DIRECTOR'S NOTE

In early 1987, under cover of night, over 900 posters mysteriously appeared on walls across Manhattan. Featuring a small, pink triangle surrounded by an oversized black background and "SILENCE=DEATH" emblazoned in stark, white letters beneath, these posters have since become synonymous with the fight against AIDS. Shortly after these posters appeared, several of the artists responsible would join with others to form ACT UP's in-house art collective, Gran Fury.

ACT UP (the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) was a grassroots movement with a singular focus - to end the AIDS epidemic. Their tactics, however, were myriad. Fueled by the mantra "Turn Anger into Action," ACT UP's demonstrations included a protest at the CDC's Atlanta headquarters, marching outside St. Patrick's Cathedral, and dumping the ashes of loved ones on the lawn of the White House. In many of their most high-profile moments, the work of Gran Fury is visible, distilling the action's message into clear, concise imagery. And although their art was fueled by grief and anger, Gran Fury recognized that "Art is Not Enough." Rather, art should inspire, support, and condense the sentiments of direct, collective action. David Drake, the author of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, understood that. And it's the ethos that has guided our production.

ACT UP's call to arms, to protect the marginalized, and to take direct action against injustice is just as relevant now as it was in 1988. State-sanctioned violence against POC, women, and Queer and trans people threatens to overwhelm our country. Make no mistake - robbing people of bodily autonomy, banning books that explore the breadth of the human experience, and criminalizing the expression of one's true self are acts of violence.

So tonight, we seek to transport you to a moment in time, a moment of ACT UP. Recognizing that our art is not enough, we've enlisted you, our audience, as accomplices in our collective action. We've armed you with pens, markers, paper, and envelopes. We implore you - take actionto address the injustice that weighs most heavily on your heart. Write a letter to your senator. If you aren't a wordsmith, create a poster of your own to mail to them. Or hang it on a lamppost on your way home. Call your aunt who lives in Pennsylvania and make a plan to get her to the polls.

Silence equals death. So please: hear our story, give yourself over to the art, be moved. But before you leave tonight, help us do something, because our art alone is not enough.

~ Daniel Sappington, director of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me

​​

​

CONTENT ADVISORY

Homophobia, discussion of AIDS, grief, rage, brief partial nudity, brief implied drug use​​​​​​​​