Your contribution supports Invisible Life: The Musical through ABOVE THE LINE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC, a 501(c)(3). Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Donors will receive the appropriate acknowledgment for their contribution.
Why Now
At a moment when arts and cultural funding faces increasing pressure — and when Black and LGBTQ+ histories can too easily be marginalized, simplified, or forgotten — bringing Invisible Life back into public life matters deeply.
E. Lynn Harris gave generations of readers language for love, identity, secrecy, truth, community, and self-acceptance. Those conversations remain just as urgent today.
The HIV/AIDS story extends far beyond the LGBTQ+ community. Black women remain disproportionately affected — in 2023, they accounted for approximately half of HIV diagnoses among women in the United States. Bringing Invisible Life back into public conversation gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the women, families, and communities whose lives have also been shaped by HIV/AIDS, and to make space for their experiences within this continuing story.
This World Premiere is an opportunity to carry Harris’s legacy forward. By bringing Invisible Life to the stage at the Howard Theatre, we can introduce a new generation to Harris’s groundbreaking work. We can create space for Black LGBTQ+ audiences to see themselves reflected with complexity, dignity, and pride. We can continue vital conversations about HIV/AIDS awareness, living positively, identity, belonging, and the experiences of women, families, and communities affected by the epidemic. Through storytelling and education, this production can help preserve histories and experiences that deserve to be remembered. The more openly these stories are shared, the more powerfully future generations understand where we’ve been — and imagine where we can go.
With gratitude to Gilead Sciences for its support of Behind the Mask: Invisible Life (The Musical.)
What Your Gift Makes Possible
Your contribution helps support:
● Artist & Creative Team — Supporting the Actors, Musicians, Dancers, Creative professionals bringing Invisible Life to life.
● Howard Theatre Rental & Production Costs — Helping meet the costs of mounting the November 2026 World Premiere engagement at the historic Howard Theatre.
● Sets, Costumes & Technical Elements — Supporting the scenic, costume, lighting, sound and technical elements needed to fully realize the production onstage.
● Marketing & Audience Development — Helping us reach fans of E. Lynn Harris and a new generation discovering Invisible Life.
● Community Engagement & Education — Supporting opportunities to use the production as a catalyst for conversation around identity, Black LGBTQ+ history, HIV/AIDS awareness, PrEP education and visibility, prevention, and the enduring legacy of E. Lynn Harris.
