Question

Which 20th century play addressed the issues behind the AIDS epidemic and it's impact on the gay community?

Answer 1

The plays 'The Normal Heart' by Larry Kramer and 'Angels in America' by Tony Kushner addressed the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the gay community and are significant works in the activism and artistic response to the crisis.

Step-by-step explanation:

The 20th century play that addressed the issues behind the AIDS epidemic and its impact on the gay community is 'The Normal Heart' by Larry Kramer. Also, the play 'Angels in America' by Tony Kushner, written a decade later, portrayed the AIDS crisis among other themes. Both plays are central to understanding the artistic and community response to the epidemic.

Larry Kramer, a pivotal figure in the community's fight against AIDS, used his platform and skills to articulate the urgency of the crisis through writing and activism. Additionally, ACT UP's efforts included staging theatrical protests and leveraging media coverage to pressure for policy change. 'The Normal Heart' and 'Angels in America' are not only historically significant pieces of theater but also part of the crucial social and political movement that grew in response to AIDS.

Answer 2

The 20th century play which addressed the issues behind the AIDS epidemic and its impact on the gay community is known as Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes.
It was written in 1993 by the American playwright Tony Kushner, and won numerous awards for its depiction of the gay community. The whole play is symbolic and metaphoric, given that angels and other supernatural beings also appear so as to communicate with the “closeted” and scared people of the gay community. Throughout the play, we see numerous gay characters who have contracted AIDS, and we follow them around through their daily lives and see how they cope with this disease, but also how other people react to them having it.