‘Our Story’ returns as sign of hope in HIV fight
In the past 20 years, treatments and the experience of living with HIV have changed. But the need for education, testing and the power of personal connection to those with the disease have not. This is why the play “Our Story,” first presented in 2002, will return to an Orlando stage this weekend.
“We sold out every single seat” in the original production, said playwright Larry K. Williams, executive director of the Simeon Resource & Development Center for Men. People came from as far away as Tampa and Jacksonville, and then “people came back and brought friends so they could see what they were going through.”
In “Our Story,” 11 actors, including Williams, perform six vignettes about living with HIV in different situations. Directed by award-winner writer-director Ken Eulo, the play features gospel and other music as it offers hope and encouragement.
Although “Our Story” was written with the Black community in mind, the play “is for everybody,” Williams said. There’s a reason, though, for the outreach to Orlando’s African Americans.
In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2020 HIV Surveillance Report, the Orlando metropolitan area ranked fifth in the nation for the rate of new HIV cases — and the majority of those cases disproportionally impact communities of color, especially the Black population.
In 2002, Williams enlisted pastors to help bring an audience to the play — a successful strategy he’s repeating.
“They supported it then; they support us now,” he said.
Educating and preventing the spread of HIV has been a large part of Williams’ life. He spent a decade at the Orange County Health Department, where he was director of the Office of Minority Health and on the front lines of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, providing counseling and testing.
The Florida Department of Health in Orange County is partnering with the Simeon Center in presenting the play.
“DOH-Orange has a long history of working closely with community organizations to address the health needs of vulnerable populations throughout Orange County, including racial and ethnic minorities,” said county health director Dr. Robert D. Karch in a statement.
“I am delighted to serve as an honorary co-chair for the theatrical production of ‘Our Story.’”
Since leaving the health department, Williams has continued his community outreach through Simeon Resource & Development Center for Men, located southwest of downtown. It focuses on supporting young men in need of mental health assistance, parenting instruction, educational help, vocational training and other life skills.
The play was originally subtitled “AIDS in the Black Community,” but the progress in treating HIV means far fewer people develop full-blown AIDS.
“People are living longer; it is treated as a chronic disease,” Williams said.
To reflect that new reality, the play has been updated — though Williams says its heart remains intact. He tells of one vignette in
which a father finds out his son is gay: “At the end, the father says, ‘I love you, you are my child.’ It’s very encouraging.”
And he thinks, in many ways, the play is less about HIV as a disease and more about the strength found in those living with the illness and their loved ones.
“People will leave feeling differently,” he said. “It’s about struggle, triumph and family and community coming together.”
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