LIVE THEATER EVENT! Two men begin an intimate relationship through a series of late-night telephone calls. What starts as anonymous sexual fantasy gradually develops into something deeper—a connection shaped by humor, tenderness, imagination, and the rapidly changing world around them. ◆ Written in 1986, JERKER is one of the defining theatrical works to emerge from the AIDS crisis. Frank, provocative, and unexpectedly moving, the play celebrates gay sexuality while revealing the profound human need for intimacy and connection. ◆ Open Space Arts presents JERKER in recognition of the play’s 40th anniversary. ◆ ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: Robert Chesley was a playwright, composer, critic, author, and activist whose work celebrated gay sexuality while confronting the emotional and spiritual toll of AIDS. He wrote more than 30 plays, including NIGHT SWEAT, one of the earliest full-length dramas about the AIDS crisis. Chesley died from an AIDS-related illness in San Francisco in 1990 at the age of 47. His influential work continues to challenge shame, censorship, and the erasure of gay experience. ◆ Part of BEFORE WE ARE HISTORY, Open Space Arts’ three-week examination of theatrical works created in response to the AIDS crisis. ◆ CONTENT ADVISORY: JERKER contains explicit sexual language, mature subject matter, and partial nudity.