Take part in a conversation following select performances of The Normal Heart with guest
panelists. The panels will explore how HIV/AIDS is represented in the media and in the arts as well as how the virus continues to affect gay men, women, senior citizens, youth and people of color both nationally and in the Washington metro area.
Set in the early 1980s, The Normal Heart explores the autobiographical experiences of playwright Larry Kramer during the rise of the AIDS epidemic in New York City. Today, activists and advocates like Kramer still wrestle with the fundamental question: how do we cope with an aging disease as we grow older? Join Ken South, Director of the Academy of HIV Medicine and President of Prime Timers D.C., in a discussion about aging with AIDS following the Wednesday, July 25th evening performance of The Normal Heart, moderated by Arena Stage’s Literary Manager Amrita Ramanan. This Engage@arenastage panel discussion will be held in the Kogod Cradle and is free and open to the public.
Ken South has been working in the nonprofit field ever since earning his BA in nonprofit management from Salem College in 1969. His professional career has included work in three areas of interest, the interfaith community, the AIDS community and the aging community. Ken was a co-founder of the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective in the early 80’s where he met his first person with AIDS. Ken’s experiences with the AIDS epidemic include his work as staff with AID Atlanta, the AIDS National Interfaith Network, AIDS Action, the AIDS Institute of KOBA Associates, the President’s Commission on the AIDS Epidemic, and his current position as the Director of Credentialing Programs of the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Experience in the GLBT aging world include his time as co-founder of Bushnell Congregate Homes, aging coordinator at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and co-authorship in 2001 of “Outing Age: Public Policy Issues for GLBT Elders.” He served on the national board the LGBT Aging Issues Network of the American Society on Aging, SAGE Metro-DC and the advisory committee of Senior Health Resources of DC. He has been President of Prime Timers of DC since 2000.
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