Why You Should Remember the Ribbon

Playbill teamed up with Gilead Sciences to mark World AIDS Day December 1 with the streaming premiere of our Remember the Ribbon concert, a special event filmed last month at NYC's Sony Hall featuring performances from Carolee Carmello, Darius Anthony Harper, Anthony Wayne, and more. The concert, made possible with support from Hotel Edison and Sony Hall, benefited GLAAD and its work towards HIV advocacy and research.

The concert evening wasn't all performances. Representatives from Gilead and GLAAD were on hand to remind us why World AIDS Day remains so vital to the ongoing struggle against HIV/AIDS. "At Gilead Sciences we are committed every day to pursuing and achieving breakthroughs in medicine, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people," shared Gilead Senior Director of HIV Franchise Andrea Porzio from the stage at Sony Hall. "Having these direct and open discussions regarding HIV treatment, prevention, and healthcare accessibility are vital to the Gilead team as we continue to develop new science and work towards a cure."

Carolee Carmello performs at Remember The Ribbon 2022 Heather Gershonowitz

Porzio went on to explain how Gilead's collaboration with GLAAD allows work to extend beyond the laboratory and into communities, where advocacy and education efforts fight against harmful and factually inaccurate stigmas.

"Gilead is proud to support GLAAD’s media teams, who work with dozens of HIV advocacy organizations across the U.S. South that are also funded and supported by Gilead. Together, GLAAD and our other grantees share critical data and facts about HIV today, and they uplift stories of people with HIV who are not only living but thriving. As part of our work together, GLAAD has helped local journalists and local organizers educate the masses that U=U, undetectable is untransmittable. GLAAD has trained thousands of HIV advocates across the country to share their stories on news and social media. GLAAD has also worked with famous faces from Peppermint, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lil Nas X, and the queen herself, Beyoncé, to speak out about HIV prevention and treatment."

The streaming window for Remember the Ribbon has passed, but your ability to help has not. To make a tax-deductible donation to GLAAD in support of their ongoing work to enrich the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS, visit GLAAD.org.

Remember the Ribbon was co-directed by Bryan Campione and Leonard Rodino, with music by Broadway Sings, led by producer Corey Mach and music director Joshua Stephen Kartes. Performers were backed by a band including Kartes on keys, Colin Dean on bass, Nick Anton on guitar, and Zachary Eldridge on drums. Sydney Steele served as stage manager, with technical production by Sony Hall and event filming by Michael Moritz Productions with additional videography by Dan Shein. The stream featured additional video editing and production by Roberto Araujo. The digital Playbill program was created by Rodino and Dean Greer.

Special thanks are extended to Broadway Cares, Liquid Dreams, Lisa Cohen and Wilson Media, The Playbill Store, Playbill Travel, Slate PR, Smithhouse Strategy, Strike Force, and Waterman Sound.

For more information on Remember the Ribbon and GLAAD, visit Playbill.com/Ribbon.