Production
Sub Rosa Theatre Collective, Directed by Nole Beran -
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SHORT STORIES
Intimacy - published in Knotted Lace, November 2026
Home - unpublished
Little Flesh Pearls - unpublished -
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ROT
A Full-Length Play
5 Actors; Approx. 90 Minutes
First Workshop: September to October 2025, Workshop
Zack Peercy’s Workshop at The Factory Theatre -
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THE INTERIM
A One Act Play
1 Onstage Actor; 5 Voices; Approx. 60 Minutes
First Production: April 2025 at The Labyrinth Club
Sub Rosa Theatre Collective, Directed by Spencer Swenson -
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AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE
A Full-Length Play
Written by Henrik Ibsen; Translated by Eleanor Marx; Adapted by Zoé Soteres
7 Actors; Approx. 2 Hours and 30 Minutes
First Production: May 2024, The Den Theatre
Duality Theatre Company, Directed by Zoé Soteres -
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INDEBTED
A Full-Length Play
6 Actors; Approx. 2 Hours and 30 Minutes
First Production: June 2023, On-Site
Duality Theatre Company, Directed by Izzi King -
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HELEN LAPINSKY
A Feature Film, Directed by Spencer Swenson
Produced by 640Films -
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PO'
A Music Video/Short Film, Directed & Co-Written by Spencer Swenson
Produced by 640Films -
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GRAND VISIONS
A One Act Play
4 Actors; Approx. 45 Minutes
First Reading: June 2020
City Theatre Pittsburgh, Young Playwright’s Competition Showing
NOLA
Description: “On January 1, 2025, a man drove a truck straight down Bourbon Street in New Orleans at 3:15am, killing fourteen and injuring fifty-seven people. In NOLA, six service industry workers at The Bijou Bayou on Canal Street work two shifts: the day before the attack, and the day after. As each day unfolds, the workers are forced to confront their relationships to labor, American identity, and how they’re perceived by each other and the public they serve.”
About the Show & Production History: NOLA is being written and developed as a part of Theatre L’Acadie and Pocket VR’s 2025 Play inc. Ubator cohort. A 30-minute reading of a portion of the play will go up in December of 2025, directed by Stefan Roseen and produced at The Facility Theatre. The play and its characters are based on real interviews that I conducted while I was in New Orleans on January 1st, and focuses on its ensemble cast in order to examine economic precarity, worker exploitation, and the cost of national trauma. Read more about the Inc. Ubator program here.
Interested in watching the reading, directed by Stefan Roseeen? Check it out in VR (courtesy of Joel Willison and Pocket VR) here.
Photos courtesy of Brandii Champagne.
In Pursuit Of
Description: “Inspired loosely by Crime & Punishment, In Pursuit Of follows Theo, a young man navigating life in an unfamiliar city while balancing the pressures of college & a dead-end data entry job. He toils under the shadow of a younger, more successful boss, who humiliates Theo at every turn, pushing him to adopt the morally ambiguous teachings of his academic advisor. As the demands of home, work, and school intensify, Theo becomes fixated on securing a promotion and outmaneuvering his boss, even if it means compromising his own ethical boundaries. In the meantime, he encounters a myriad of characters who challenge his notions of right and wrong, ultimately leading him on a tumultuous journey of atonement and self-discovery.”
About the Show & Production History: In October of 2024, In Pursuit Of received its first public reading. The play is an intentional departure from theatrical norms, placing an emphasis on action, sound, and character, instead of on dialogue, melodrama, and addressing themes of economic precarity, morality, nihilism, misogyny, rape culture, forgiveness, and toxic masculinity. It will receive its world premiere production with Sub Rosa Theatre Collective in February of 2026, directed by Nole Beran. Read more about the production here.
Reviews: “An impressive and remarkably viable new play. Soteres’ ability to research and revise her work is uncommon. She manages to write complex ideas in a way that is speakable for the actor and compelling to the audience. The play honors its Russian roots while managing to be horrifyingly American. I long to see this in full production.” - George Keating, actor, professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University, and staged reading performer
“In Pursuit Of was one of the most daring, provocative, yet laugh-out-loud funny pieces I have ever had the pleasure of working on. Not only is the writer incredibly talented and profound with her writing, but the entire theatre company producing this work are passionate visionaries who are hungry to produce work that really sits with audiences. I personally would love to see In Pursuit Of as a fully realized production as I feel it challenges its audience in a way that’s effective and immediate.” - Olemich Tugas, actor and staged reading performer
“In a moment dominated by the likes of Andrew Tate and Elon Musk, In Pursuit Of offers an honest, empathetic, and compelling insight into the minds of young men searching for purpose and meaning in their lives. It does not pull punches in portraying the destructive nihilism that permeates modern masculinity, but also refuses to dehumanize and deny agency to the protagonist.” - Brick Zurek, community & union organizer and audience member
Short Stories
Intimacy
Description: “An exploration of a young woman’s painful bouts of nostalgia for other people’s lives.”
Publishing History: An excerpt of Intimacy was published in Knotted Lace’s second issue, coming out in November 2025. Soon, the issue will be found digitally here.
Brief Excerpt: “Jacqueline knew, she just knew, that Marlene was a redhead and wore Ray Bans, she knew exactly what the Reno sun felt like even though she had never been there, she could see the words Joan Didion had written even though she’d never read one of her books, and she missed it.
Clarice and Jacqueline sat and talked for three hours before Clarice had to go to another engagement. Jacqueline hoped they would meet up again, talk a little more, get a little closer, learn a little more about each other, and later be in each other’s wedding parties – and they might have, if she had ever reached out or expressed any enjoyment of Clarice’s company.”
Home
Description: “A young, anhedonic woman visits her parents after eight months of no contact.”
Brief Excerpt: “I watched Jeopardy with them after dinner. My mom guessed all the answers right. After every couple of rounds my dad would throw his hands up in the air and groan. How do you know? How do you always know? Why can’t I ever get one right?
It made me and my mom laugh. He was joking. And it was very funny. But I think part of him was very serious. I know because I felt the same way as him. I wanted to get an answer right. It’s annoying when someone else is always right and you’re always wrong or you don’t know the answer. But I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She had been very nice to me on this trip.
I went up to bed. I couldn’t sleep. I packed up my suitcase and spent the rest of the night watching YouTube. I thought about reorganizing the room. I thought about folding the socks I had unfolded and putting the shirt away. I decided not to.”
Little Flesh Pearls
Description: “The relationship between memory, grief, and soft pleasures comes to a head as Allick fights his way through the Chattanooga airport and attention economy, desperate for lucidity.”
Brief Excerpt: “Every time Allick flew, his plane would get delayed. And yet, he didn’t mind. More delays meant more time in limbo.
Allick left for the airport in Chattanooga on August 4th three hours prior to when his plane was scheduled to leave, as was his practice. He calculated that, with that amount of time, he would be able to get through security, grab some McDonald’s, and get seated comfortably at his gate. There, he planned to charge his phone and watch some YouTube until, inevitably, his flight was delayed or canceled. The thought of this soothed him. While his Uber driver droned on about Tesla and self-driving cars, Allick replayed his plan in his mind. He looked forward to the routine of flying.
Once he got through security, Allick made a beeline for the McDonald’s – the only restaurant in the airport. He had starved himself all day in anticipation for this particular moment. Something about being in the airport seemed to give him permission to binge eat.
He ordered three plain hamburgers, no ketchup, no mustard, no pickles, no onion, no cheese, no fries, no drink. At the gate, he tore open the bag and got to work, dumping salt on the patties and shoving them down his throat until his tastebuds were so irritated that he could bite them off his tongue, chew on them, and swallow them. Little flesh pearls.”
Rot
Description: “Annika has been juggling overnight shifts at a 24-hour CVS, TA-ing at the University of Pittsburgh, and caregiving for her mom with early-onset dementia, for years. Frequently alone and struggling under the weight of these commitments, she begins to form unorthodox methods of releasing her pent up frustration. As pressures in her life mount, Annika develops increasingly bizarre, co-dependent relationships with both a quiet, insecure co-worker and a bright, but privileged undergraduate student at Pitt, leading to a confrontation between both sides of her warped personality.”
About the Show & Production History: Rot is still in early development. After the completion of its first draft, it was accepted into Zack Peercy’s The Workshop at The Factory Theatre, and is now in the revision stage. The play explores how capitalism warps and commodifies our relationships, time, personhood, and coping mechanisms. With a focus on hypernaturalism, character study, silence, stage action, and setting, the play is most influenced by slow cinema films like Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, Robert Bresson's A Man Escaped, and Michael Haneke's The Piano Teacher, with hints of Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Read more about The Workshop at The Factory Theatre here.
Review: “Soteres sustains an unrelenting tension in Rot full of rage and spite and hope for a better tomorrow. This capitalist nightmare thriller full of power dynamics and heavy silences will have you unable to look away from the system we all created.” - Zack Peercy, Artistic Director of the Factory Theatre
The Interim
Description: “The Interim focuses on a young woman, Molly, as she reflects on her life in the outside world before she made the decision to destroy her belongings, cut off her family, and go into complete isolation in her small, Chicago apartment.”
About the Show & Production History: In April of 2025, The Interim received its premiere in conjunction with Sub Rosa Theatre Collective and The Labyrinth Club. Directed by Spencer Swenson, a film director making his stage debut, the show utilized Durational Theatre techniques in order to provide an action-focused, character driven show that analyzes depression, isolation, and economic precarity in modern society. It also featured the voices of Jack Baust, Patrice Egleston, Izzi King, James Phillips, and Chloe Rodriques, with stage management from Alena Santoyo. In its second production with RhinoFest 2025, The Interim was directed by Alena Santoyo, developed with Alena and Ricardo Gamboa, stage managed by Nina Martyn, and featured the voices of Patrice Egleston, Eric Jacobson, Izzi King, James Phillips, and Chloe Rodriques. Read more about both productions here.
Reviews: The show was reviewed by Hudson James Therriault of Medium as “deliberately glacial; each drip of information is meant to be savored, mulled over.” He also writes, “Soteres’ writing is barebones and realistic. The slow burn is delightful — but be sure to bring your own passion for observation. Her performance is both patient and impulsive. The Labyrinth Club is a charming venue with limitations that Sub Rosa has used to their advantage. They have created an intimate space for us to slow down. To look. To listen. Closer.”
Stefan Brün, the Executive Director of Prop Thtr, noted, “What an exciting event! […] The build of [The Interim] over time and — for my reference world — Grotowski-like, catastrophe bodily climax, lifted me away from the loud world run by discourse and text. The Body ran counter. […] I look forward to investigating, here just […] a big dose of gratitude for such impelling theatre.”
Photos courtesy of Spencer Swenson.
An Enemy of the People
Description: “Written by Henrik Ibsen in 1882, An Enemy of the People centers around Dr. Stockmann, a recent medical school graduate, family-appointed medical officer, and newlywed, who discovers that his small town's coveted Health Resort is contaminated with poisonous water. In spite of his desperate attempts to reveal this danger to the public, he is met with scrutiny and the threat of disgrace by the government, the press, and the people.”
About the Show & Production History: In May of 2024, An Enemy of the People, written by Henrik Ibsen, translated by Eleanor Marx, and adapted by me for a younger cast, went up at The Den Theatre in Chicago — selling out almost every night. The adaptation placed a unique focus on the effects that the actions of Dr. Stockmann, the mayor, and the media in the small Norwegian town have on the townspeople — whose very livelihoods and understandings of what is at stake are left in the hands of those in power. With a diverse and sometimes gender-bent cast and an adaptation intended to highlight the talents of young Chicago performers, the show seeks to shine a light on political issues today, including: the amalgamation of the media and the government, the negative effects of wealth disparity on politics, while staying true to the classic critiques presented in the play regarding group think and moderation. Read more about the production here.
Reviews:“[Director] Zoé Soteres did an exceptional job of orchestrating this talented yet seemingly unknown cast. [Her] spirited and witty approach was exuberant and entertaining throughout the two-hour production.” - Rick McCain, Let’s Play Theatrical Reviews
“The newly created Duality Theatre Co. boldly takes on this invigorating play, infusing it with its unique interpretation, strong drama, Ibsen's excellent dialogue, and compelling characters. They pulled off a smashing and enthralling performance that is not to be missed.” - Rick McCain, Let’s Play Theatrical Reviews
Photos courtesy of Spencer Swenson.
Indebted
Description: “Faced with the possibility of flunking out of college while balancing classes, long work hours, and a social life, Claudia pushes herself - and her friends - beyond what any of them thought was possible.”
About the Show & Production History: In June of 2023, Duality Theatre Company, produced a production of Indebted. Directed by Izzi King and starring a variety of young artists based in Chicago including myself, the play sought to address economic precarity for college students and members of Gen-Z. The play took place in my college apartment, and had a limited, immersed audience. Read more about this production here.
Photos courtesy of Spencer Swenson.
