F R A G M E N T S premiered as a reading at Becket Arts Center, Becket, Massachusetts on World Aids Day 2025. Written and performed by Jim Petosa, his one-man show recounts the story of a couple navigating their mystical, transformative, and brutal journey through the AIDS pandemic.
F R A G M E N T S, available now in book form and with performance rights available from the author, is the opening show at the Great Barrington Public Theater in their summer 2026 season. It moves to other venues in major US cities beginning with the fall season.
From the author... This memoir is written in a series of episodes. I call them fragments. Each one seems mystically selected because they are indelibly etched in my brain. That is how memory works. The story begins in 1985 and ends in 1990. There are ten fragments and an epilogue. For many years, these fragments were told as oral histories to friends who had the patience and the interest to hear them. Over time, each fragment developed distinct characteristics, an attention to specific details, and a recollection of particular phrases expressed. All the events in this memoir reflect how I recall each moment. Every spoken word recorded here is either exact or as accurate as my memory permits.
This memoir exists because, as time goes by, our shared memories of the era and circumstances surrounding this journey gradually diminish. We must ensure these stories are preserved by documenting them and sharing the diverse experiences we had, so they are not lost. This memoir does not stand alone in the body of literary and dramatic texts that continue to rise from the ashes of those days. My hope is that it will contribute to our understanding of that time with a particular focus on the shared life of two people and the sole survivor who felt compelled to tell the story of their unusual journey.
Sharing these stories has shown me that they encourage each listener to reflect on their own experiences with loss, grief, and resilience. Alongside surprising moments of happiness and celebration, there is also a distinct appreciation for life's absurdities. The mystery within these memories creates a sense of kinship among us, transforming despair into hope.
Jim Petosa is Professor Emeritus at Boston University's College of Fine Arts, where he served as Director of the School of Theatre (2002-2019). He is a member of Actor's Equity and the Society of Directors and Choreographers for which he has served as a member of the Executive Board.
