Angels in America

This is a dramaturgy sourcebook for the 2024 production of **Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes** at SUNY Purchase, covering **Part One: Millennium Approaches**. The show was written by Tony Kushner and premiered in 1991. It was first performed on Broadway alongside the second part *Perestroika* in 1993.

## The Characters

* Roy M. Cohn
* Joseph Porter Pitt
* Harper Amaty Pitt
* Louis Ironson
* Prior Walter
* Hannah Porter Pitt
* Belize
* The Angel
* Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz
* Mr. Lies
* The Man in the Park
* The Voice
* Henry
* Emily
* Martin Heller
* Sister Ella Chapter
* Prior 1
* Prior 2
* The Eskimo
* The Woman in the South Bronx
* Ethel Rosenberg

## Scene Breakdown

### Millennium Approaches

*The brief descriptions attached to the scenes here are not official titles in the script, they are just meant as a production tool for easier navigation at a glance. Descriptions include all characters appearing in the scene.*

#### Act One: Bad News

1. Act 1 Scene 1 - *The Rabbi's Eulogy*
2. Act 1 Scene 2 - *Roy Offers Joe a Job*
3. Act 1 Scene 3 - *Harper Meets Mr. Lies, Joe Comes Home*
4. Act 1 Scene 4 - *Prior Tells Louis Bad News*
5. Act 1 Scene 5 - *Harper & Joe Discuss a Career Change, Louis & The Rabbi Bury His Grandmother*
6. Act 1 Scene 6 - *Joe Meets Louis*
7. Act 1 Scene 7 - *Prior & Harper Dream Together, The Voice Speaks*
8. Act 1 Scene 8 - *Harper & Joe Discuss Sex, Louis & Prior Discuss Death*
9. Act 1 Scene 9 - *Henry Diagnoses Roy*

#### Act Two: In Vitro

1. Act 2 Scene 1 - *Prior & Louis Call an Ambulance*
2. Act 2 Scene 2 - *Joe & Harper Argue in the Dark*
3. Act 2 Scene 3 - *Louis & Emily in the Hospital*
4. Act 2 Scene 4 - *Joe & Roy Discuss Divorce, Louis & The Man in the Park*
5. Act 2 Scene 5 - *Prior & Belize in the Hospital, The Voice Speaks*
6. Act 2 Scene 6 - *Joe & Roy's Dinner with Martin*
7. Act 2 Scene 7 - *Joe & Louis Eat Hot Dogs*
8. Act 2 Scene 8 - *Joe Phones Hannah*
9. Act 2 Scene 9 - *Harper Leaves Joe, Louis Leaves Prior, Mr. Lies Plans a Trip*
10. Act 2 Scene 10 - *Hannah & Sister Ella Chapter in Salt Lake City*

#### Act Three: Not-Yet-Conscious, Forward Dawning

1. Act 3 Scene 1 - *Prior Meets Prior 1 & Prior 2*
2. Act 3 Scene 2 - *Louis & Belize in the Coffee Shop, Prior & Emily in the Hospital*
3. Act 3 Scene 3 - *Harper & Mr. Lies Meet an Eskimo in Antarctica*
4. Act 3 Scene 4 - *Hannah & The Woman in the South Bronx*
5. Act 3 Scene 5 - *Joe Says No to Roy, Ethel Rosenberg Visits*
6. Act 3 Scene 6 - *Prior & Louis Dance with Prior 1 & Prior 2*
7. Act 3 Scene 7 - *Louis Kisses Joe, Prior Meets the Angel*

## Titles

* The overarching title "**Angels in America**" can obviously be interpreted in a variety of ways, but it's specifically referenced in the script at Act 3 Scene 2 where Louis tells Belize there are "no angels in America" regarding his belief that the country lacks its own spiritual history.

* "**A Gay Fantasia on National Themes**" is the subtitle. Today the word "Fantasia" feels almost exclusively associated with the popular 1940 film by Disney, but the etymology behind it is a little more interesting. Of course the word makes us think of fantasy, something with fanciful and imaginative characteristics, which are absolutely seen throughout. There is another interesting meaning: a loosely structured work of art which might be comprised of improvisational characteristics and a variety of genres or styles.
* "**Millennium Approaches**" is referring to the concepts of Millennialism and Millenarianism, a range of religious or quasi-religious beliefs related to eschatology (theology on the end of times), suggesting that something special will happen around the millennium. The wide variety of these ideas across many different cultures are too numerous to list here, but the ones found in Judaism and Mormonism feel particularly relevant. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is overtly specific about "a time of righteousness and peace on the earth" in the 1000 years following the second coming of Christ. In Judaism there is less significance around the idea of millennium, but there have been several messianic movements revolving around this interpretation of scripture.
* "**Bad News**" do I really need to do dramaturgy here?
* "**In Vitro**" is a latin term meaning literally "in glass" (as opposed to in nature, or inside the human body). It is usually referring to a scientific experiment or process taking place in a laboratory, for example where it's most commonly heard "in vitro fertilization." So it might call to mind imagery of something developing like a child in an external womb, but also maybe just something being observed outside its natural environment.

* "**Not-Yet-Conscious, Forward Dawning**" is a reference to *The Principle of Hope*, a 1954 book by the Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch. Bloch writes about consciousness as the ability to see a better world beyond our current one, at least in my simplified understanding. His book is among other things about teaching people how to dream of better worlds than the current status quo. In his introduction, Bloch writes "A central task in this part is the discovery and unmistakable notation of the ‘Not-Yet-Conscious’. That is: a relatively still Unconscious disposed towards its other side, forwards rather than backwards. Towards the side of something new that is dawning up, that has never been conscious before, not, for example, something forgotten, something rememberable that has been, something that has sunk into the subconscious in repressed or archaic fashion."

## References

This section is for footnotes and citations.

1. ↑ Millennialism at New World Encyclopedia
2. ↑ "Millennium" Gospel Topic at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
3. ↑ "Jewish Millenarianism: A Comparison of Medieval Communities" at JSTOR

## Navigation

* Angels in America/Dramaturgist's Note
* Angels in America/Influences
* Angels in America/Themes