2025 In Review
- zoewritestheatre
- Dec 29, 2025
- 4 min read
Happy almost 2026!
This year has been quite a year for me, and for Zoe Writes Theatre. I celebrated my three years running this blog, and my little baby project just keeps growing and growing. Since we’re mere days away from the new year, I wanted to do a sort of year in review. 2025 was definitely very good to me, and I really can’t wait to see what 2026 brings me. At this point, it can only go up from here! So here is me, Zoe, reflecting on the past year. I hope you get as much out of it as I have.
I have seen 30 plays this year (if I counted correctly)!
Wow! What a huge number! When I started this blog, I definitely was not getting to see that many shows. But over the past couple years, I’ve gotten more and more invitations, and it’s gotten me to that unbelievably massive number of plays. Getting to go all around Philadelphia and the surrounding area has been a dream come true. There is truly so much amazing theatre around here…you don’t need to go to NYC for great theatre! All this running around and seeing shows has been amazing. Here are a few of my favorites!
There was so much to get out of this show. I loved the premise, I loved how it played out, and I loved just getting to experience it. Everything about this show was divine, and it will definitely stick with me for a long time.
This was the first time I had seen this show live, and damn, it was absolutely incredible. Bristol Riverside Theatre really nailed this one, and my mother and I agreed it was Broadway worthy. I was definitely not let down on this one.
What a simple and stunning show. It was so intense and beautifully done, and I loved every second of what I watched. Matteo Scammell and Jered McLenigan took home the Barrymore for this one, and it was definitely well deserved.
Repertory theatre is super intense for the audience, but I’m sure even more so for the actors. Despite this, the cast of these shows at Quintessence brought so much to two very different Shakespeare plays. It was super impressive to see that work.
Rent is one of my favorite musicals of all time, and the Arden’s production was unbelievable. We had an immersive experience, sitting on a sofa in the front row, and it made the whole thing even better. I think it was one of my favorite productions of Rent I’ve seen.
I’m a total sucker for one person shows. Chris Davis is absolutely hilarious with everything he does! One-Man Nutcracker was also a total treat. But seeing this show in a tiny, intimate space, was absolute perfection.
Finishing the year with this play couldn’t be more perfect. It was so stunning, so breathtaking, and so, so well done. The world is a very strange place these days, and The Mountaintop brought a lot of that to life. This is another one that will stick with me.
I have interviewed around 25 artists this year (if I counted correctly)!
As readers know, because of Zoe Writes Theatre, I get to interview artists from all over Philly. And not just actors! I’ve also gotten to talk to backstage people, from sound artists to fight choreographers. Theatre is developed by all sorts of people, and I love that I’ve gotten to talk to so many people about what they do. None of these artists would be doing it if it wasn’t something they didn’t love with all of their heart. You can really see this in interviews. It’s something I love about doing them. Here are some of my favorite interviews from this year!
Anyone who knows anything about the Philly theatre scene knows that Lindsay Smiling is part of the very heart of it all. He is a co-artistic director of the Wilma, but he’s also an actor, and a director, and a generally kick-ass person. I loved getting to pick his brain a bit!
Cordaro was my fight choreographer interview! This was definitely a cool one…what he did for Archduke was unbelievable. I don’t think people realize just what goes into these things, or what it takes to have something as seamlessly choreographed as Archduke did.
I knew Christopher, Tyler, and Sarah from before, but I really got to talk to them about Midsummer and Antony and Cleopatra in rep. They really went all out for this interview, and not only was it fantastic, it made me so happy that I know amazing people who do amazing things.
This year, I went to the Barrymore’s! I got a Patreon! I’ve posted more and more, have gotten to experience so much theatre, and am so happy with something that started as a small project and has really taken off. Thank you all for an amazing year…I’m looking forward to another!
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