Interview | Howard Walters’ infectious little secret

The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) ended last week, and I sat down with playwright Howard Walters (Extra Virgin) and executive producer Brandi Bravo to discuss their latest work. ‘Chaser‘ tells the story of two gay men on their first date. Dominick is HIV-positive. Val is negative. Both are lonely and desperate for intimacy. So how far will Val go to keep Dominick? Let’s ask the writer. — ANTONIO CERNA

ANTONIO — First of all, I loved your play. Chaser is so smart and funny and observant. How did you come up with the idea to write about HIV chasers?

HOWARD — I can tell you as a gay man living in New York, the last thing I wanted to do was write an story about HIV. It’s been done. So I told myself, “Self, what will set it apart? I need to tell it in a new way.” The idea first came from watching the documentary The Gift (2003), directed by Louise Hogarth. I’d heard about bug chasers but didn’t have much information. I was completely blown away by it. The first thing I did was go online to do as much research as I possibly could. Then I started going to craigslist and barebackcity.com and barebackjack.com and all those sites. Then I thought, “Has this been talked about in any entertainment medium?” Apart from the documentary, there is an episode in the American Queer as Folk, and a scene in Angels in America with Louis in Central Park, and a play Uncle Bob that I haven’t read — I may need to. If this is something that’s going on, and if it hasn’t been addressed, then this is something that has to be done. It felt like the gay community’s dirty little secret. I thought this has to be the project that I’m working on.

Chaser was one of the first FringeNYC shows to sell out the entire run. Do you think that had anything to do with the fact that the description advertises male nudity and scenes of sexual nature?

(Laughter) I make no apologies—this is important story to be told. I think sex sells—if I can create some heat for people then…If you’re coming to see some skin, I’m going to give you a good story. Loneliness is universal—people know what that feels like.

The start of the play feels like I’m getting a romantic comedy, but by the end, it’s a full-fledged drama.

The structure was specific. If the play had started with the revelation of HIV, where would you go from there?

You mentioned that you work in retail store like your character Dominick. Is there anything else about your writing that mirrors your own life?

A lot of people ask me if I’m HIV positive. I’ve had co-workers come up to me and ask me, “Are you positive?” But no, I’m not positive. I like to incorporate real things and I don’t like to change names, but more so in Extra Virgin. The idea of that play started from my therapist. I was recovering from a break up. And my therapist said, “You feel bad, write about it, that’s what you do.” So I wrote a play. I do work in a department store, and I do pick out clothes for rich women. I throw other aspects in there—I did once date a guy named Tim, who was a Log Cabin Republican who had a fondness for Christian music. Chaser is more about making a statement in the community—the response to HIV where it is now. I understand why they would ask about my status, but not everything that’s on the stage is true.

Martin Denton wrote about your play recently. He compared your play to a few heavyweights like Tony Kushner (Angels In America) and Paula Vogel (The Baltimore Waltz), labeling your work at a 3rd generation AIDS play. How do you react to those comparisons?

That was really overwhelming, and I take that as a huge compliment—it really freaked me out.

Denton also went on to write that Chaser seemed incomplete since there’s no real resolution in the end. What do you think about that?

It’s a matter of letting the audience decide for themselves. People have a strong reaction—a visceral reaction. If you come out of the play like “megh”—that’s disappointing—then I haven’t done my job. I like to make people uncomfortable. I may come across as passive in my life, but writing helps me tap into the darker aspects of myself… and that’s exciting. The real focus of the story is…will Dominick be able to move on?

“No one wears red ribbons anymore,” says Dominick.

Chaser asks questions about AIDS and HIV—especially among younger gays. In the play Dominick says explicitly to Val, “10 years ago you wouldn’t want anything to do with me.” What’s changed? Is it because as a generation we’ve never experienced the terrible effects of full blown AIDS? Why would anyone purposely infect him or herself?

People are comfortable…too comfortable. It’s like Dominick says in the play: “Don’t be fooled by the ads you see on TV.” There is this false hope that it’s not a big deal and that’s terrifying. Lots of people don’t understand—they don’t get it. They have these hedonistic ideas. What they don’t realize is that getting infected really causes a strain—meds won’t help them—and if they keep re-infecting themselves the virus becomes stronger. People are coming from a place where they’re looking for connections. Perhaps the community at large has rejected them and the gay community accepts them.

That’s a very sick sense of community. Val seems conflicted with the idea of inevitability. The idea that he’ll inevitably get HIV so why not get it from someone he cares about.

He’s giving it power…a bond left him, and in his head this is the only way to get that bond back…. “I need for this to happen.” For Val, it’s like a bond that connects him to Dominick. For Dominick it’s more complicated

The acting was phenomenal. What was the casting process like?

Casting was lengthy, but everyone felt how important this script was. We didn’t want to make a cock and ball show.

(Laughter) Can I quote you on that?

Sure.

I was especially moved by Jake’s performance as Dominick. All his subtle movements, his mannerisms…. As I watched him, I felt that I really knew the character Dominick. I’d encountered him in life. And that was refreshing.

There are a few people that got how important the play was. The Time Out reviewer got it. And Jake got it.

What can audiences expect from you in 2008?

From me? I don’t know about anything in 2008–that’s up to the theater gods, I suppose. I’ll be making CHASER, if it keeps that name, I’m not sure—I’m going to make it into a full-length play, two acts, and 90 minutes. After that, I need to completely separate myself from the two-characters-on-stage intense drama. I don’t know what I need to do, maybe a silly little sex comedy. But I can say that I’m very passionate about turning CHASER into a full-length play. I’ll do everything I can to put it in the place that it needs to be in. It can open a lot of eyes—it’s a special piece. We’re telling something that’s rarely told—especially theatrically. The timing feels right

Originally published in September of 2007 on homoneurotic.wordpress.com

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