192 - As Is: The First AIDS Play

This lads kick off pride month by revisiting an oft-forgotten but foundational play in the queer canon: William M. Hoffman’s As Is. Topics include the history of the AIDS play, Hoffman’s exquisite weaponization of comedy in the face of overwhelming tragedy, and the legacy of a 90 minute play that inspired an entire genre of theater.

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Media Referenced in this Episode:

• As Is by William M. Hoffman. 1985.

• AIDS-Involved Drama Syndrome by William M. Hoffman. Poz Magazine. February 1st, 1997.

• Acts of Intervention by David Roman

• The AIDS Show

• Warren by Rebecca Ranson

• “Playwright Rebecca Ranson’s Journals Reveal Turmoil in Atlanta’s Queer Community During the AIDS Crisis” by Oli Turner. The South and the Archive. October 31st, 2023.

• As Is script

• As Is movie

• Interview with William Hoffman

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “Writer’s Block” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Feat. A.J. Ditty as “A.J. Ditty”

Additional Voices for As Is Excerpts: Anne Huston, Eleanor Philips, Dara Swisher and Brent Shultz