By the mid 1980s, hundreds of thousands of American citizens-the majority of them gay, black, and/or Latino-had become infected with AIDS. This disease, eventually named AIDS, was (in America) most commonly found in the gay male community. In the late 70s and early 80s, doctors discovered a “rare cancer” that destroyed patient’s immune systems. The most important historical event referenced in Angels in America is the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Kushner wrote the screenplays for both Munich (2005) and Lincoln (2012). In addition to his work in theater, Kushner is a prolific screenwriter noted for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg. Since the 90s, Kushner has continued to write plays prolifically, though none have ever rivaled the cultural impact of Angels in America. Kushner’s work was universally regarded as a masterpiece: it won both the Tony and the Pulitzer Prize for the best play of 1992. The first part of the play was first performed in San Francisco, and the second part was first performed in New York City in 1992. In 1991, Kushner finished by far his most famous play, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. For most of the 1980s, Kushner was active in the New York theater world, gaining a reputation for writing provocative, politically-oriented plays that mixed harsh commentary on economic inequality and the AIDS crisis with a fantastic, operatic style. Afterwards, Kushner attended the Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied theater. He attended Columbia University, where he was politically active, and received a B.A. He was a good student, and active in policy debate in high school. Tony Kushner was born to a family of Jewish musicians.

Angels in america part one