The 2024 Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) is hosting numerous shows over its three week run time. From July 7-30, CATF brings together a diverse range of talented actors, writers and directors each season, bringing theater to the historic Shepardtwon, West Virginia. This year is, of course, no different; artists exploring themes of gender, acceptance and spirituality all take the stage. Donja R. Love exemplifies this.
In his conversation with Monica Alford, Wild Side Media’s Founder and CEO, Donja discussed the inspiration and themes behind his newest creative endeavor, “What Will Happen to All That Beauty?” His work, which he calls an “offering” instead of the traditional label of a play, tells a story of generational trauma as a queer person of color with AIDS in a world where this is often a death sentence.
“As a person living with HIV who’s been living with HIV since 2008 I seldom have seen myself reflected as a black queer person in the world. It doesn’t matter who we are, the space and identities,” Love said. “We occupy this world. We all want to be seen. And we all want to know that we matter, right, and this work is hopefully doing that for a community.”
Listen to their full conversation here to learn about the inspiration behind this story, why it’s an offering and more.
We occupy this world. We all want to be seen. And we all want to know that we matter, right, and this work is hopefully doing that for a community.