AIDS in a Postmodern World The high degree to which AIDS, terrorism, crack cocaine or computer viruses mobilize the popular imagination should tell us that they are more than anecdotal occurrences in an irrational world. The fact is that they contain within them the logic of our system: these events are merely the spectacular expression of that system. They all hew to the same agenda of virulence and radiation, an agenda whose very power over the imagination is of a viral character. -- Jean Baudrillard, "Prophylaxy and Virulence." Postmodernity

A period in time (after or beyond modernism) A style (architecture, visual art, literature, film, theatre, etc.) characteristics

multiple narratives/ subnarratives rhizomic spread no clear origins/multi- layered death of history (linearity) AIDS- acquired immune deficiency syndrome HIV- human immunodeficiency virus a chronology

1980- Reagan elected 1st term 1981- JUNE, 1st case of AIDS/HIV at the NIH 1981- July, 108 cases numbers

1982-September, The CDC reported 593 cases of AIDS in the United States with 243 deaths.

1983-September, The CDC reported 2,259 cases of AIDS in the United States with 917 deaths.

1984-November, Reagan elected 2nd term The CDC reported 6,993 cases of AIDS in the United States with 3,342 deaths.

1985-May, The CDC reported 10,000 cases of AIDS in the United States with 4,942 deaths.

1988- September, The World Health Organization reported that 111,000 cases of AIDS had been documented worldwide. Authorities at WHO placed the actual number of cases, including those unreported, at 250,000. http://history.nih.gov/NIHInOwnWords/ docs/page_28.html 2012

1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection and 1 in 5 are unaware of their infection. (worldwide 34 million)

1.8 million deaths worldwide (2010).

http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/data/topic/map.aspx?ind=7 ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) 19871987 Theatre & AIDS

1990- TCG (Theatre Communications Group) publishes the text:The Way We Live Now

The Way We Live Now includes excerpts by:

Lanford Wilson-A Poster Of The Cosmos

Harvey Fierstein- Safe Sex

Paula Vogel- The Baltimore Waltz

Christopher Durang- Laughing Wild

Tony Kushner- Angels in America

Susan Sontag- The Way We Live Now 1991

VisualAids came up with the idea of the red ribbon project

Visual AIDS partnered with Broadway Cares and Equity Fights AIDS in June 1991 made 3000 ribbons for the

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13597312 http://www.thebody.com/visualaids/current/ribbon_project.html The red Ribbon 1991- Angels in America World premiere in San Francisco