Theatre lovers are getting excited for a new play focusing on HIV awareness in the gay community and specifically in black gay men.
As Billboard reports, a new play by the name of As Much As I Can is getting ready to debut in New York City. The play hopes to start a dialogue about how HIV affects gay men of color and it’s being put up with the help of HIV/AIDS awareness group ACCELERATE! and its father company ViiV Healthcare.
“It's a reflection of the resilience, faith, love and hope black gay men need to carry on against the odds and stigma,” Marc Meachem, ViiV Healthcare's head of external affairs, said.
As ViiV Healthcare’s website states:
"’As Much as I Can’ invites audiences into the lives of four Black gay men, exploring the complex relationships they have to faith, family, community, friends and themselves. Audiences are also invited to experience the disruptions, dreams, disappointments and resiliencies of these men’s lives.”
The stories in As Much As I Can are based on real experiences shared by Black gay men from Baltimore and Jackson.
On top of that, the play is also an interactive one where the audience can participate in the storytelling.
As Meachem stated to Billboard:
“Theater people describe immersive theater as removing the 'fourth wall,' a barrier between the performance and the audience,” he said. “Removing this barrier creates the opportunity to bring about a deeper connection with the subject. The audience engages at a different level, and we believe this can help people look at their own biases, as well as those of society, more objectively.”
With men of color, and specifically gay and bisexual black men, being the most at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, it’s great that stories like As Much As I Can are shining a light on the problem and sharing stories about it.
As Much As I Can will be playing at Harlem Parish in New York City from May 8 to May 24. You can get tickets for free at amaicny.com.
