Shining a Much-Needed Spotlight on Black Men Living with HIV
Performers
Art meets activism in the immersive theatre piece As Much As I Can
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Thankfully As Much As I Can is breaking the silence. An immersive theatre piece with an unconventional development process, the show was born out of ViiV Healthcare‘s ACCELERATE! Initiative to reach black gay and bisexual men in Baltimore, Maryland and Jackson, Mississippi, two cities heavily impacted by HIV. Over four years, researchers interviewed hundreds of men in the target demo, hoping their personal stories would hold the key to destigmatizing HIV testing and treatment in the black community. In 2017, ViiV Healthcare partnered with creative marketing agency Harley & Company and playwright Sarah Hall to transform these tales into an intimate and engaging live event, where audiences get schooled on what it’s like to be black and HIV positive. After touring to many U.S. cities, including a stop in Harlem last year, As Much As I Can returns to New York for a limited run at Joe’s Pub from September 12 to 16.
As Much As I Can addresses the shame surrounding HIV and homosexuality in the African-American community, which leads to secrecy and the proliferation of the virus. As Moïse points out, it spreads from black men who have sex with other black men (sometimes on the down low), who then have sex with black women and suddenly everyone is infected yet no one is talking about it.
Gill sees this hiding as a natural outgrowth of 300 years of forced resilience, with black men afraid of being seen as weak or vulnerable. As Much As I Can sets out to abolish that antiquated take on black masculinity, and Gill hopes it will prove freeing and healing for his peers. “I try to use my art to entertain, educate and inspire,” he says. “I think this is a piece that can do all of those things: inspire you to get up and make a change in your community.”
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Top image: Courtesy of Harley and Co.
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Juan Michael Porter II