The AIDS Show (1986)

Curiosità

The AIDS Show is a 1984 American collaboratively written theatre piece created to address the social impact HIV/AIDS had on the LGBTQ community. A 1986 documentary film of the same name was developed by producer and writer Rob Epstein and filmmaker Peter Adair.

Productions

The AIDS Show was first produced by Theatre Rhinoceros, a San Francisco based theatre company, in September 1984 as The AIDS Show: Artists Involved with Death and Survival. Initial inspiration for the production came from several people including Allan B. Estes, founder of Theatre Rhinoceros, who died before the shows debut. The intention was to address the fears in the community and to portray how HIV/AIDS was affecting lovers and families.

Directed by Leland Moss, the show was more like a review than a play, as it consisted of a series of vignettes built predominantly from the real-life experiences of the cast. The skits or scenes presented the perspectives of nurses, mothers, gay men "friend groups", romantic relationships, older gay men/women, the straight population, and those who lost loved ones to the disease.

The original production was intended to run for nine shows but was extended for several months because it was so well received by audiences. Gaining notoriety, the show traveled throughout the country performing at street fairs, jails, and hospitals. Creators say it was designed to be portable.

The 1984 production was both criticized and applauded for giving such a candid look at how the community was dealing with the crisis. Audience members within the community praised the show for giving form to their experiences, while those in the cast said the play offered a medium for confronting the epidemic.

In 1985 the play was updated and co-directed by Leland Moss and Doug Holsclaw, a writer and actor from the 1984 original. Under the new title The AIDS Show: Unfinished Business, the revised show reflected the change in the "mood of the city [San Francisco]." By this time HIV/AIDS was not as mysterious as it once was, specific problems in the world of medicine were being addressed, and people were learning to live with the reality of the disease.

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