Cathea is torn between her two best friends, Swannee, an HIV-positive man looking for validation from conventional society, and Leon, a drug-user and "bug-chaser," a gay man who actively seeks infection. Working in a strip club, Cathea meets a man who offers her a new perspective on her world, forcing her to question if acceptance from the mainstream will ever be possible for her and her friends on the fringe. A world premiere directed by Michael Imperioli & Zetna Fuentes, Francine Volpe's The Given investigates the value of personal and cultural history, offering an unflinching look at the devastating consequences of anger and repression.