Greetings from Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association

[Guest guest]

Hello AIDS India!

The Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association sends you greetings from

Anchorage, Alaska, in the United States.

We are Alaska's premier ASO and our website is: http://www.alaskanaids.org

We wish to exchange ideas for prevention of HIV/AIDS and for client

care. We use theatre program promoting awareness of HIV prevention:

T.H.A.T. / The HIV/AIDS Theatre. Statement from the Stage Director of The Inner

Circle: Changing Times:

The live play form can cause youth to look, listen and learn. In

dealing with the often fatal consequences and preventable cousins of

HIV and AIDS making youth look, listen and learn is vital. With the

speed and direction of this modern plague I believe all future

generations will have a relationship with both HIV and AIDS.

I desire to do what I can as an artist to ensure that this relationship remains

negative. Using a play to deliver life-saving and compassionate information is

an excellent and proven way of achieving this.

While it isn't science and it isn't clinical care, a play is a powerful way,

perhaps the best way, of commanding all too short attention spans in order to

get the message across.

While The Inner Circle by no means is the only play geared toward

this age group that deals with HIV/AIDS it is a very good play for

doing so. That fact that the play provokes loud and thoughtful

discussions afterwards attests to its power, to the fact that it is

working in getting the message across, that it commands short

attention spans.

The beauty of The Inner Circle is that it can tour and play anywhere, so few

are its technical needs. It has played in cafeterias, theatres, gyms, lounges

and so on. Really, it has only two technical needs: a space for the actors to

perform in/on, and lights that are turned on. Ideally, it will play in a real

theatre. Vitally, it simply plays and teaches.

Christian Heppinstall, stage director

E-mail: <cheppinstall@...>