Horizon Theatre Partners With Global HIV/AIDS Organization For World AIDS Day Premiere Of LOVE, M.

In recognition of World AIDS Day, December 1, Atlanta-based, Horizon Theatre, the Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition (BLACC) and AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the world's largest provider of HIV/AIDS services, bring to the virtual stage Love, M., a powerful story about mothers, sons, and AIDS activists during the early days of the AIDS Crisis.

The free virtual premiere will star actor and activist Lamman Rucker from the television series Greenleaf and actor and Broadway icon Terry Burrell. The live virtual premiere on Tuesday, December 1, will begin at 7 PM (EST). The evening will include a pre-show welcome, the play, and, in partnership with rolling out Health IQ, a post-show conversation, moderated by award-winning journalist Patrick L. Riley with guests, Lamman Rucker, Gabriel Maldonado, CEO of TruEvolution and former Obama appointee to the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, mental health professional Dr. Shalondra K. Crawford and George M. Johnson, journalist and author of All Boys Aren't Born Blue. Audiences can go to the Love, M. show page HERE to join the evening's festivities via Horizon Theatre's website, Facebook, and YouTube channel. After the premiere, the production will be available on demand through December 31.

Using a smart blend of southern humor and familial love as a framework, Love, M. takes audience members on a journey of what it means to accept yourself and your loved ones for who they really are.

Told through letters, Love, M. by Clarinda Ross is the story of two mothers at the dawn of AIDS. Atlanta white socialite Deborah writes to her son, Chris, who is pursuing his dream of becoming an actor. Myrtle (Terry Burrell), a Black southern Baptist, writes to her son, Timothy (Lamman Rucker), an idealistic young lawyer. Playwright and actor Clarinda Ross, plays Deborah, and Atlanta actor Chris Hecke returns to Horizon as her son, Chris.

"Love, M. is based on extensive conversations with mothers from the last pandemic. I wanted to understand those mothers and their stories before we lost them. Ultimately, I came home to a very personal story full of humor, humanity & the healing power of love, acceptance, and the thing we all crave - connection," Playwright Clarinda Ross.

From Georgia to San Francisco, love is never simple, but it is always a force to be reckoned with. As audience members enjoy the play, they will pull back the complicated layers that make up a mother-son relationship. This idea of all-encompassing love, along with the history behind the AIDS Memorial Quilt, serves as a backdrop to a story that crosses states, beliefs, and generations. With humor and humanity, Love, M. weaves the abiding threads of the healing power of love, as the characters piece their way towards acceptance.

"Throughout the globe, the arts have been a powerful tool to express the various issues confronting our community," stated Imara Canady, Chair, Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition. "Horizon has a long history of sharing stories that educate and inspire audiences and we are pleased to join them in sharing the powerful stories in Love, M. as we continue to bring awareness around the array of social determinant's that are connected to the increase in new HIV diagnosis and to reduce the stigma and shame that continues to plague Black Americans around sexual orientation, gender identity and HIV."

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