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For The Love of Friends

Brent Nicholson Earle and his mother Marion Nicholson ride in a car at the homecoming parade for The American Run for the End of AIDS, 1986
American Public Television / Hup! Productions
/
APT
Brent Nicholson Earle and his mother Marion Nicholson ride in a car at the homecoming parade for The American Run for the End of AIDS, 1986

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 / Stream now with the PBS App

Set against the lead-up to a stage play based on the same story, "For the love of friends" is a documentary that blends performance rehearsal clips with interview and archival footage to highlight the remarkable life and work of activist Brent Nicholson Earle. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Brent refused to watch his friends suffer due to government inaction and public ignorance about the disease.

For The Love of Friends

His audacious response in 1986 was to embark on a 10, 000-mile run around the perimeter of the United States to draw attention to the plight of AIDS patients. He performed this remarkable feat amid public backlash, a homophobic media blackout, his own health challenges, and an inconvenient lack of any long-distance training. After enduring blisters, exhaustion, ignorance and fear, he returns home to his own HIV diagnosis. Though the run finishes, Brent's activism never stops.

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Times Union article about Brent Nicholson Earle, dated April 23, 1986 by Deborah Gesensway.
APT / Hup! Productions
/
APT
Times Union article about Brent Nicholson Earle, dated April 23, 1986 by Deborah Gesensway.

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"For The Love of Friends" is available to stream for a limited time with the PBS App. Stream your favorite PBS shows, create the perfect watchlist, connect with your local station, and more — anywhere you watch.

The stage play based on the same story, to highlight the remarkable life and work of activist Brent Nicholson Earle.
American Public TV
/
APT
The stage play based on the same story, to highlight the remarkable life and work of activist Brent Nicholson Earle.

Distributed by American Public TV

Written by
Cara Consilvio and Brent Nicholson Earle

Directed by
Cara Consilvio

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Music Director & PianistGordon Schermer

Produced by
Cara ConsilvioAlex Charner

Executive Produced by
Barbara MartínezDavid Charner