Aids and the American Theatre

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has made a major impact on the American theatre in two ways: the loss of creative talent and the proliferation of dramas about people affected by the disease itself. When first diagnosed in the early 1980s, AIDS was considered a homosexual disease. Since a large percentage of the theatre community (both artists and audience) has always been gay or lesbian, the effect of AIDS was considerable. Famous, promising, and undiscovered actors, writers, designers, and producers died at an alarming rate in the early 1990s, altering the direction the American theatre might have taken. Since concern over the disease was all encompassing in the theatre world, many plays and musicals were written and presented as a way of dealing with the epidemic. The first two notable works on the subject were Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart (1985), which took an angry, political stance, and William M. Hoffman's As Is (1985), which explored the more personal aspects of relating to the disease. Subsequent works fell in line with one or the other of these approaches. But many bitter, preachy plays, as well as sentimental dramas wallowing in self‐pity, followed and not until the late 1980s and 1990s did the best plays and musicals about AIDS come to light. Among the many noteworthy examples were Eastern Standard (1988), Zero Positive (1988), Falsettoland (1990), The Destiny of Me (1992), Angels in America (1993), Jeffrey (1993), Pterodactyls (1993), Love! Valour! Compassion! (1994), and Rent (1996). In many ways the AIDS epidemic has united the theatre community, resulting in programs to counsel, house, and care for victims of the disease, and organizations, such as Broadway Cares, which hold benefits and actively pursue fundraising programs.