Studio Theater in Exile (STIE) partnered with PeekskillPride in June to present The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer's powerful, semi-autobiographical play chronicling one man's fight to bring attention to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The month-long collaboration featured a series of performances and community events that honored LGBTQ+ history, raised awareness about HIV/AIDS, and celebrated partnerships among local artists and organizations.
Peekskill artist Carla Ray Johnson and Cynthia Knox, CEOof Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill (CHHOP), served as associate co-producers alongside STIE Producer Jeremy Gratt and Artistic Director MaraMills.
As part of the programming, STIE also hosted drag performer and HIV-positive advocate Amber Guesa on June 6. An HIV testing van was on site to provide free screenings, reinforcing the production's themes of awareness, advocacy, and community engagement.
Originally produced Off-Broadway in 1985 and revived onBroadway in 2011, The Normal Heart followed the outspoken Ned Weeks ashe urged the government, the press, and medical professionals to confront the emerging AIDS crisis that was devastating the gay community, particularly inNew York City. The play also explored his strained relationship with hisbrother and his search for love during a time when intimacy carried extraordinary risk.
Directed by Tom Kramer, the production featured AmandaBloom, Eric Percival, Gavino Olvera, George H. Croom, Jason Summers, SteveCruz, Ed Friedman, and Lauren Hare. Ashley Antonia Lopez served as marketing coordinator, and Carrie Ford served as stage manager.
Reflecting on the partnership, Artistic Director MaraMills said, "People who are involved in Pride, and who might not normally have found us on their own, are now coming to the theater for our Pride performances and for other events. So, there is a blossoming of audiences, of artists, and of people in the community collaborating together."
Kramer noted that this 40-year-old play is once again timely: “What we saw in the early ’80s, in terms of the government turning its back, we are seeing again. You look at the active refusal to allow people in the trans community to receive the medical care they need. I would say back in ’81, it was done more out of ignorance. Now, it is an active program of removal. This play has become not just about gays. It has become a call to action against a government who is abandoning its responsibilities on purpose. Still, it is also a very beautiful play.”
Brian Fassett, founder and Vice President of Peekskill Pride, and CharlieDiGruccio, President, are excited to be collaborating with STIE for the third yearin a row. Fassett remarked: “Presenting The Normal Heart today isnot an act of looking back; it’s an urgent reminder of where we still are. Tensof thousands of people are newly diagnosed with HIV each year in the UnitedStates, and approximately 1.3 million people worldwide continue to acquire HIVannually. While we’ve made extraordinary progress since the early days depictedin the play, public health leaders warn that the global HIV response is onceagain in crisis mode, with gaps in prevention and care threatening to undodecades of progress.” Fassett is a Councilperson for Peekskill
DiGruccio, who is also a Councilpersonfor the City of Peekskill, said “The Normal Heart reminds usof the courage, resilience, and activism of those who lived through the earlyHIV/AIDS crisis—a fight that saved lives and helped shape the community we arepart of today. But the work is far from over: progress is being challenged, andwe must continue advocating for access to treatment, education, and a cure, sothat everyone can live with dignity and care.”
Eric Percival, who will be playing therole of Ned Weeks, is an award-winning actor and has performed on stages in NewYork City, London, and throughout the U.S. and Europe. He told of a recentencounter with a friend who thought if the play is about AIDS, it must be a“downer.” Percival responded: “No! It’s the opposite of a downer! It’sinvigorating; it’s about life and passion and the human drive to fight backagainst overwhelming odds. It’s a love story and a horror story and a politicaldrama and a character study. It’s a comedy about the very human foibles thatset us at each other’s throats when we need to work together, and when the playmakes us cry, it’s because it made us care about something worth losing."
Percival continued: “I couldn’t beprouder to be in the right time and place to be part of a production that hasthe potential to give a face to a group that’s often faceless, and a voice to agroup that’s often voiceless. I’m excited to bring this powerful and timelessplay in front of audiences at a time when it’s relevant and urgently needed.”
