By Andrea Moya
“Where are you from?”
With this question, Cody LeRoy Wilson engages the audience. He is standing on what appears to be the back porch of his family’s farm in Plum Run, West Virginia — complete with a screen door, whitewashed wooden walls, and an antique chair — as if these 100 or so people just happened to stop by one summer afternoon. After a smattering of answers (responses ranging from DMV locals to visitors from as far as Florida), he endeavors to answer that question for himself.
“Did My Grandfather Kill My Grandfather?” is written and performed by Wilson and directed by Victor Malana Maog. The play is having its world premiere at this year’s Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Wilson has the distinction of being the first West Virginia–born playwright to have a play premiere at CATF. Prior to that, the play was workshopped during Pan Asian Repertory’s NuWorks Festival 2023 in New York City. This autobiographical one-man show tells the story of Wilson’s blended family, his experience as an Asian American growing up in West Virginia, and explores themes of identity, race, and family legacy.
The second question Wilson attempts to answer is how did he, clearly not your typical redneck, end up growing up in a holler in rural West Virginia? As Wilson explains, his mother was adopted as a baby during the Vietnam War by Wilson’s grandfather, an American soldier. This dual heritage is both a source of pride and tension as Wilson attempts to reconcile his two identities. During the first part of the show, Wilson focuses on his childhood and adolescence, discovering that he is different from most of the other kids at Plum Run, learning about the Vietnam War from a racist teacher in high school, trying to find out information about his grandfather’s experiences in Vietnam and about his mother’s family.
The titular grandfathers are men Wilson never got the opportunity to meet, but whose influence in his life looms large. The second half of the play explores the possibility that these men’s paths potentially crossed in Vietnam and what that means for Wilson as a descendant of soldiers on different sides of the same war. At a particularly poignant moment, Wilson reflects on how he hates the Vietnam War for its cost in human lives, the fear and discrimination it has led to within the Asian American community, while also recognizing that he wouldn’t exist without it.
As a performer, Wilson commands the stage, seamlessly mixing humor and charm with moments of heartbreak and inner turmoil as he struggles with questions about his family’s past with no clear answers. Through the use of strategically placed props, he embodies younger versions of himself as well as other characters, weaving their voices and mannerisms into his storytelling.
Throughout the show, the lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger and sound design by Christian Fredrickson create distinct beats in the story, shifting the mood and setting as Wilson’s narrative travels from his family’s home (distinguished by soft warm light, bluegrass music, the rustling of leaves) to the jungles of Vietnam (dim lighting, ambient sounds of insects and birds). Additionally, the shadows of tree branches, family photos, and images from the Vietnam War are projected onto windows and pieces of wall suspended over the stage (scenic design by Chelsea M. Warren, projection design by Mona Kasra). Under Malana Maog’s direction, all these elements come together to elevate Wilson’s performance and give the play an almost cinematic quality, particularly during an action sequence towards the end.
For audience members who have the lived experience of straddling more than one identity, of experiencing generational trauma that creates more questions than it answers, or who have explored their own family’s stories to better understand themselves, this play has the potential to hit close to home. The question that opens the show may appear on the surface to be straightforward, but by the end of the show, it’s clear that for many of us, it’s actually quite a loaded question.
Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission.
Did My Grandfather Kill My Grandfather? plays through August 3, 2025, presented by the Contemporary American Theater Festival performing at Studio 112, 92 West Campus Drive, on the campus of Shepherd University, Shepherdstown WV, in repertory with four other CATF plays. Times, dates, and ticketing information may be found on the CATF website or by calling the CATF box office at 681-240-2283.
Did My Grandfather Kill My Grandfather?
By Cody Leroy Wilson
Directed by Victor Malana Maog
CAST
Cody: Cody Leroy Wilson*
PRODUCTION TEAM
Scenic Design: Chelsea M. Warren**
Associate Scenic Design: Ruidi Yang
Costume Design: Phuong Nguyen**
Lighting Design: Mary Louise Geiger**
Sound Design: Christian Fredrickson**
Projections Design: Mona Kasra**
Stage Manager: Jasmin Holton*
*Actors’ Equity Association
**United Scenic Artists
***Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
Andrea Moya (they/them) is DC Theater Art’s new West Virginia correspondent. They are a graduate of New York University and previously worked as a food and travel writer. They are based out of the Eastern Panhandle and cover shows in Northern Virginia and Maryland.
SEE ALSO:
Contemporary American Theater Festival announces full 2025 lineup (news story, March 31, 2025)
