A programme of Music, Visual Arts and Drama education
Class notes
Angels in America by Tony Kushner Notes Grade 12 (IEB)
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A programme of Music, Visual Arts and Drama education
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12th Grade
This is a collection of extensive notes on Angels in America: Millenium Approaches by Tony Kushner:
- Play Summary
- About the Author
- Character Analysis
- Tony Kushner Influences
- Tony Kushner Intentions
- Quotes
A programme of Music, Visual Arts and Drama education
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ANGELS IN AMERICA - TONY KUSHNER
Tony kushner:
When Tony Kushner was writing Angels in America in the late 1980s and early
1990s, he was deeply influenced by the AIDS epidemic, which was devastating the
LGBTQ+ community, and the political climate of the time, particularly the Reagan
administration’s lack of action on the crisis. Kushner was grappling with personal
and collective grief, anger, and a sense of urgency. He was also coming to terms
with his own identity as a gay man during a time when the culture was still dealing
with a profound social and political backlash. Kushner was writing in the midst of a
time of crisis, as many of his friends were affected by AIDS, and he saw the disease
as a metaphor for social and moral neglect, especially in the face of governmental
apathy.
SUMMARY:
Angels in America is a two-part play set in the 1980s during the AIDS crisis,
blending realism with elements of fantasy and the supernatural. The play revolves
around two main storylines: Prior Walter, a gay man diagnosed with AIDS, and his
partner Louis Ironson, who struggles with guilt and abandonment; and Joe Pitt, a
conservative Mormon lawyer, who is grappling with his own repressed
homosexuality and his wife Harper's mental illness. The lives of these characters
intersect with the larger themes of power, betrayal, and the search for meaning in
an era of social and political upheaval. Throughout the play, the characters are
visited by supernatural forces, including an angel who appears to Prior. The play
explores themes of love, death, politics, and identity, offering a powerful critique of
American society, particularly its response to the AIDS crisis and its treatment of
marginalized groups.
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