Discussion Series
Join us for a Book Club-style Page to Stage with the Portland Public Library. Check out your copy of the script and join us two weeks before opening of each Mainstage Production. Scripts are available at the reference desk at the Main Branch of the Portland Public Library. This year discussions will be held in the Rines Room at 1:30pm two weeks before a show opens. Feel free to come and chat about the plays with Literary Manager, Todd Brian Backus; his Directing and Dramaturgy Apprentices, and special guests. Visit portlandlibrary.com/programs-events/ for more information.
The Artistic Perspective, hosted by Artistic Director Anita Stewart, is an opportunity for audience members to delve deeper into the themes of the show through conversation with special guests. A different scholar, visiting artist, playwright, or other expert will join the discussion each time. The Artistic Perspective discussions are held after the first Sunday matinee performance.
Curtain Call discussions offer a rare opportunity for audience members to talk about the production with the performers. Through this forum, the audience and cast explore topics that range from the process of rehearsing and producing the text to character development to issues raised by the work Curtain Call discussions are held after the second Sunday matinee performance.
All discussions are free and open to the public. Show attendance is not required. To subscribe to a discussion series performance, please call the Box Office at 207.774.0465.
HannaH Cordes, Paula Vogel, anita stewart, and todd Brian BaCkus in a talkBaCk, Portland stage ComPany
Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika by
Tony Kushner
PlayNotes Season 51 Editorial Staff
Editor in Chief
Todd Brian Backus
Contributors
Charlie Bowen, Sadie Goldstein, Micki Demby Kleinman, Kimmarie McCrann, Larsen Nichols
Copy Editor
Adam Thibodeau
Cover Illustration
James A. Hadley
Portland Stage Company Educational Programs, like PlayNotes, are generously supported through the annual donations of hundreds of individuals and businesses, as well as special funding from:
The Simmons Foundation
Susie Konkel Harry Konkel Harold & Betty Cottel Family Fund
Letter from the Editors
Dear PlayNotes Readers,
We're so excited to have you with us for the second play of our 51st season, our co-production of Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika with Portland's own Dramatic Repertory Theatre!
In this issue, we explore the world of Angels in America, a play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner that sheds light on the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s. Following the intersecting lives of six New Yorkers in the height of the AIDS crisis, this play speaks to the suffering as well as the strength of gay America at the end of the millenium.
Want to learn about this production of Angels in America? Head over to our "Interview with the Directors: Keith Powell Beyland and Peter Brown” (pg. 10), and meet our actors in "About the Characters" (pg. 8).
Curious about the societal context of the play? Check out the article "World Events and Where Angels Fits In" (Pg. 20) or learn about the fundamentals of mormon theology in "Mormonism: A Primer" (pg. 21).
When compiling each issue of PlayNotes, we strive to provide articles and interviews that give you insight into what the process has been like behind the scenes (see articles in "Portland Stage's Angels in America"), contain pertinent information about the play’s setting and major themes (“The World of Angels in America”), and provide deeper dives into specific subjects that compelled our literary department (“Digging Deeper”). We include a list of books, plays, and other media that we hope audiences will access for more cultural content that relates to the play (“Recommended Resources”).
We are delighted to have you join us for this exciting co-production, and we hope you enjoy seeing Angels in America
Sincerely yours,
The Portland Stage Literary Department
Todd Brian Backus
Micki Demby Kleinman
Kimmarie McCrann
Larsen Nichols
About the Play
by Alex Oleksy, edited
Following the New York premiere of his play
and
A Bright Room Called Day, playwright Tony Kushner received communication from up-and coming theater titan Oskar Eustis, requesting to do a reading of the play at Eureka Theatre in San Francisco. Afterwards, the two developed a tumultuous but fruitful creative relationship, and they were eager to make their mark on the left-leaning theater scene of the West Coast. After being denied the rights to Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, Eustis encouraged Kushner to utilize a commission by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to create a work for Eureka. The playwright initially set out to write a work placing the AIDS crisis within the context of Mormonism and the American identity, with “five gay men and an angel.”
What followed became Angels in America, one of the defining dramas of the 20th century, but it wasn’t an easy journey. Kushner began developing the work with Eureka company members in June 1988, and the first draft landed at 120 pages without reaching the playwright’s planned conclusion. Kushner eventually decided to break the play into two parts, a radical move for the modern American theater. Angels in America: Millennium Approaches was originally presented in a workshop at the Mark Taper Forum in May 1990 before premiering at the Eureka Theatre Company in May 1991. When this production occurred, Part II, Angels in America: Perestroika, was still in development. While Part I was “easier” to wrangle, the first draft of Part II clocked in at over 700 pages and took two days to read from start to finish. After multiple workshop productions of both Part I and II, and countless changes in cast and creative
updated by Larsen Nichols
team, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes eventually opened in repertory on Broadway in 1993, directed by George C. Wolfe. The play received a budget of $3 million, breaking the record for a non-musical. Millennium Approaches was awarded the Tony for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama that season, with Perestroika also receiving the Best Play Tony the following year.
Though Millennium Approaches and Perestroika are two parts of the same play, Perestroika is distinct both thematically and structurally from its predecessor. Perestroika has five acts and usually clocks in at four hours, while Millennium has only three acts and usually a three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Tony Kushner describes the two as very different plays, each with their own character: “Millennium is a play about security and certainty being blown apart, while Perestroika is about danger and possibility following the explosion. The events in Perestroika proceed from the wreckage made by the angel’s traumatic entry at the end of Millennium. A membrane has broken; there is disarray and debris.” Perestroika is very much about the chaos that proceeds from not only the angel’s arrival, but the abandonment that many of our characters are facing.
Angels in America has been produced multiple times across the globe in the 30 years since its world premiere, and Kushner continues to revise his work, refusing to declare the plays complete or finished. Both parts were performed simultaneously, most recently at the National Theatre (and then on Broadway) starring Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane. The production was lauded as a “flat-out
fabulous” revival by Ben Brantley of The New York Times, and introduced Kushner’s poetic drama to a new generation of audiences and young artists. In 2003, Tony Kushner adapted the text for an HBO miniseries directed by Mike Nichols. The show took home numerous awards at both the Emmys and Golden Globes. A group of high-profile artists including playwright Jeremy O. Harris also created a digital revival of the play in 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we near the 35th anniversary of Kushner’s masterpiece and finish bringing Angels in
America to Portland Stage, it’s clear that the impact of this fantasia cannot be overstated. In the midst of a pandemic, an election, and a wave of troubling anti-LGBTQ+ laws throughout the United States, the work’s investigation of American identity is as visceral and necessary as ever. The work is a call, as Hilton Als described in The New Yorker, for “queer men…to rise up and to take their place, not only in the Heaven that awaits them but in the Hell we’ve made through ignorance, fear, and willfulness.”
Pre-Show Activites
by Charlie Bowen and Sadie Goldstein
1. Have you seen Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches? If you haven’t, research the plot of Part One. Using what you remember or what you have learned, create a plot mountain identifying the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
2. Portrait of Ross in L.A. by Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Unfinished Painting by Keith Haring are both pieces of art about the AIDS crisis created in the midst of the epidemic. Look up these pieces and consider what these two works can tell you about this period in history. What impact do you think this art had on the people living through this time? How does this art make you feel today?
3. This play depicts characters and aspects of three monotheistic denominations: Judaism, Christianity, and Mormonism. Some of the character conflict of Angels in America comes from religious identity, politics, and queerness. Read the PlayNotes articles on “Mormonism: A Primer” and “The Queering of Spirituality in Angels in America.” How does playwright Tony Kushner weave religion and queerness together? Why do you think he chose these three denominations while writing this show? Discuss with a group.
Focus Questions
by Charlie Bowen and Sadie Goldstein
1. What do you know about the AIDS epidemic? Read the PlayNotes article “From AZT to PrEP: A Medical Timeline.” What did you learn about the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, when Perestroika takes place? What has changed in the years since?
2. When this play debuted on Broadway in 1993, it was “a turning point in the history of gay drama, the history of American drama, and of American literary culture,” according to John M. Clum. In the same year, Philadelphia, the first major Hollywood film on AIDS, was released. What does artistic representation do for a crisis?
3. Look up the meaning of “perestroika.” What context does this show of the world Part Two is set in? How is it different from Millennium Approaches?
About the Characters
by Larsen Nichols
Actor: Robbie Harrison
Characters: Prior Walter
Prior Walter - Louis’ boyfriend. WASP. Worked occasionally as a club designer or caterer; otherwise lives very modestly but with great style off a small trust fund.
Actor: Denise Poirier
Characters: Hannah Porter Pitt/Aleksii Antedilluvianovich
Prelapsarianov/Henry/Ethel Rosenberg/The Angel Asiatica
Hannah Porter Pitt - Joe’s mother, formerly of Salt Lake City, now staying in Brooklyn. Lives off her deceased husband’s army pension.
Aleksii Antedilluvianovich Prelapsarianov - The World’s Oldest Bolshevik.
Henry - Roy’s doctor.
The Angel Asiatica - A Celestial Apparatchik/Bureaucrat.
Actor: Nate Stephenson
Characters: Louis Ironson/The Angel Australia
Louis Ironson - A word processor working for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Angel Australia - A Celestial Apparatchik/Bureaucrat.
Actor: Paul Haley
Characters: Roy M. Cohn/The Angel Antarctica
Roy M. Cohn - A successful New York lawyer and unofficial power broker.
The Angel Antarctica - ACelestial Apparatchik/Bureaucrat.
Actor: Ashanti Dwight Williams
Characters: Belize/Mr. Lies/Caleb/The Angel Oceania
Belize - Prior’s friend and former lover. A registered nurse and former drag queen whose given name is Norman Arriaga.
Mr. Lies - Harper’s imaginary friend, a travel agent.
Caleb - A mannequin in the Diorama Room of the Mormon Visitors’ Center.
The Angel Oceania - A Celestial Apparatchik/Bureaucrat.
Actor: Casey Turner
Characters: The Angel/Emily/Orrin/The Mormon Mother
The Angel - Four divine emanations, named Fluor, Phosphor, Lumen, and Candle, manifest in one.
Emily - Prior’s nurse.
Orrin - A mannequin in the Diorama Room of the Mormon Visitors’ Center.
The Mormon Mother - A mannequin in the Diorama Room of the Mormon Visitors’ Center.
Actor: Joseph Bearor
Characters: Joseph Porter Pitt/The Mormon Father/The Angel Europa
Joseph Porter Pitt - Harper’s husband. Mormon. Chief clerk for Justice Theodore Wilson of the Federal Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.
The Mormon Father - A mannequin in the Diorama Room of the Mormon Visitors’ Center.
The Angel Europa - A Celestial Apparatchik/Bureaucrat.
Actor: Michela Micalizio
Characters: Harper Amaty Pitt/The Angel Africanii
Harper Amaty Pitt - Joe’s wife. Mormon. An agoraphobic with a mild Valium addiction.
The Angel Africanii - A Celestial Apparatchik/Bureaucrat.
An Interview with the Directors: Keith Powell Beyland and Peter Brown
Edited for length and clarity
Assistant Director and Dramaturg Larsen Nichols sat down with the co-directors of Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika Keith Powell Beyland and Peter Brown, to speak about their work on the play.
Larsen Nichols (LN): You’re both Artistic Directors of different theatre companies–can you talk a little about your work?
Keith Powell Beyland (KPB): As founder and Artistic Director of Dramatic Repertory Company for the past 14 years, I continue to look for shows that I think present the most interesting theatrical experience. I want people to feel like they are in the moment. I am always looking for new and interesting collaborations with artists and discovering both new and classic works with a fresh approach.
Peter Brown (PB): I became Artistic Director of Fenix Theatre Company in 2019. Fenix is dedicated to presenting accessible, lowbarrier productions of classic theater. Our annual “Free Shakespeare in Deering Oaks Park” productions have become a treasured summer tradition in Portland that showcase the talents of local artists and the beauty of being outdoors in Maine during the summer. As Artistic Director, I created a new holiday tradition that we have added to our repertoire,
by Larsen Nichols
12th Night: A Holiday Musical, which infuses Shakespeare's Twelfth Night with over two dozen holiday songs.
LN: So this is a pretty unique production as the sequel to Millennium Approaches . Have either of you ever worked on a sequel before? If so, can you speak a little to those experiences, or if not, can you talk about what has been surprising you?
KPB: I think of Perestroika more as a continuation of Millennium Approaches than as a sequel per se, although they opened 6 months apart. I have never worked on a play that was written in 2 parts, and in this case since the action in Part 2 takes place immediately after Part 1 with no time gap, I feel that the end of Part 1 is like the intermission, and then we return to find out how the story ends.
PB: It's interesting in this age of “90-minutes plays with no intermission” that in recent history there have been successful productions of plays that happen in multiple parts: The Inheritance, Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Wolf Hall, The Coast of Utopia (Parts 1, 2 & 3). They are huge commitments, both in terms of producing them and the demands on the audience, but the pay-off of experiencing them is pretty incredible. Angels in America is the first I've been blessed to work on.
LN: What’s it like doing another production with the same cast and creative team?
KPB: Awesome! It feels like we picked up right where we left off in May, and the rehearsal process has been that much smoother since we all already know how good the collaboration was the first time around!
PB: It's been amazing. Because Millennium was so well-received (I can't tell you how many times I've been stopped and told how proud I must be– I am!), there is a great sense of
miCHela miCalizio in Angels in AmericA, PArt One: millennium APPrOAches, PHoto By James a. Hadley.
confidence this time around. Plus, the cast has already had this amazing bonding experience. We've already already worked on the set. The production team has already established a vocabulary. So many benefits.
LN: Are there choices you made in Part 1 that are having a strong impact on Part 2?
KPB: The fact that we do have the same cast and creative team means the performances and design of Part 2 are that much stronger and nuanced. I think the set design in Part 1 with the seamless transitions from scene to scene have really made the length of the play less daunting and we definitely wanted that as part of Part 2 as well.
PB: Absolutely, the greatest challenge of Millennium (which remains a challenge for Perestroika, perhaps moreso) was developing a means of telling the story that keeps the story moving and holds the audience's attention. It's not easy with a play that has multiple acts and dozens and dozens of scenes, but we successfully conquered that with Millennium. I know this because the comment I hear again and again is that the play didn't feel long. We move into Perestroika (with even more acts and more scenes) with that experience under our belts.
LN: What do you find most challenging about Part 2?
KPB: The same thing I found challenging with Part 1– Making sure we are holding the audience's interest and keeping them on the edge of their seat during a 3+ hour production!
PB: Perestroika presents a directing challenge that we didn't have to deal with in Millennium In Millennium, the Angel appears briefly for the last moment of the play. In Perestroika, the Angel is onstage for whole scenes and physically interacting with other characters. As theatrically spectacular as it was to fly the Angel in for the end of Part 1, a character suspended at the back wall can be limiting.
LN: What are you most excited for audiences to see?
KPB: That a small local theatre company like DRC can present a work like this with the support of Portland Stage using all local actors and creative team.
PB: I'm excited that people get to see where these characters go next. When the coproduction of Millennium was announced, there was no guarantee that Perestroika would be produced as well. I'm excited that Portland Stage approached DRC about co-producing Perestroika this season and that audiences get to witness the performances of this brilliant local cast.
roBBie Harrison in Angels in AmericA, PArt One: millennium APPrOAches, PHoto By James a. Hadley.
Community Connections: Interview with Gia Drew
Edited for length and clarity by
Micki Demby Kleinman, one of Portland Stage’s Directing & Dramaturgy apprentices, sat down with Gia Drew, the Executive Director of Equality Maine (EQME). They discussed EQME’s work and programs, the AIDS crisis, and Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika .
Micki Demby Kleinman (MDK): Could you please introduce yourself and your role within EQME?
Gia Drew (GD): I’m the executive director at EQME, Maine’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organization for 40 years. I joined as a volunteer in 2012 after being a high school teacher and coach for 20 years, and now I am the director of the organization.
MDK: What is EQME's work?
GD: We do a bunch of things. We are Maine’s leading group on LGBTQ rights and policies at the local, state, and federal level. We help to ensure there are laws and policies that support LGBTQ+ people and defend against negative laws. We have a very vibrant education program, where we provide businesses, social service agencies, schools, the state government, employers [with information] on best practices for being more inclusive of LGBTQ people. Additionally, we have specific programs for young people, we have something called the New Leaders Project which empowers young people to help them make changes in their lives and in their communities. We have a great summer camp for kids, and programs throughout the year, including a very popular “Youth Lobby Day” at the State House. Then, we have another group of programs dedicated to our older adults, called Network For Older Adults, which provides wonderful opportunities for older community members in a very large, rural state. And we're about to have our biggest
Micki Demby Kleinman
night of the year, which is our Great Pumpkin Ball, a dance party at the State Theatre, and we hope to have about 1200 people there.
MDK: I’m curious about EQME’s New Leaders Program and summer camps. What drove the organization to start offering programming for youth and how did that fit in with your mission statement?
GD: When I came on in 2014, EQME had been talking about revisiting their strategic plan. They had spent a lot of time and energy on important policy issues, but once a lot of that
gia drew, exeCutiVe direCtor of equality maine.
was taken care of, there were some other things we needed to do. One is how do we ensure that there are young people to fill our shoes, knowing that the struggle for social justice, equality, and equity takes generations. 2014 was our first New Leader Project, with the goal of empowering young people to have a voice and say in their lives. What started as a day camp shifted to an overnight camp. The young people got to really just let their guard down more, build friendships that were lasting. We are helping these young people feel less alone and more connected to one another and to this beautiful community here in Maine. Our space is limited right now, to about 40 campers because any kid who gets in can go for free. We want to make sure there's no barriers to attending. About half of our campers can't afford to pay so we work really hard to fundraise to make sure that everyone can come.
MDK: Is this camp only for kids who identify as being part of the LGBTQ community?
GD: No. We know how important it is to have allies, we know that many young people aren’t out to their families, maybe they’re still questioning. You don't have to, like, “declare.” Our camp is open to anybody, you just have to be supportive of our community.
MDK: Shifting gears, what has been the biggest challenge that EQME has tried to address this legislative season and how did that play out?
GD: Our big victory last legislative cycle was when we passed a “shield bill.” It provides protections for [healthcare] providers here in Maine who provide reproductive care and gender affirming [care]. Twenty states now ban some form of gender-affirming care and have become quite hostile to folks trying to find that care. In Texas, for example, if you’re caught offering gender-affirming care, you could be arrested and lose your license. This bill would put up a “shield” against other states who try to “reach in” and get information about patients or providers, in potential legal struggles. We've been through a lot of contentious bills, but this one really did raise the rancor of the opposition. Bomb threats, threats of violence, doxxing, outing of LGBTQ students… There has been an uptick in the past two years.
MDK: To bring it back to the play that Portland Stage is putting on right now, Angels in America … At the time the play depicts, there was a lot of misinformation and stigma circulating about AIDS in a similar way to what is occurring with transgender people nowadays.
GD: Yeah, it's the same playbook. I'm old enough to have lived and survived through
PartiCiPants in equality maine's new leaders ProJeCt
that time, and I remember being terrified going from high school to college in 1985 when HIV and AIDS was just exploding. The things they were saying about us [the LGBTQ community] were horrible! Adults being "groomers" and "pedophiles," it is the same thing they're saying today about adults who support transgender folks. Trying to stigmatize a whole population of people—to get rid of us.
MDK: Was EQME working on any advocacy or legislation during that time period?
GD: EQME was working on issues related to visitation rights and making sure that hospitals couldn't discriminate against LGBTQ people or turn them away. We were also fighting for nondiscrimination protections, for employment, renting an apartment, applying for a loan, going to a college or university. There are very few federal protections for LGBTQ people in this country. The fight for LGBTQ rights is very alive and well, and some rights haven’t been gained by all states. We are in a very unique place here in Maine because we're regularly ranked in the top five states for the best policies for LGBTQ folks in the country. And so Maine has sort of carved its way as being a very unique rural state.
MDK: Now that there have been major scientific advances, why do you believe it's still important to be talking about AIDS in 2024?
GD: We were hit by COVID almost four years ago, one of the largest pandemics since 1918. Pharmaceutical companies and governments jumped in and spent billions of dollars to come up with a way to come up with a vaccine
and combat COVID. That energy was not put into fighting HIV and AIDS at all. Companies dragged their feet, the federal government didn't wanna talk about HIV. Nearly one million people still die from HIV and AIDS every year, and there’s still no cure. In some states, there are still criminal penalties for having HIV and AIDS, which is outlandish.
MDK: Is there anything you'd like the public to know?
GD: I do want to remind folks who are maybe disconnected from this issue that people still don't get to live their lives the way they should be able to live…it’s important to recognize that most of this country doesn't get equality. If you wanna learn more, you can always go to equalitymaine.org to learn more about what we're doing and getting involved. This movement is only about 50 to 60 years old in this country, and it's gonna take not just LGBTQ people to be invested—it's gonna take our allies to be involved as well.
maine Pride flag, image Courtesy of flags for good.
aCt uP Protestors in new york City.
Glossary
by Larsen Nichols
Abstemious: Not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking.
Alphabetland: Also Alphabet City, a neighborhood located within the East Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan.
Anomie: Lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group.
Appellate court: Also known as a court of appeal, a court that reviews decisions and procedures of a trial court to ensure that the law was applied correctly and the proceedings were fair.
Beaucoup: French for “a lot.”
Belt Parkway: A series of controlled-access parkways that form a circle around the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.
Bolshevik: A far-left faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party led by Vladimir Lenin.
Bony spur: A smooth, bony growth that can develop on bones around joints or in the spine.
Brokhe: Yiddish for “blessing.”
John Brown: (1800–1859) An American evangelist and prominent abolitionist leader who led a failed slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry and was executed in 1859.
Bukhanarite: Referring to Nikolay Bukharin, a Bolshevik and Marxist theoretician and economist, who was a prominent leader of the Communist International (Comintern).
Caucasus: A region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia, situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of southern Russia.
Ceaușescus: Referring to Nicolae Ceaușescu, the socialist/communist leader of Romania
from 1965–1989, and his wife Elena, who were executed in 1989 as part of the Romanian Revolution.
Cherie: French for “dear.”
Cloven-hoofed: A term used to describe something satanic, referring to a split hoof, like that of sheep and goats.
Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, that started in 1947, two years after the end of World War II, and lasted until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Cotton wooly: Patches on the retina of the eyes that appear as fluffy white spots and cause blurry vision, common in AIDS patients.
The Croton Aqueduct: A large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842.
Ecstasis: A state of being outside of oneself, a subjective experience, or a goal in religious mysticism.
“Elle fait sa toilette. Elle est tres formidable, ça”: French for “She’s washing up. She’s very terrific.”
Emersonian: Referring to the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Equitable estoppel: When a court refuses to grant a judgment or other legal relief to a party who has acted unfairly.
Estrus: A biological state in which mammalian females are sexually attractive, proceptive, and receptive to males.
Expiation: The act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing; atonement.
Fluorocarbons: A chemical compound used in an assortment of household and commercial
products as waterproofing agents, lubricants, sealants, and leather conditioners.
Fundamentalist theocratic religion:
Religions following literal interpretation of sacred texts, where deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities.
Garbage scow: A large watercraft used to transport refuse and garbage across waterways.
Gaza Strip: A small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; one of two territories that make up Palestine.
Golan Heights: A plateau at the southwest corner of Syria that became occupied by Israel in 1967. The international community considers the Golan Heights to be Israeli-occupied Syrian territory, and currently the western two-thirds of the country are under Israeli control, and the eastern third is controlled by Syria.
Mikhail Gorbachev: (1931–2022) A Soviet official, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985–1991, and president of the Soviet Union in 1990–91. His efforts to democratize his country’s political system and decentralize its economy led to the downfall of communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Harridan: Slang for an unpleasant woman, especially an older one, who is often angry and often tells other people what to do.
Lillian Hellman: (1905–1984) An American playwright (The Children’s Hour, Watch on the Rhine, The Little Foxes) who was a self-proclaimed casual member of the Communist Party.
Katharine Hepburn: (1907–2003) An American actress known for playing sophisticated, strong-willed women.
The Hollywood Squares: A popular American game show where the board for the game is a 3×3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants.
Hoss Cartwright: A cowboy on Bonanza, regarded as a “gentle giant” stereotype.
Immutable: Unchanging over time or unable to be changed.
Jacob and Isaac: The son of Isaac and the patriarch of the Israelites. He stole the birthright of his twin brother Esau by deceiving his aging father into blessing him instead of Esau.
Joseph Welch and the Army/McCarthy hearings: A 34-day televised hearing that occurred after Joseph McCarthy accused the US army and State Department of communist influence. Attorney Joseph Welch served as chief counsel for the US Army during the hearings, and Roy Cohn provided chief counsel to McCarthy.
Jujubes: candies or lozenges.
Kaddish: A hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services; often used to refer to the Mourner’s Kaddish, which is chanted during mourning services and funerals.
Kiddush: A Jewish ritual that involves a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Sabbath and Jewish holidays.
Henry Kissinger: (1923–2023) A Republican American diplomat born in Germany who served as the US Secretary of State from 1969–1975 under Presidents Nixon and Ford.
PHoto to CeleBrate tHe 2000tH sHow of hOllyWOOd squAres in 1974.
Kremlin: Referring to the government of the Soviet Union and also a fortified complex in Moscow.
Kwell: Brand name for a shampoo that can kill lice and pubic lice.
Lackey: A servant.
Lapidary: Relating to stone and gems and the work involved in engraving, cutting, or polishing.
Latter Days: the time between Christ's ascension and his second coming.
Vladimir Lenin: (1870–1924) A leader in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 who advocated for the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party as the political prelude to the establishment of communism.
Lorn: Desolate, forsaken.
Mao Zedong: (1893–1976) The founder of the People’s Republic of China (1949–1976) and chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.
Miasma: An oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which surrounds or emanates from something.
Millennium: A utopian period of happiness.
Nelly: Slang for an effeminate homosexual man.
NEPmen: Businesspeople in the early Soviet Union, who took advantage of the opportunities for private trade and smallscale manufacturing provided under the New Economic Policy (NEP).
New Deal: A series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938 to rescue the US from the Great Depression.
Richard Nixon: (1913–1994) The 37th president of the United States.
Nonoxynol-9: A topical form of birth control.
Ollie North: (b. 1943) A member of the National Security Council during the Reagan administration who came into the public spotlight because of his participation in the Iran-Contra affair.
Maria Ouspenskaya: (1876–1949) A Russian actress and acting teacher. She played a fortune teller in The Wolf Man (1948).
Ozone: A gas made up of three oxygen atom0s (O3) that can be found in both the upper and lower atmosphere of the Earth and protects the Earth from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
“Pardons, Monsieur l'Avocat, nous sommes absolument désolée”: French for “Sorry, Mr. Lawyer, we are absolutely sorry.”
Peepstones: A tool used by ancient prophets in the Book of Mormon to receive revelations; later used by Joseph Smith to translate the Book of Mormon.
Perestroika: A period of restructuring between 1985–1991 led by Mikhail Gorbachev where the USSR transitioned to a more capitalist economy, leading to the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Pinko: A derogatory term for people to the left of the political spectrum.
mao zedong in 1959.
Pluralist secular democracy: A society tolerant of diversity in belief and culture, where individuals can attain political authority by election.
Polestar: A guiding principle or standard.
Praxis: Accepted practice, as distinguished from theory.
Priapsis: A prolonged erection of the penis, usually without sexual arousal.
Profiles in Courage: A collection of short biographies focusing on the careers of eight United States Senators whom John F. Kennedy felt had shown great courage under enormous pressure from their parties and their constituents.
Protean: Able to change shape, invoking divine menace.
Punim: Yiddish for “face.”
Radon: A radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils.
The Ramble: A gay cruising spot in Central Park.
Reddy Kilowatt: A cartoon character that originated in the 1920s as a mascot for energy companies.
Schadenfreude: German term for pleasure derived from another person's misfortune.
Schmendrick: Yiddish for “stupid person.”
George Pratt Schultz: (1920–2021) An American economist, businessman, diplomat, and statesman who shaped the foreign policy of the Reagan administration and served in four different cabinet positions, including Secretary of Labor, Treasury, and State.
Schvartze toytenmann: a Yiddishism that Tony Kushner coined, meaning “black death man” or “boogeyman.”
Seraphic: Angelic, relating to seraphim.
Sidereal: Expressed in relation to stars or constellations.
Six Crises: Richard Nixon’s first book, published in 1962 and recounting his personal reactions to each of six crises Nixon experienced early in his political career.
Slush fund: A fund or account used for miscellaneous income and expenses, particularly when these are corrupt or illegal.
Spooj: Slang for semen.
Spook: A racist slur for Black people, originating from WWII military soldiers.
St. Marks Baths: One of the largest and most renowned bathhouses in New York City from 1979 to 1985.
Studio 54: An iconic New York club that opened in 1977, frequented by high-profile figures and celebrities. Famous for its permissive atmosphere, where sex and drugs were central to the festivities.
Stygian: Very dark, relating to the Styx river of Greek mythology.
an dePiCtion of "reddy kilowatt."
Suspect class: A class of individuals who have been historically subject to discrimination, usually classified by race, religion, national origin, or alienage.
Temple Square/Second Temple: The reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem, in use between c. 516 BCE and its destruction in 70 CE. It stood as a pivotal symbol of Jewish identity and was central to Second Temple Judaism, a period of Jewish faith.
Tropopause: The boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere, characterized by differences in temperature and chemical composition.
Mike Wallace: An American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality known for his investigative journalism. Welter: A large number of items in no order; a confused mass.
West Bank: The larger of the two Palestinian territories, so called due to its location relative to the Jordan River.
Westchester: A wealthy suburb of NYC, north of the Bronx.
Where’s the Rest of Me: Ronald Reagan’s autobiography.
Yonkers: A city on the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York, immediately north of the Bronx.
Yugoslavia: A country in central and southeast Europe that existed from 1918 to 1992; it is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, and the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo.
Zion: Used generally across religions to mean holy place or kingdom of heaven.
Zionism: A movement for (originally) the reestablishment and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.
a PuBliCity PHoto of mike wallaCe for tHe Premiere of 60 minutes in 1968.
maP of yugoslaVia, CirCa 1930.
1985–1990: World Events and Where Angels Fits In
by Larsen Nichols
January 1981: Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States.
March 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Because the communist economy in the Soviet Union did not incentivize innovation, the union is falling behind the US significantly. Gorbachev starts the process of transitioning to a capitalist economy, and minor restructuring, or “perestroika,” of the Soviet Union begins. Perestroika is often argued to be a significant cause of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and dissolution of the Soviet Union.
December 1985: Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches takes place, and Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika starts.
January 1986: Acts I–4 of Angels in America, Part 2 take place.
February 1986: The People Power Revolution in the Philippines peacefully overthrows dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
April 1986: The Chernobyl Power Plant explodes in northern Ukraine, becoming the worst nuclear disaster in history and costing an estimated $700 billion USD as well as an untold cost to Ukrainian citizens affected by radioactive fallout.
November 1986: The Iran-Contra scandal breaks, revealing that senior officials in the Reagan administration secretly and illegally facilitated the sale of weapons to Iran between 1981–1986 in order to illegally fund the Contras, an anti-Sandinista rebel group in Nicaragua.
December 1987: The First Intifada begins. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip rise up against the Israeli government.
Late 1988/early 1989: Mikhail Gorbachev is elected chairman of Supreme Soviet, the USSR’s legislative body.
January 1989: George HW Bush is inaugurated as the 41st US President.
March 1989: The Exxon-Valdez oil spill occurs off the gulf of Alaska, becoming one of the worst oil spills in history.
April 1989: Hungary begins the deconstruction of the border wall with Austria.
June 1989: The Tiananmen Square massacre occurs in Beijing.
September 1989: Hungary transitions peacefully from Communist rule to a democratic system.
November 1989: The Berlin Wall falls, marking the beginning of German reunification and the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the Soviet Union.
December 1989: Romanian Communist Party (PCR) General Secretary Nicolae Ceaușescu is killed, ending 42 years of communism in Romania.
December 1989: Communist governments fall in Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria.
January 1990: Perestroika epilogue.
mikHail gorBaCHeV, 1987
Mormonism: A Primer
by Micki Demby Kleinman
Mormonism is an American Christian religion founded in 1823 by Joseph Smith. According to the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, as a young boy, was confused by the variety of religious perspectives around him. Smith went to the woods to pray for guidance, and God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph in a vision of light. They told him that a church with the original vision and teachings of Christ must be restored, and Joseph must be the one to take on this cause. In a subsequent divine visitation, Joseph Smith was shown a hidden record by an angel named Moroni, which detailed the story of Christ in the Americas. The story was recorded on metal plates and was interpreted by Joseph Smith through “seer” or “interpreter” glasses, which had stones for lenses. The newly discovered text dictated that in the year 600 BCE, Lehi’s family was given a message from God that their city of Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. Heeding the divine warning, the family fled to the Americas. There, Lehi’s sons Nephi and Laman's relationship deteriorated due to their conflicting religious beliefs, and hostility and war prevailed.
After Jesus Christ’s resurrection in Jerusalem, he appeared in the Americas to spread his message. Christ delivered a similar sermon to the one on the Mount as recorded in the New Testament, but with some “clarifications and additions.” Christ affirmed that his gospel must be followed if people would like to enter the Kingdom of God and that anyone, anywhere, can follow Jesus Christ. After Jesus visited the Americas, there was a brief time of peace between the “Nephites” and “Lamanites,” followed by total war and destruction. The last remaining Christ believer, Moroni, the man who would eventually appear as an angel to Joseph Smith, left a message that everyone should “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.” Then, centuries passed without a trace of these teachings on the continent, until Joseph Smith brought this history to light by translating the Book of Mormon. While the New Testament follows Jesus Christ in the Middle East, the record of Christ in the
Americas is chronicled in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially organized on April 6, 1830, in Fayette, New York. Smith and his followers faced backlash due to their new religion, and in typical American fashion, proceeded westward in search of religious freedom. The church headquarters moved from New York to Ohio, then to Missouri, then to Nauvoo, Illinois. The backlash against Joseph Smith and his new religion continued, and ultimately led to his assassination. Smith’s successor Brigham Young led congregants to Iowa and Nebraska, and ultimately, because of a vision from God, settled in the Great Salt Lake area in Utah in 1847. Since then, the plurality of American Mormons live in Utah, although many Mormons live outside of the US. Currently there are upwards of 17 million Mormons worldwide. Mormonism is a truly American religion because of its location of founding, its idea that the holy land is in the United States, and many of its religious and cultural values.
dePiCtion of JosePH smitH enCountering Jesus and god.
From AZT to PreP: A Medical Timeline
by Micki Demby Kleinman
When AIDS was first observed in 1981, it was reported that five young, previously healthy, homosexual men in Los Angeles were severely ill with a rare lung infection. It was unclear what was going on, what these symptoms were indicative of, or the tragedy that would unfold. Over the course of the decade and beyond, AIDS and its terror and destruction rapidly spread throughout the US. While some thought that this disease was a “gay cancer,” scientists came to understand it was an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome that was transmitted through bodily fluids such as blood, breastmilk, semen, and vaginal fluids. As a result, the populations that were most affected were gay and bisexual men, intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs, recipients of blood transfusions, and infants who breastfed. AIDS is the result of HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, which destroys helper T-cells necessary for a healthy immune system. Without helper Tcells, it becomes much more difficult to combat illness, which leaves one susceptible and at risk to many diseases.
The fight against AIDS has been long and multifaceted: fighting the stigma of having AIDS, fighting the surrounding homophobia, and most importantly the actual medical fight of trying to combat the deadly virus. How the medical community has dealt with this issue and has tried to cure, contain, and even search for a way to vaccinate against this disease, in hopes of healing those who are afflicted, has evolved over time.
It took years of AIDS ravaging the Queer community before medications were developed. The first drug used to combat HIV was azidothymidine (AZT). AZT works by suppressing the reproduction of HIV in the body. The greater the quantity of HIV present in the body, the more havoc can be wreaked on the immune system. AZT was initially helpful in mitigating the reproduction of HIV, although with some extreme physical side effects, and more importantly, limited long-term effectiveness. If patients missed a dose, the medication would rapidly stop being effective, and the virus would be able to mutate to “outsmart” the medication. As research on treatment continued,
it became clear that taking more than one drug at a time increased success rates. Taking two or three drugs with different biochemical objectives increased efficacy by 90% because it prevented the virus from becoming drug resistant. This allows HIV replication to slow down and transmission to stop. The scientific understanding is that “undetectable=untransmittable,” meaning that if the viral load is undetectable within the bloodstream, the virus is not able to be transmitted from one person to another.
In addition to medication to treat people who have already acquired HIV, there has also been an evolution in HIV prevention. Before the public understood how the disease was transmitted, the general sentiment was to avoid any infected person. Eventually, safe sex practices were encouraged, needle exchange programs cropped up, and blood banks started screening blood before giving it to recipients. In 2012, a pre-exposure prophylactic, or PrEP, got approved for use. PrEP is a oncedaily pill which prevents one from acquiring HIV. It has a 99% effective rate for preventing HIV from sexual encounters, and 75% from needle-sharing. In 2021, the FDA approved a PrEP injection to be taken once every two months.
It is important to take into account those who needlessly suffered in the early AIDS crisis, and those who advocated on their behalf. Since 1981, over 40 million people have died of AIDS. Many of these deaths would have been preventable if only solutions had been actively sought or prioritized, instead of world leaders allowing marginalized communities to suffer and die. The fight for HIV/AIDS to have sufficient national and medical attention has been a long battle. AIDS activists, lesbians, gay men, and allies alike have fought hard for scientific advances and newfound political rights. It has been almost 45 years since AIDS was discovered, and advances on how best to manage and prevent AIDS are still being made. Thanks to advances made in mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a number of HIV vaccines heading into clinical trials.
Angelology
by Kimmarie McCrann
“I’m an angelologist.” Prior Walter, in Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika .
Early in Act III, Prior says this memorable quote while visiting a Mormon Visitors’ Center in New York. He is cold, deathly ill, and desperate to discover an answer to the mysterious angelic figures that have been visiting him in his dreams and reality. The Angel that visits Prior is described by Kushner as wearing “a gown of surpassing whiteness… barefoot…[with] magnificent gray steel wings.” This angel is also described by Prior as possessing hermaphrodite qualities. Kushner’s depiction of these otherworldly creatures is one playwright’s creative take, but angels are spiritual beings that can be seen across many different theologies, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Mormonism.
Angels are commonly associated with images of light and fire. The Christian theologian and philosopher Saint Augustine of Hippo argued that when God said “Let there be light,” he was actually referring to the angels. In Islam, the angels are created from pure shining light (“noor” in Arabic). In Hinduism and Buddhism, the closest entity to an angel is called a deva, a Sanskrit word which translates to “radiant or shining one.” In Kushner’s world of Perestroika, he describes the Angel that visits Prior as, “four divine emanations, Fluor, Phosphor, Lumen, and Candle.” Fluor and phosphor are natural substances that exhibit the phenomenon of luminescence. “Lumen” (measured in lm) refers to the measure of the total amount of light visible to the human eye from a lamp or light source. And finally, Candlepower (CP) is a unit of measurement for luminous intensity. It is no coincidence that Tony Kushner wanted to emphasize the importance of light related to angels in his play.
In the midrash, a textual interpretation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, there is the story of a debate among angels over whether human beings should be created. In this debate, the angel of Love is in favor of
creating humans, while another angel argues against human creation, contending that people should not be created because they will suffer. The angel of Earth is also against creation, arguing that humans will destroy the planet and wreak devastation. A very similar debate between the Angels of Continental Principalities occurs in Act V of Perestroika. There is much discussion through the lens of Kushner’s angels about humankind’s history of migration, pain, and destruction. The angels debate whether or not it would be better for people to stop moving and progressing entirely.
The angels described in Christianity are similar in many ways to those seen in Judaism. There is the shared belief that they are eternal, nonmortal beings made in service of God. In Christianity, angels were created by God, and
the FAllen Angel By riCardo BellVer
therefore are less than God. In Psalm 8 of the Bible, the author points out that human beings have been made “a little lower” than the angels and “crowned…with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5). The angels in the Bible are most often messengers between heaven and earth. The angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary to deliver the news of the immaculate conception of Jesus Christ, God’s son. Gabriel is considered to be an archangel, which is a subdivision of higher-ranking angels who carry out the most important tasks in the eyes of God. Other important archangels are Michael, the leader of the angels; Raphael, the patron saint of traveling and healing; and Uriel, the angel of knowledge and wisdom. Many Christians also believe in guardian angels, the notion that each human upon birth is assigned a specific angel to watch over and guide them throughout their life.
The hierarchy of angels is a ranking system of different types of angels recognized across many theologies. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christian angelology and in the fifth rank of ten in the Jewish angelic hierarchy. The Old Testament and the Torah visualize seraphim as fiery, celestial serpentine beings with six wings, who cover their eyes and feet in the direct presence of God. A passage
in the Book of Isaiah describes the seraphim as flying around the Throne of God chanting “holy, holy, holy.” In Islamic traditions, seraphim are often depicted in zoomorphic forms, resembling creatures like bulls, lions, eagles, and humans. In Islam, seraphim are similarly believed to be the purest and most obedient creatures, and therefore closest to Allah.
Under the seraphim are the cherubim, winged angelic beings that the Bible describes as guardians of paradise, attendees to God, and bearers of the throne. Cherubs are often depicted in works of art as chubby, winged, child-like creatures. The most mainstream example of a cherub is Cupid, the winged god of Love, and son of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. It is believed that another spiritual being in the hierarchy accompanies the cherubim as a sort of chariot: the ophanim. These are described in Ezekiel’s vision in the Book of Revelation as huge wheels within wheels, and covered in eyes. Ranking below the cherubim and ophanim in Judaism and Christianity are other dominions, virtues, and powers, followed by the archangels and angels, and so on down the pyramid of angels.
In Islam, according to the holy text of the Quran, angels are genderless, unseen entities of light, unless the monotheistic Allah allows for and enables human beings to see them. The angels are generally more powerful than humans and travel at the speed of light, and are referred to as servants of Allah. Angels are, in contrast to human beings, limited in their powers and capabilities. The Quran also proclaims that angels can remain only in one state of being, “whereas human beings can greatly progress and evolve.” This is strikingly similar to the way that Kushner portrays angels as being thoroughly anti-momentum in Perestroika.
Islamic tradition also states that, although they exhibit some very limited free will, angels are unable to commit evil or sin. This is in stark contrast to the Christian belief that angels can sin, subsequently fall from grace, and be cast out of heaven. The primary example of this is the creation of Lucifer, or the Devil. Also, the War in Heaven is written about in the Book of Revelation, as well as
mosaiC of a seraPHim in st niCHolas CHurCH, mosCow, russia
attested by proposed parallels in the Torah. It is described as the Archangel Satan rebelling against God and craving more power for himself, and then losing the battle and being cast into the Christian version of Hell. Fallen angels are said to transform into demons on their way into the pits of Hell, where they will remain and suffer forever.
According to Mormon theology, a man named Joseph Smith claimed that the Angel Moroni visited him several times, beginning on September 21, 1823. The angel led Smith to the discovery of inscribed golden plates, which would become the foundational texts for the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Book of Mormon contains numerous stories of interactions between angels and prophets of God. One distinction between the Mormon belief in angels and some Christians is that Mormons believe that angels do not have wings. Mormons concur that since man is created in the image of God, and God is perfect, then angels would not have wings in order to reflect His glory. The devout Mormon character of Hannah Pitt in Perestroika relates angels to human desire when she says, “Our prophet. His desire made prayer. His prayer made an angel. The angel was real. I believe that.”
Tony Kushner isn’t the only writer wrestling with angels in their work. “Weeping angels” can be seen as fearsome creatures and agents of death in the TV show Doctor Who. More traditional romantic creatures with human-like features can be seen in films, such as It’s a Wonderful Life and City of Angels. Time and time again, angels appearing in mainstream media have shown the tendency of humans to grapple with something larger than themselves, winged or not.
A stAtue OF the Angel mOrOni On the idAhO FAlls temPle
a CosPlay of dOctOr WhO's "weePing angels," from tHe 2015 mCm ComiC Con in london.
Access in Healthcare
by Charlie Bowen
In 1984, prominent New York lawyer Roy Cohn was diagnosed with AIDS. He was able to use the connections that came with his power to get ahead in line for access to the thenexperimental drug Azidothymidine (AZT), also known as “zidovudine.” Although Cohn would ultimately die in 1986, this treatment granted him time—a luxury many could not afford. AZT was eventually cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 1987, making it the first anti-HIV drug to be approved for use in the United States. While AZT is now legally available to the general public, that does not take into account the great socioeconomic barriers that are in place for the general public.
When AZT was first approved, the cost of the drug was a staggering $10,000 a year, equivalent to $27,755.37 today. This made AZT the most expensive treatment in the history of American medicine up until this point. The median household income in 1987 was only $30,850 ($85,625.32 today). The average American could not afford this drug that, at the time, was the only hope for those suffering from AIDS. But to even be offered the drug at all was a privilege. The Journal of General Internal Medicine published the study “Differences in access to zidovudine (AZT) among symptomatic HIV-infected persons”
in 1991, supporting that many “traditionally dis-advantaged” individuals (e.g., people who are not white, women, people with a history of drug abuse) were statistically less likely to be offered AZT as a method of treatment by their physicians. The authors of the article suggest multiple explanations for this difference in access that can be boiled down to physicians being influenced by bigotry.
Accessing healthcare is not an issue that the rich and powerful have to concern themselves with. To this day, figures like Roy Cohn are still granted access to experimental drugs before the lower-class population. In October 2020, both former president Donald Trump and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the press conference announcing Amy Coney Barrett’s selection for the Supreme Court. Trump’s treatment consisted of two drugs that were awaiting FDA approval: an antibody treatment from the drug company Regeneron and an antiviral drug called remdesivir produced by Gilead Science. Chris Christie also had the opportunity to receive a cocktail of treatment: remdesivir, and an antibody treatment from the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly.
At this point in the pandemic, COVID-19 vaccines were still in clinical trials. The two politicians were able to access these experimental drugs through what drugmakers call a “compassionate use” request. This is when, on a limited basis, the need for FDA approval can be bypassed as a disease is deemed life-threatening enough and there are no other treatments available. When wellknown figures like Donald Trump and Chris Christie are granted “compassionate use” requests, it begs the question: why should it always be those in power that these medical exceptions are made for? Why haven’t more average citizens been considered? There is, of course, the excuse of limited supplies, but why should limited supplies always be reserved for the elite?
roy CoHn sHaking tHe Hand of President ronald regan in January 1983.
When speaking with The New York Times, the CEO of Regeneron, Dr. Leonard Schleifer explained, “When it’s the president of the United States, of course, that gets— obviously—gets our attention.” This quote admits that status is a factor in whether or not “compassionate use” is granted. What is ironic in regards to Trump’s approval is that he also used said status to minimize the danger of the COVID-19 pandemic to the American public. In April 2020, when the CDC first made their recommendation for the public to wear facial coverings, Trump stated that this action was "really, a voluntary thing" and that he would not be taking part. That September on the campaign trail in Swanton, Ohio, Trump proclaimed that COVID-19 affects “virtually nobody.” That very same month, the death toll in the United States for COVID-19 surpassed 200,000. Trump received intensive, exclusive treatment for a disease he seemingly thought was no big deal.
Roy Cohn died denying that he had AIDS; whenever he was asked, he insisted that he had liver cancer. When questioned directly
by Mike Wallace for 60 Minutes as to why his name was on the NIH computer for AIDS if he didn’t have the disease, Cohn responded, “I shouldn’t be! I’m glad you told me that. I’ll take care of that very fast.” He also stated during this recorded interview that the viewers at home could see his face, and it clearly was not the face of a dying man. This, of course, downplayed the dire state Cohn found himself in, and the crisis the nation as a whole was facing. In an alternate history, Roy Cohn could have attempted to use his status to increase national and scientific attention on AIDS to bring about change. Donald Trump could have used his status as president similarly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither did, and yet both utilized their positions to receive special treatment.
On the other hand, a public figure who uses their status to fight against healthcare access inequality is novelist and YouTuber John Green. As a board member of Partners in Health, he has used his platform to combat tuberculosis, the infectious disease with the highest death toll in the world. The disease has had a cure
donald trumP returning BaCk to wHite House after reCeiVing treatment in oCtoBer 2020.
for over 70 years and yet it kills over 1.5 million people each year. There are a few different types of treatment for tuberculosis, but the medicine most successful in curing drug-resistant tuberculosis, bedaquiline, has historically been difficult to access, mainly because of cost. Johnson & Johnson had a twenty-year patent on bedaquiline, and in the summer of 2023 when that patent was to expire, the drug company planned to file for a secondary patent. No other company would have been able to produce cheaper generic versions of the drug. This would have continued to prevent countless tuberculosis patients from life-saving care. Fortunately, tuberculosis activists like John Green put pressure on Johnson & Johnson. The company announced in September 2023 that there would be no secondary patent, allowing other pharmaceutical companies to create and sell the drug. As a result, bedaquiline can be found on the market sometimes 60% cheaper than when it had been restricted by the Johnson & Johnson patent.
John Green is far from the only tuberculosis activist. In an interview with the American Chemical Society’s podcast Tiny Matters, John acknowledges this, saying, “I'd love to be the hero of this story, but there are too many heroes of the story, and I'm not one of them.” He is not a doctor or a healthcare professional; he’s an author and internet content creator. But he did tirelessly use his platform to raise awareness and promote change. Green wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post concerning the issue in May 2023, and went on to upload multiple YouTube videos to his 3.8 million followers. This audience participated in the pressure campaign that resulted in Johnson & Johnson’s decision to not renew the patent.
The precedent that John Green is setting for public figures’ relationship with healthcare is far more positive than that of Roy Cohn or Donald Trump—and John Green has a fraction of the money and influence. In order for change to occur in access in healthcare, the elite must act or be held accountable. The general public must express that they have higher expectations for the rich and powerful. This might look like pushing the wealthy to engage in philanthropy or calling out the rich for diminishing the danger of diseases while participating in experimental treatments for said diseases. Supporting legislators that value access in healthcare is another effective method for change. Consider who should be elected into office and the pressure campaigns that they would support because nobody should be dying from diseases that have cures.
JoHn green sPeaking to suBsCriBers of His youtuBe CHannel at VidCon in 2014.
JoHn green talking wit H t He k issy PsyCHiatriC HosPital in freetown , sierra leone , as a B oard mem B er of Partners in Healt H .
The Queering of Spirituality in Angels in America
by Larsen Nichols
This article contains spoilers for Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika.
The AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s was a devastating chapter in modern history, marked by fear, stigma, and widespread loss within the LGBTQ+ community and across America as a whole. This public health crisis also exposed the harsh realities of societal and institutional homophobia, especially in religious contexts, where queer identities were often marginalized or condemned through oppressive readings of religious texts. During this time, the term "queer" evolved, transforming from a slur into a reclamation of identity and a challenge to rigid norms around gender and sexuality. The word began to represent not just a sexual orientation but a broader "queering" of ideas, a reframing of what was considered normal or acceptable in society. In Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, this queering is evident in the radical reimagining of religious narratives, with biblical stories like Jacob’s wrestling with the angel serving as metaphors for the internal struggles faced by LGBTQ+ individuals. Kushner also draws heavily from both Jewish and Mormon traditions, incorporating them into the play’s complex spiritual landscape to further explore how religious doctrine interacts with questions of identity, morality, and belonging. Through the character of Prior, a gay prophet living with AIDS, and the depiction of hermaphroditic angels who break traditional gender binaries, Kushner queers familiar religious texts, creating a world where queerness is not only accepted within religion but immensely valuable to its exploration and meaning.
From the story of the angel Bethesda to Jonah and the whale, Perestroika is chock-full of allusions and parallels to religious texts. But one of the largest and most impactful biblical throughlines in the two plays is the story of Jacob—from his blessing to his wrestling of the angel. In most versions of the Bible story, Jacob, the younger twin brother of Esau and the son of Abraham and Rebekah, tricked his
father into giving him a blessing and birthright by impersonating Esau. Esau swore to kill Jacob later in their lives as revenge. Jacob flees, and when he journeys back to Esau to reconcile, he is visited in the night by a stranger, who wrestles with him until daybreak. The stranger touches a spot on Jacob’s thigh, which gives him a limp for the rest of his life. Near the end of their struggle, Jacob says, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” The stranger then renames Jacob “Israel,” for he has “struggled with God and with humans and overcome.”
Jacob realizes that he has witnessed and wrestled with a divine entity.
The story of Jacob is first referenced in Angels when Joseph Pitt, in a conversation with his wife, Harper, talks about the imagery of Jacob’s wrestling with the angel as a representation of his own struggle with homosexual desire. Joe says to Harper, “It's me. In that struggle.…The
JAcOb Wrestling the Angel By frenCH Painter léon Bonnat.
angel is not human, and it holds nothing back, so how could anyone human win, what kind of a fight is that? It's not just. Losing means your soul thrown down in the dust, your heart torn out from God's. But you can't not lose.” For Joe, the angel becomes a force of oppression for him, causing him strife as he struggles with his sexuality in relation to his Mormon faith. The story of Jacob is invoked once again in Perestroika, when Joe visits Roy one last time on his deathbed. Roy takes it upon himself to bless Joe, since Joe’s biological father failed to do so. After the blessing, a tender moment between the two men, Roy remarks, “You don't even have to trick it out of me, like [Jacob] in the Bible….A ruthless motherfucker, some bald runt, but he laid hold of his birthright with his claws and his teeth.” But after Joe reveals to Roy that he has been staying with a man, Roy kicks him out of the hospital room, yelling, “You already got my blessing—WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?” This suggests that Joe, just like Jacob tricked Isaac, has tricked Roy, who has been a homoerotic sort of father figure to him. By placing Joe's struggle with his homosexuality in parallel to Jacob’s
story, Kushner shows us the ideology that many LGBTQ+ individuals were familiar with in this time: that religion and queerness are diametrically opposed.
However, through the arc of protagonist and prophet Prior Walter, Kushner does something radical: he creates a world where not only can queerness have a place in religion, religion itself is queer. Prior is a prophet not despite of, but because of his homosexuality and HIV-positive status. Viewing Prior’s selection as prophet through the lens of Judaism, a religion so central to these plays, university professor Ranen Omer-Sherman asserts, “In ancient Judaism, the prophet is not so much ‘seer’ (understood as one who merely predicts the future) but rather an often marginalized outsider who critiques society, sometimes anticipating disastrous consequences if society does not abandon its pursuit of certain practices.” In Angels in America, Prior is an outsider both because of his homosexuality and his diagnosis, making his queerness the very reason for his selection as a prophet. The Angel confirms this to a degree when she tells Prior that the anti-migratory epistle is written in his blood, the physical carrier and marker of his disease. But remarkably, Prior’s internal prophetism is not made to be an issue in the play. Never does Prior wonder why he was selected as a prophet; unlike Joe Pitt, he does not doubt his identity. Nor does he consider what it means for an effeminate gay man with AIDS to be a messenger of the divine. In the absence of discussion within the plays, Kushner leaves these questions for the audience to ponder. Prior’s journey as a prophet leads him to the "Council of Continental Principalities," where Kushner’s description of angelic beings diverges from the norm.
In an era of American history where transgression of the gender binary was, and continues to be, culturally unacceptable in most spaces, Kushner’s description of angelic beings onstage is quite a divergence from the norm. Though most religions conceptualize angels textually as being outside of the gender binary that rules Western society, the majority of well-known depictions about angels portray them either as male or female. In the story of Jacob wrestling the angel, for example, the
mOses receiving the tAblets
By german Painter geBHard fugel.
angel is always described as male. And though the titular Angel of America is most often played by a female-presenting actress, in the dialogue between the Angel, Prior, and Belize in Perestroika, the divine being is characterized as being “hermaphroditically equipped” with eight vaginas and a “bouquet of Phalli.” In the version of heaven that Kushner paints in Perestroika, angels defy the gender binary that dictates societal norms in the United States, and what’s more, veer away from the religious tradition of the incorporeal, spiritual, and immaterial divine. Instead, the “Continental Principalities,” Kushner’s angels, are “utter flesh” as opposed to the “mere flesh” of humans. Kushner elaborates that these beings, prior to their abandonment, “copulate[d] ceaselessly,” creating from their ejaculate a substance called “protomatter,” responsible for all creation. These angels are not removed from sexuality, as popular thought most often considers divine beings to be, but instead exclusively sexual beings whose joinings are responsible for the creation of everything we know. As Prior aptly puts it, “heaven’s, like, a lot, um, livelier than we were led to [believe].”
Kushner’s angels, in their nonadherence to the gender binary and their unapologetic sexuality, become a revolutionary queer imagining of divinity at a time when religion is anything but.
Though Kushner’s religious allusions are queered in Angels in America, the divine world that he builds is not kind. God has abandoned the angels, heaven is left in tatters, and the angels are deeply depressed, devoid of hope, and ready to hold humans accountable for their actions. Joe’s identity as a Mormon causes much strife in his journey to act on his homosexuality and find happiness. Roy and Louis too are heavily impacted by the intersection of their religious and sexual identities, and become some of the most morally questionable characters in the play because of this struggle. But despite this turmoil, at Angels in America’s core is a gay prophet with AIDS and a heaven full of utterly sexual and gender fluid angelic beings. In an era of US history where the discourse around LGBTQ+ people becomes a larger and larger topic in American culture and politics, Kushner’s queering of religion in Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes shows that queer people have and deserve a place in the religious canon.
isAAc blessing JAcOb By dutCH Painter goVert flinCk.
Politicans, Lying, & Fact-Checking
by Kimmarie McCrann
“Half the time I just make it up, and it still turns out to be true!” -Roy Cohn, in Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika.
A prominent figure in both Parts One and Two of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America is the powerful New York lawyer Roy Cohn. Kushner’s character of Cohn is loudmouthed, racist, and rude—inspired by the real Roy Cohn (1927–1986). Cohn was an unethical man in American politics, often considered to be “the man behind the curtain”: pulling strings behind many major political figures, from judges and juries, all the way up to US Presidents through the Reagan administration. A great deal of Cohn’s impact occurred during the 1950s, when he served as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy in an antiCommunist crusade against members of the US State Department and Army. This corrupt tag-team also instigated the Lavender Scare in America, a vicious period in American history when the US government condemned and prosecuted homosexual employees. The irony of Roy Cohn hurling accusations of queerness at scores of members of the US government cannot be ignored—with the now-public knowledge that Cohn was a closested gay man himself. Cohn passed away from AIDS on August 2, 1986, despite his insistence that his ailments were as a result of liver cancer. Cohn also served as a prosecutor in the Rosenberg espionage trials, as a close mentor for a young Donald Trump, and as a participant in decades of shady business dealings.
Roy Cohn was disbarred from practicing law in June 1986 on accounts of “alleged dishonesty, fraud, deceit, and misrepresentation.” One of the charges arose from a 1975 incident, in which Cohn falsely signed a will with a semicomatose patient’s hand, claiming himself as one of the will’s chief executors. Both Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn were men who had unfair and unequivocal power at the heights of their careers, but were disgraced and publicly shamed by the times of their premature deaths. McCarthy was censured
by the US government after embarrassing televised hearings, and Cohn was disbarred from practicing the one thing that had given him such massive power and influence since he was twenty years old. But these two men weren’t the only figures who were caught lying by the US government and experienced an Icarian fall from grace.
President Richard Nixon is currently the only US President to have resigned from office. This was as a result of the infamous Watergate scandal, which occurred in June 1972. Nixon was running for reelection, and he had employed a group of five burglars to break into the Democratic National Convention’s headquarters in the Watergate building. Before they were caught red-handed, the perpetrators’ mission was to illegally wiretap phones and steal important documents from the DNC. Although Nixon initially denied having any affiliation with the botched robbery, it later came to light that Nixon had been funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars of “hush money” to the convicted, and he had been recording conversations of these plans in the Oval Office. These tapes, although made with self-preservation tactics in mind, actually ended up being the direct evidence displaying the president’s involvement in the crime. When
an aerial View of tHe watergate ComPlex, wasHington dC.
Nixon was forced to release the tapes to the Supreme Court in August, guaranteeing his almost certain impeachment, he decided to resign on August 8, 1974, in a televised address that shocked the nation. Nixon’s lying to the American people, extreme cover-up measures, and ultimate resignation brought about a general feeling of distrust in the country. According to the Pew Research Center, before the Watergate scandal erupted and Nixon’s resignation, America’s trust in the government was above 60%. Following these events, it dropped to 36%, where it remained for well over a decade.
General distrust in the American government was perpetuated by President Bill Clinton’s impeachment in 1998. The US House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment for Clinton, under claims of lying under oath and obstruction of justice. Clinton had been caught lying regarding his involvement in an extramarital affair in the Oval Office with his unpaid 22-year-old intern, Monica Lewinsky. Although Clinton had famously initially stated, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky,” it was later revealed in concealed tape recordings by Lewinsky’s close friend, Linda Tripp, that the affair did occur. According
to a CNN poll that was conducted after his impeachment proceedings, Clinton’s approval rating reached its highest point at 73%. However, when asked "Do you generally think Bill Clinton is honest and trustworthy?,” 58% of the American people answered, “No.”
Another example of impeachment in recent US political history is when former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (colloquially known as “Blago”) was tried and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison in 2011. Blago was found guilty on 18 felony counts of corruption, including his 2008 attempt to sell President Barack Obama’s formerly-held US Senate seat in exchange for $1.5 million in campaign contributions and personal favors. From the day that Blagojevich was arrested in 2008 through his ultimate sentencing in 2011, he was seen everywhere in the media. He was interviewed on morning talk shows, news programs, and even cast on Trump’s reality TV show The Apprentice. In these numerous media appearances, Blagojevich declared his innocence many times over, and attempted to paint an image of a charismatic and wrongfully accused man. The Daily Show host Jon Stewart even said to Blago in a 2010 interview, “You have to come out—in a court of law—and clear your name.” The former governor served eight years of his sentence, until it was commuted by President Trump in 2020 and he was released from custody.
Even though Blago was certifiably found to be guilty through rigorous FBI investigations, including wiretapping his nefarious phone conversations, many Americans still supported his claims of innocence. Blago’s case is a direct example of how favorable media coverage can depict anyone, even convicted felons, in a shining wash of charisma and innocence. The truth becomes warped when politicians lie to the public over and over again, and the media allows them to do so without curbing their false claims.
With the 2024 presidential election around the corner, and a proven history of politicians lying for personal gain, it is more important than ever that fact-checking be a standard practice in modern times. Only in recent years has the term “fake news” been popularized, and people have begun relying more and more heavily on resources like the website Politifact
moniCa lewinsky in Her goVernment id PHoto, from tHe us offiCe of tHe seCretary of defense
to double-check the words and statistics being purported by leading candidates. According to a recent New York Times article focused on fact-checking research, Donald Trump had certifiably lied 103 times in the first ten months of his presidency, and Barack Obama had 18 lies during his entire eight-year term. Most recently, President Trump made a false televised claim that took the media by storm— that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were abducting and eating neighborhood pets. These claims have been proven false and dangerous for immigrants and citizens alike in Springfield, who have been receiving numerous bomb threats and have been forced to evacuate schools and common grounds.
The October 2024 vice presidential debate between Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Republican Senator JD Vance was another example of candidates telling falsehoods over the truth. Towards the end of the debate, an increasingly flustered Vance created an instant soundbyte when he said, "The rules were that you guys weren't going to fact-check.” This statement feels scarily akin to the famous Roy Cohn quote, “I don’t want to know what the law is, I want to know who the judge is.” These politicians are admitting to the public that they are not telling the truth, and even brazenly taking pride in their falsehoods.
When Americans elect officials to represent them in government, there is an expectation that these individuals will serve with honesty and accuracy. Lies that compound can create an increasingly dangerous web of deception, which can have disastrous and violent consequences, such as the current threats to the people of Springfield, or, the Capitol’s insurrection on January 6, 2021. Kushner’s depiction of Roy Cohn is seen using blackmailing and hostile techniques to gain access to the highly coveted experimental drug AZT in Angels in America, Part Two. His blatant threats show the true danger behind corrupt, powerful officials. Not only do they lie, but they also have hugely unfair advantages over marginalized communities. When those in power use their influence for personal gain, it widens the gap of distrust, accentuates the wealth gap, and puts civilians into positions of danger. As Esquire magazine bluntly stated, no one should be allowed to “gallop through the second half of the 20th century like a malevolent Forrest Gump,” in the way that Roy Cohn did.
demoCratiC strategist Jamal simmons (left) and founder of tHe Pulitzer Prize-winning weBsite PolitifaCt, Bill adair (rigHt).
The Kaddish
by Kimmarie McCrann
A significant part of Jewish culture explored in Angels in America, Part Two is a prayer called the Kaddish. The Kaddish [ka-dish] is a 13thcentury Aramaic prayer said during every traditional prayer service. Prayer services customarily occur three times a day: in the morning, the afternoon, and the night. The Mourner’s Kaddish is the version we see in Angels, Part Two when Louis performs the prayer over Roy Cohn’s body. Although its words are spoken during times of grief, this version of the Kaddish makes no mention of death at all. Rather, it is a prayer dedicated to praising God.
The Mourner’s Kaddish was originally known as the Orphan’s Kaddish and was said only by children for their parents. It now encompasses other kinds of mourning, particularly for immediate family members, such as deceased parents, siblings, spouses, or children. There are several different theories as to why reciting the Kaddish became associated with death. One theory is that mourners are displaying their steadfastness and trust in God’s greatness, even in times of great loss when their faith could potentially waver. Another spiritual purpose for reciting the Kaddish is to honor the deceased person. When a person who has passed away has several family members reciting the Kaddish for them daily, it shows God that they left behind worthy descendants who follow traditional Jewish teachings. A third reason comes from the desire and need for community in times of grief; the Kaddish is traditionally meant to be spoken in groups of no fewer than ten people, known as a minyan. More traditional followers of Jewish culture favor standing over sitting during the Kaddish, and not leaving until the final words and “Amen” have been spoken.
Traditionally, only men can recite the Kaddish. Some Orthodox Jewish communities still adhere to this rule, while other Reform congregations allow women to say the words. Some of these same Reform groups also make exceptions to allow the Kaddish to be
recited without a full minyan present, or more infrequently on specific days of the week like Shabbat. Historically, the length of time to recite the Kaddish for a child grieving the loss of a parent is eleven months, and no more; within the faith, twelve months implies that the recipient was very wicked and needed a full year’s protection for their evil transgressions. Though the guideline for the loss of a child, spouse, or sibling is now thirty days, many followers today recite the Kaddish for eleven months for any immediate family members, regardless of whether the deceased was a parent or not. After the initial eleven months have passed, Kaddish is only recited for the departed on one’s yahrzeit, the Hebrew anniversary of their death, and at Yizkor, public memorial services.
The practice of saying Kaddish can provide positive psychological benefits to those in mourning. Neurologist Lisa M. Shulman,
alain naCaCHe saying tHe kaddisH at tHe frenCH national day of rememBranCe, 2016.
MD, working through the American Brain Foundation, has released a great deal of research regarding the impact of grief on the human brain. Dr. Shulman observes that the brain interprets grief, often caused by the death of a loved one, as emotional trauma or PTSD. Tragedy and chronic stress over the longterm can rewire the brain by making a person experience a reduction in nerve growth and their brain to purely focus on fear and survival instincts. This rewiring can have negative effects on an individual’s memory, attention span, decision-making skills, and overall sense of well-being. The structure and familiarity of saying Kaddish daily can give mourners a sense of routine and purpose in an otherwise shaken time of grief. Speaking these sacred words, which date back centuries, surrounded by fellow followers, can foster a sense of peace, comfort, and community.
Kushner’s decision to include the Kaddish in Perestroika cannot be diminished, and should be recognized as the moment of heightened
spiritual and psychological collision that it is. Louis is guided by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg to recall the words of the Kaddish and speak them over a lifeless Roy Cohn. Earlier in the play, Ethel expresses her deep hatred for Cohn, saying, “...I have borne my hatred for you up into the heavens and made a needlesharp little star in the sky of it.” Although Louis and Ethel both harbor a deep and more than justified animosity for Cohn, their decision to say the Kaddish for him anyway can be seen as an act of forgiveness, a gesture of care, and an expression of faith. There is a sense of holiness enveloping the scene, and it depicts a moment of spiritual growth from both Louis and Ethel, the latter of whom is not seen again for the remainder of the play. This could be Kushner’s way of showing that by saying Kaddish for Roy Cohn, the spirit of Ethel Rosenberg is releasing a bit of her earthly resentment. Perhaps Ethel, even in her spiritual form, has used the Kaddish to, as Roy says in Act 5, “shuffle off this mortal coil” and finally rest.
The Kaddish in Aramaic:
Yis’ga’dal v’yis’kadash sh’may ra’bbo, b’olmo dee’vro chir’usay v’yamlich malchu’say, b’chayaychon uv’yomay’chon uv’chayay d’chol bais Yisroel, ba’agolo u’viz’man koriv; v’imru Omein.
Y’hay shmay rabbo m’vorach l’olam ul’olmay olmayo. Yisborach v’yishtabach v’yispoar v’yisromam v’yisnasay, v’yishador v’yis’aleh v’yisalal, shmay d’kudsho, brich hu, l’aylo min kl birchoso v’sheeroso, tush’bechoso v’nechemoso, da,ameeran b’olmo; vimru Omein. Y’hay shlomo rabbo min sh’mayo, v’chayim alaynu v’al kol Yisroel; v’imru Omein. Oseh sholom bimromov, hu ya’aseh sholom olaynu, v’al kol yisroel; vimru Omein.
English Translation:
May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified, throughout the world, which he has created according to his will. May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire household of Israel, swiftly and in the near future; and say, Amen. May his great name be blessed, forever and ever. Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored, elevated and lauded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he – above and beyond any blessings and hymns, Praises and consolations which are uttered in the world; and say Amen. May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life, upon us and upon all Israel; and say, Amen.
He who makes peace in his high holy places, may he bring peace upon us, and upon all Israel; and say Amen.
Post-Show Activities
by Charlie Bowen & Sadie Goldstein
1. Does this show feel like a sequel? Does it feel like an extension of Part One (if you have seen Part One)? If you have not seen Part One, do you believe Perestroika can stand alone as its own play? Discuss with a group.
2. Read the PlayNotes article on “Angelology” and brainstorm and research different depictions of angels you have seen. How are they similar or different to the Angel in the show?
3. Does this play feel dated to the late 1980s and early 1990s? Are there aspects that felt modern to you? What could you connect with the characters of Angels in America on? Discuss it with a group.
4. Playwright Tony Kushner calls this play a comedy, in the dramatic sense, meaning that “issues are resolved, mostly peaceably, growth takes place and loss is, to a certain degree, countenanced." Did it feel to you that this story was resolved in the end? What would come next?
5. Roy Cohn is a historical figure depicted in Angels in America. Consider how Tony Kushner chooses to portray this man. Can you identify scenes where Kushner is critical of Cohn? Are there scenes where Kushner encourages the audience to sympathize with Cohn? Discuss with a group.
6. What do you think Angels in America is about? Create a thesis statement, a one sentence summary, that encapsulates the ideas and messages of Part Two, or both parts together.
JosePH Bearor in Angels in AmericA, PArt One: millennium APPrOAches PHoto By James a. Hadley.
Recommended Resources
by Editors
Watch
Where’s My Roy Cohn, a documentary on Trump’s relationship to Roy Cohn
Pose, FX Series
The Apprentice by Ali Abbasi
Angels in America, HBO TV miniseries
Yesterday, by Darrell Roodt
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman
Read Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner
The World Only Spins Forward by Dan Kois and Isaac Butler
A Bright Room Called Day by Tony Kushner
The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer
Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein
Stop Kiss by Diana Son
G. David Shine in Hell by Tony Kushner
How to Survive a Plague by David France
Get Involved
Frannie Peabody Center, peabodycenter.org
Equality Community Center, eccmaine.org
Equality Maine, equalitymaine.org
roBBie Harrison and Casey turner in Angels in AmericA, PArt One: millennium APPrOAches
PHoto By James a. Hadley.
Portland Stage Company Education Programs
Student Matinee Series
The Portland Stage Student Matinee Program provides students with discounted tickets for student matinees. Following the performance, students participate in a conversation with the cast and crew, which helps them gain awareness of the creative process and encourages them to think critically about the themes and messages of the play.
Play Me a Story
Experience the fun and magic of theater on Saturday mornings with Play Me a Story! Ages 4 – 10 enjoy a performance of children’s stories followed by an interactive acting workshop with Portland Stage’s Education Artists for $15. Sign up for the month and save or pick individual days that work for you. Build literacy, encourage creativity and spark dramatic dreams!
Shakespeare Teen Company
In April and May of 2025, students will come together as an ensemble to create a fully-staged production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Portland Stage’s studio theater. Participants in grades 7-12 take on a variety of roles including acting, costume design, marketing, and more!
Vacation and Summer Camps
Dive into theater for five exciting days while on your school breaks! Our theater camps immerse participants in all aspects of theater, culminating in an open studio performance for friends and family at the end of the week! Camps are taught by professional actors, directors, and artisans. Students are invited to think imaginatively, critically, and creatively in an environment of inclusivity and safe play.
PLAY Program
An interactive dramatic reading and acting workshop tour for elementary school students in grades pre-k through 5. Professional education artists perform children’s literature and poetry and then involve students directly in classroom workshops based on the stories. Artists actively engage students in in small group workshop using their bodies, voices, and imaginations to build understanding of the text while bringing the stories and characters to life. PLAY helps develop literacy and reading fluency, character recall, understanding of themes, social emotional skills, physical storytelling, and vocal characterization. The program also comes with a comprehensive Resource Guide filled with information and activities based on the books and poems.
Directors Lab
Professional actors perform a 50-minute adaptation of a Shakespeare play, followed by a talkback. In 2025 we will be touring Hamlet to middle and high schools. After the performance, students engage directly with the text in an interactive workshop with the actors and creative team. In these workshops, students practice effective communication, creative collaboration, rhetoric, and critical analysis. The program also comes with a comprehensive Resource Guide filled with information and resources about the play we are focusing on. Directors Lab puts Shakespeare’s language into the hands and mouths of the students, empowering them to be the artists, directors, and ensemble with the power to interpret the text and produce meaning.
Portland Stage Company
Anita Stewart Artistic Director
Martin Lodish Managing Director
Artistic & Production Staff
Todd Brian Backus Literary Manager
Jacob Coombs Associate Technical Director
Ted Gallant Technical Director
Myles C. Hatch Stage Manager
Meg Lydon Stage Manager
Elliot Nye Props Coordinator
Mary Lana Rice Production Manager, Lighting Supervisor, & Resident Lighting Designer
Seth Asa Sengel Asst. Production Manager, Sound Supervisor, & Resident Sound Designer
Susan Thomas Costume Shop Manager
Administrative Staff
Paul Ainsworth Business Manager
Beka Bryer Audience Services Associate
Covey Crolius Development Director
Chris DeFilipp Audience Services Associate
Erin Elizabeth Marketing & Communications Director
Cassie Endicott Audience Services Associate
Allison Fry Grants Coordinator
Aressa Goodrich Marketing and Graphic Design Associate
Lindsey Higgins Development Associate
Katie Hodgdon House & Concessions Manager
Savannah Irish Marketing Assistant
Jennifer London Company Manager, Apprentice Coordinator
Renee Myhaver Assistant Box Office Manager
Carrigan O'Brian Audience Services Associate
Stacey Salotto-Cristobol Education Assistant
Don Smith Audience Services Manager
Julianne Shea Education Administrator, Apprentice Coordinator
Adam Thibodeau House Manager
Michael Dix Thomas Education Director
Apprentice Company
Charlie Bowen Education Apprentice
Kevin Commander Stage Management Apprentice
Renata Cortés Costumes Apprentice
Sadie Goldstein Education Apprentice
Micki Demby Kleinman Directing & Dramaturgy Apprentice
Kimmarie McCrann Directing & Dramaturgy Apprentice
Larsen Nichols Directing & Dramaturgy Apprentice
Casey Pitts Company Management Apprentice
Jessica Podemski Costumes Apprentice
Sierra Riley Electrics Apprentice
Grάinne Sheehan Props Apprentice
Charlotte Teplitz Stage Management Apprentice