'Class of 90' considers AIDS from a student's point of view
Actors show other sides of the disease
By Jennifer Richmond
Daily Bruin Staff
With all the plays about AIDS recently, it's about time there was one showing the student's point of view.
"Class of 1990" is that play.
"Class" takes a new twist on the AIDS epidemic by looking at the death of Sarah, a teenage heterosexual girl who contracts the AIDS virus, and how her class mates are dealing with her death.
"The point of view shown about AIDS is always about homosexuality which is not the only side, you know? Just as many heterosexual people have AIDS, so I think that's interesting," says Leslie Boone, one of the actresses in the play.
"And then there's the junkie point of view as well," she adds, referring to a character's addiction to heroin which is mentioned in "Class" as a possible cause of Sarah's sickness.
But there's also the teenage point of view, which is why Rick Simone got involved. Although he's done several shows on the subject of AIDS and HIV, including a one-man show he wrote and performed, this is the first he's ever done that deals with the younger generation.
"Everyone sees it from the heavy-handed, death-ridden point of view. (Whereas this one) is fresh," he says. "It's not typical. It doesn't talk down to young people, it talks to them on their own level. Some people might think that that's too simplistic a view of a great problem in this world. But it's not because if you talk to young people now, they haven't had the life experience that a lot of us have.
"But the problem is that everybody doesn't know," Simone continues. "The fact is, that a growing number of the population that's getting this disease is people under the age of 21, and so, those are the people I'd like to talk to and I'd like to get to see this."
Because the show takes a look at this younger age group and their reactions to the disease, actor Patrick Day says he feels the show is a good teacher. "Because it deals with high school, (the play) shows that AIDS can start at that early an age."
"There's such a feeling that it's so hard to get AIDS," actor Bobby Jacoby adds. "That it's only a gay disease or a bisexual disease."
"And also when you're younger you think you're indestructible," says Day. But this play dispels all those myths. It shows the other side of the AIDS issue in a serious manner without being too heavy-handed.
The fact is that "heterosexual AIDS is growing," says Jonah Rooney, an actor. He got involved because he feels the play is real and because he's hoping to "embed it into (audience's) heads that AIDS can happen to anyone anywhere," and not just to homosexuals. "We're hoping to get to them, you know? Tell 'em what's up; tattoo it on their foreheads."
Simone feels the same way. "Educating people and getting people to think is one thing, but another thing that comes up when you do shows like this is also healing because a lot of people have been through it; they've lived through it.
"So, if they can sit back and see that someone else has had similar experiences and they can laugh about it, and maybe have a moment when they don't feel like they're the only ones who have been through that," Simone continues, "then that's a good thing, a healing thing. Especially when a show is going to donate proceeds to Pediatric AIDS Foundation. So, the whole experience is sort of a healing thing."
"And it's just good," Natasha Wagner adds. "It's good for people to give their time for things that they believe in, you know," she says of her involvement in the production. "Life isn't all about being self-centered, it's about other things and for some reason that's not a strong theme in today's society."
And that's what both the cast and playwright want: to show audiences what may be considered a new view of AIDS, but has actually been around for some time.
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STAGE: "Class of 1990." Written and Directed by Don Gibble. Starring Natasha Wagner, John Ales, Patrick Day and Rick Simone. Running through March 19 at the Tiffany Theater. Performing Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. TIX: $25. For more info call: (310) 289-2999.