AIDS Plays Project

Queer Plays from Trailblazing Writers Lost to HIV/AIDS

AvCharles Ludlam,James Kirkwood

Häftad, Engelska, 2026

Del i serien Methuen Drama Play Collections

392 kr

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Beskrivning

Trailblazing, visionary, and too often neglected – this collection honours and celebrates seven queer playwrights from America, Ireland, and Britain whose lives were cut short by HIV/AIDS.Curated by The AIDS Plays Project, and edited by its director, Alastair Curtis, this anthology revives seven plays written by pioneering queer playwrights, providing a platform that restores and mends the link between queer artists and their audiences that has largely been severed by the ongoing AIDS crisis.The plays in this collection showcase a striking a striking, eclectic range of styles and stories - from a nineteenth-century drag-infused riff on La Traviata to a comedy about a bisexual ghost haunting rural Massachusetts, to a San Francisco-set tragedy about phone sex and an urgent exploration of Irish politics in a London pub. It also highlights these writers' lasting impact on queer culture and activism—whether by introducing the first bisexual characters on Broadway, performing agitprop theatre on the streets of South London, or promoting sex positivity during the darkest days of the epidemic.The lives of each playwright are retold through moving accounts by those who knew them, brought their writing to life on stage, or championed their work. These are paired with responses from contemporary queer theatre-makers, forging an intergenerational connection and contributing to an ongoing exploration of twentieth-century queer history. Ultimately, the collection acts as a blueprint for how studying and performing the queer past can shape the future of queer playwriting and performance, and ensures that the voices of the writers lost in the AIDS epidemic are not forgotten.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2026-11-26
Mått:156 x 234 x 25 mm
Vikt:454 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Methuen Drama Play Collections
Antal sidor:528
Förlag:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN:9781350588066

Utforska kategorier

Dramatik inom Skönlitteratur
Litteraturvetenskap inom Skönlitteratur

Mer om författaren

Alastair Curtis is the founder of The AIDS Plays Project, a campaign to revive and republish the theatrical works of writers whose lives were cut short by HIV/AIDS. The project has been featured in Interview, The Face, Hero, The Evening Standard, and The Financial Times, who wrote, “play by play, The AIDS Plays Project is reshaping the queer theatrical canon.” His writing has been published in Frieze, Prospect, The Economist, AnOther, and The Observer, while his debut short film, Sweetheart, set in an eighteenth-century Molly House, premiered at Sundance 2025. He studied English at University College London and the University of Oxford.

Innehållsförteckning

PrefaceAmelia AbrahamIntroductionSam Moore and Alastair CurtisCharles Ludlam (1943 - 1987)“I’m not serious and I don’t intend to be, ever”In conversation with Charles Busch and Lola PashalinskiCamille (1973)Madcap Communal RitualLauren John JosephJames Kirkwood Jr. (1924 - 1989)“The Baskin Robbins of writers”In conversation with Arthur BeckensteinP.S. Your Cat is Dead! (1975)Wonderfully Promiscuous Marcelo Dos SantosGeorge Whitmore (1945 - 1989) “Mr Gay Plus Plus”In conversation with Victor BumbaloThe Rights (1980) Intergenerational Gay ExchangeJack HoldenHarry Kondoleon (1955 - 1994)“His plays build toward something magical”In conversation with Don Shewey and Stephen SobaChristmas on Mars (1983)Delight and SurpriseJames IjamesAlan Bowne (1945 - 1989) “Good ol’ William”In conversation with Barbara HayesSpook (1985)The Dirty Details Charlie Josephine Colm Ó Clúbhán (1954 - 1989) “Out and proud and angry to be dying so soon”In conversation with Mary Evans Young, Derek Evans and Stephen GeeReasons for Staying(1986)An Irish MasterpieceMargaret PerryRobert Chesley (1943 - 1990)“The kindest man”In conversation with Victor BumbaloJerker, or the Helping Hand (1986)Intimate Theatre of Desire Jordan TannahillAfterwordMichael Bronski