In the Continuum Joins Forces with Ms. Foundation to Fight AIDS
The Ms. Foundation for Women and the producers of In The Continuum have formed an advocacy partnership to support the self-determination of women with HIV/AIDS.
The Ms. Foundation for Women, through its Women and AIDS Fund (WAF) has developed the only project in the country that identifies and supports community-based organizations run by and for women living with HIV/AIDS. In The Continuum, a top theatre pick on several Best of 2005 lists, depicts the impact of HIV/AIDS on two black women, one African and one African-American. In The Continuum is produced by Primary Stages, in association with the Perry Street Theatre, Patrick Blake and Cheryl Wiesenfeld.
"Together, the Ms. Foundation for Women and the producers of In The Continuum seek to improve the lives of women with HIV/AIDS by raising the public's awareness of the impact HIV/AIDS has on women of color," according to press notes.
"We are delighted to be collaborating with such a revered women's organization and welcome the opportunity to  help women living with HIV/AIDS," said Cheryl Wiesenfeld, the co-producer, of In The Continuum. "The producers of In The Continuum encourage audience members and the general public to help make a difference in the lives of women like Abigail and Nia who are portrayed in the play, by signing the Ms. Foundation for Women's Address the Neglected Trut petition."
Despite
the continuing rise of HIV/AIDS infection and death among women,
particularly women of color, women continue to be the last, the least,
and left out in the fight against AIDS. Women are dying of AIDS at an
alarmingly rapid rate but still receive the least amount of health
care, supportive services, funding, education, representation and other
services. Poor women and women of color remain the hardest hit.
The Ms.
Foundation for Women's 10 Point Call-to-Action Plan and "Address the
Neglected Truth" petition urge legislators to make HIV-positive women's
needs a priority. In The Continuum audience members will be able to
sign the petition in the lobby of the Perry Street Theatre; the general
public may sign the petition by visiting the Ms. Foundation for Women's website.
In The
Continuum, developed by New York University student writer/performers
Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter, tells the story of Abigail and Nia,
two women who have just learned that they are pregnant and infected
with the HIV virus. Abigail is a successful journalist living with her
husband in Zimbabwe. Nia is a poor, South Central L.A. teenager with a
high school basketball star boyfriend and few future plans of her own.
Despite their differences, both women face the biggest challenge of
their lives with determination to live, but little help or resources.
In The Continuum has received stellar reviews from critics and the
theatre-going public and is now in the second extension of its run with
performances scheduled at the Perry Street Theatre through January 28,
2006.
To learn more about the 10-Point Call-to Action Plan and/or to sign the "Address the Neglected Truth" petition, please visit the Ms. Foundation for Women's Web site at www.ms.foundation.org and to buy tickets to In The Continuum log onto www.smarttix.com. The producers of In The Continuum have pledged to contribute $7.50 to the Ms. Foundation for Women for its Women and AIDS Fund every time a $60 ticket is sold using the special Ms. Foundation code: MS60.
Photo--In the Continuum playwrights/stars Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter with Gloria Steinem
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