The AIDS Plays Project is re-staging and re-publishing the theatrical works of writers whose lives were cut short by HIV/AIDS-related illnesses. 

We are releasing their plays from the archive and returning them to the stage in one-off performances starring award-winning actors, writers and drag artists. Striving for cultural recovery and repair, we seek to mend the connection between these trailblazing playwrights and a younger generation of queer artists and audiences in the UK. 


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Reasons for Staying
by Colm Ó Clúbhán

7.30pm, 27th February - 1st March
London Performance Studios

Rarely seen since its 1986 premiere, Ó Clúbhán’s play reckons with the sexual freedom and cultural dislocation faced by a group of Irish emigrants gathered in the backroom of a London pub one night. This rehearsed reading will be directed by Alastair Curtis, with design by Max Allen and Elliott Adcock and music by Helen Noir. 


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What is The AIDS Plays Project?


Until now there’s not been a project of cultural recovery and revival in contemporary theatre. Alastair Curtis, our founder and director, discusses the project’s aims.


Video: Elijah Horne


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July 2024 - The AIDS Plays Project has partnered with Polari Press to return Harry Kondoleon’s ‘Christmas on Mars’ to print for the first time in 30 years. This special edition includes a conversation with critic Don Shewey and an essay by playwright Wendy Wasserstein, as well as photos of our 2023 production. It is a moving tribute to one of America’s most enchanting playwrights.


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Get In Touch

alastair@theaidsplaysproject.com

The AIDS Plays Project was founded by Alastair Curtis. Our project has worked with: Izzy Parriss, Max Allen, Elliott Adcock, Helen Noir, Paul Hilton, Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran, Jeanie Crystal, Luke Hornsby, Sue Gives A Fuck, Lauren John Joseph, Melissa Saint, Alistair Hall, Florence Dobson, Orlando/Holly James Johnston, Sharon Small, Mary Malone, Dominic Holmes, Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea, Syrus Lowe, Adam Silver, Ms Sharon Le Grand, Florence Keith-Roach, Luca Kamleh Chapman, Ben Allen, Lewis Brown, and Sorcha Stott-Strzala.

It was commissioned by London Performance Studios.

Creative production by KIND. Design by Tom Joyes.