The Wizard of A.I.D.S.: Difference between revisions

'''''The Wizard of A.I.D.S.: Aware Individuals Deserving Survival''''' is a short [[Musical theatre|musical]] play created by the AIDS Educational Theatre (now HealthWorks Theatre) in [[Chicago]] in 1987. It was originally conceived by a group of students (led by graduate student Michael Barto) from the University of Iowa Theatre Department and was performed in parks and gay nightclubs throughout Iowa City, before being issued a cease-and-desist letter for using licensed music from the film.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Langenberg |first=Sara |date=July 28, 1988 |title="Dorothy learns of safe sex from the 'Wizard of AIDS' " |pages=1 |work=The Daily Iowan |url=https://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/1988/di1988-07-28.pdf }}</ref> The group worked with a local community group which supplied rainbow colored condoms, which were distributed to the audience at the end of each performance. Barto later brought the piece to Chicago to be revised and relaunched using original music. The play, which parodies the [[1939 in film|1939]] film ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'', is an [[AIDS]] education piece that follows [[Dorothy Gale]] and her friends from the "Land of AIDS" as they battle the "[[Wicked Witch of the West|Wicked Witch of Unsafe Sex]]" and learn how to prevent the spread of HIV. Along the way, the [[Scarecrow (Oz)|Scarecrow]] learns to use his brain to make good choices to avoid infection, the [[Tin Woodman|Tin Man]] finds it in his heart to feel compassion for people with the disease and the [[Cowardly Lion]] realizes the courage to face his fears about becoming ill. The musical plays on the popularity of the film among gay people, a group of high risk for AIDS infection. During and after the play, cast members distribute HIV-prevention literature and condoms to the audience.<ref>{{cite news

| url = httphttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x2oWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qRIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2296,5254275&dq=wizard-of-aids

| accessdateaccess-date = 2009-08-26}}</ref>

| url = httphttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vbsVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BQ8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3248,133842&dq=wizard-of-aids

| accessdateaccess-date = 2009-08-26}}</ref> HealthWorks tours the piece to high schools and college campuses across the country, occasionally sparking controversy. Although Dorothy chooses abstinence as her prevention strategy,<ref>{{cite news

| url = httphttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZN8VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1hIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4589,5699845&dq=wizard-of-aids

| accessdateaccess-date = 2009-08-26}}</ref> the play frankly discusses condom usage and the Wicked Witch is killed by being suffocated with a giant condom.<ref>{{cite news

| url = httphttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W9kVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5hIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4922,3091457&dq=wizard-of-aids

| accessdateaccess-date = 2009-08-26}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

==NotesReferences==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060518014652/http://www.healthworkstheatre.org/AboutUs.htm HealthWorks Theatre official site] {{dead link}}

{{Oz|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:LGBTLGBTQ-related musicals]]

[[Category:OzMusicals inbased stageon andThe filmWonderful productionsWizard of Oz]]