The main restriction/regulation related to this event was that we could not disclose the HIV status of any of the actors or guests attending the performance. It was imperative that their HIV status as well as sexual orientation be kept confidential unless they wanted to self disclose this information.

“As Much As I Can” is the first immersive theater experience created specifically to change individual and community behavior -- focusing on a major public health crisis. Unlike other immersive plays which are solely to entertain, it was developed using the science of behavior change and has a structured script. The interactions with the audience and the set design were created to give people the visceral experience of some of the key dynamics driving this HIV/AIDS epidemic. This includes interacting with healthcare workers in clinic waiting rooms and attending church with the community. By blurring the line between fantasy and reality, audience and actor -- the attendees aren’t able to have a passive viewing experience. Their brain processes the scenes and the emotions they contain as though they were experiencing them “in real life” because it is the same cognitive process, ccreating a more lasting behavioral and perceptual effect.

The play was written in partnership with 10 local community captains in each city, trained to facilitate listening sessions with groups of men each around critical topics. Those sessions became the basis for the original script. The principal actors were cast in NYC to ensure consistency and the remaining 24 actors were cast in both cities from a mix of professional and first time actors. The goal was to empower men from the community to tell their story. A modular set was designed consisting of 8 rooms that could easily be moved from city to city. Each room was monochromatic to amplify emotion and create a slightly abstracted world. The lighting was designed using synced LED stripe. This enhanced the color in the room, and became a main visual focal point. The play was performed for 4 days in each city with another run scheduled for June 2017.

At the beginning, and at the conclusion of As Much As I Can, an independent evaluation was administered. The results showed a statistically significant change in the following perceptions --- 77% showed a greater concern for HIV in the Black gay community in their cities, 60% reported feeling inspired and motivated to make a change, and almost all felt a deeper sense of responsibility for the health of Black gay men. Equally as powerful were the qualitative impacts which we heard during the talkbacks with the audience members after the performance, from cast members and from volunteers who supported the show in each city. Sadly we can’t share that all here but every night we heard from men who thanked us for telling their story, family members who realized they needed to be better supporters, and health care workers who for the first time stood in their patients shoes.

As Much As I Can is an immersive theatre experience in which community members of Jackson, MS, and Baltimore, MD, attended a 90-minute performance. The audience was fully immersed in the lives of Black gay men in these communities. It was created to change individual and community behavior where the HIV epidemic is most prevalent and to raise awareness thereby prompting action in these communities. After viewing the performance, the audience showed a greater concern for HIV in the Black gay community and a deeper sense of responsibility for the health of Black gay men in their city.

The target audience was all critical community stakeholders such as healthcare workers, Black men who have sex with men, their family members, and members of the faith-based community. The attendees were given limited information in advance of the performance and most thought they would be attending a conventional play. Once they arrived, they were immediately immersed in the experience — walking through rooms with the actors and participating in scenes. They sat next to one of the actors on his mother’s couch as he learned he had infected a friend. They sat on the floor of the bedroom while two men negotiated their relationship, their sexual choices and their approach to love. They sat with men in the clinic who were humiliated by the receptionist. At the conclusion of the experience, they had the opportunity to talk to the actors, complete evaluations and share the impact it had on them.

By 2020, if current trends in America continue, 1 out of every 2 Black men who has sex with men will be infected with HIV. This infection rate is a result of a complex intersection of factors that includes inadequate access to care, the absence of family support, and a lack of self-empowerment. The ability to successfully reduce transmission and connect men to care is dependent upon catalyzing change at the community level. Change at this scale and complexity cannot be achieved through PSA campaigns, it requires interventions that modify perception and behavior. The objective was to design an “event” that built upon an ethnographic research study identifying some of the critical challenges facing this population. This event needed to have significant community impact, be seen as an authentic representation of these men’s voices, and change perception/behavior.