By Jody Key – Managing Editor

Atlanta – The HIV/AIDS crisis is the topic playwrights Daniel Gurira and Nikkole Salter explore IN THE CONTINUUM, playing at Synchronicity Theatre for a limited engagement until June 18th. This poignant work of art for the stage explores the parallel lives of two women who face the AIDS crisis in Africa and America at the end of the 20th century. The lives of Abagail Murambe (Dionna D Davis), a professional from Harare, Zimbabwe, and Nia James (Asha Basha Duniani), an aspiring poet from South Central, Los Angeles find themselves in a similar situation–pregnant and diagnosed with HIV/AIDS–at a time when the disease was still novel and without a cure. The action takes place over the course of a weekend. Both women are strong, fierce females whose only flaw is daring to love men who pass the disease on to them. Their connections continue as they face criticism and unsolicited advice from friends, family, colleagues, and the community. Both Abagail and Nia follow a path of self- discovery which includes the stages of grief as they navigate their fate. 

This important work of art sheds light on the barriers and stigmas Black women face when  living with HIV. Winner of the OBIE award and also a Pulitzer Prize nominated play, this work first had its premiere off-Broadway at Primary Stages in 2005 and has since been performed in Zimbabwe, South Africa as well as many major cities in the United States. It was produced with great love and concern for Black women–mothers, sisters, wives–fighting and living with AIDS. 

As the COVID pandemic has been in the forefront of our minds, HIV/AIDS has taken a back seat. Most people don’t think much today about HIV/AIDS as it is preventable. Although advances in treatment of the epidemic have made it a disease people can live with and not an automatic death sentence, it is still prevalaent among the black community and affects young women and their children. Since the advent of the epidemic, tens of millions of people have died. Today thiere are approximately 35 million people living with HIV. On December 1, 2022, Georgia Public Broadcasting reported that our state of Georgia leads the the nation in new HIV cases. In 2018, the CDC classified HIV as an epidemic in Atlanta. 32% of the state population is black and 71% of newly diagnosed AIDS cases in Georgia are among Black residents. Black women are also disproportionately represented and account for 54% of new infections among women. Black women around the globe who are diagnosed as HIV positive still face obstacles such as access to medication, stigma, shame, and feelings of loneliness and dread for themselves and their families/children.    

What I like best about Synchronicity Theatre is its intimate performance space. The theater seats a little over 100 people and has stadium seating, so there’s not a bad seat in the house. Seating is first-come, first served so get there early, the box offic opens 30 minutes prior to the show.

I wasn’t sure what to expect as I hadn’t researched this show’s background or history much prior to attending. Needless to say I was blown away by the diversity of perfromances delivered by these two talented women. This dynamic duo played multiple characters in addition to the main characters of Abagail and Nia. Each character was distinct, with their own attitudes and mannerisms. Although both characters took up the same space, which looked more like South Central LA than Zimbabwe, they made it easy to imagine that each character was existing in their respective settings, representing a mirror with two faces. I must regale a hearty BRAVO to the entire cast and crew of this production and give it the designation of Speakeysie Must See.

Get your tickets before they sell out at https://synchrotheatre.com/plays-events/season/In-the-Continuum/