Steve Schalchlin
Encyclopedia
Steve Schalchlin is an American songwriter, actor and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the first HIV
/AIDS
blog
gers, beginning his in 1996 to keep family and friends updated on his failing health. When he responded well to a last ditch effort in treatment by his doctor, he found out that his little "AIDS blog" had garnered a net following. A respected songwriter, Steve put his miraculous rebound into music that his partner, playwright Jim Brochu, turned into the critically acclaimed The Last Session
.
In 2001, the New York Times profiled Schalchlin's groundbreaking diary. The Times has also raved about Schalchlin and Brochu's musicals, The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman?
Schalchlin is cited in Shawn Decker
's 2006 Book, My Pet Virus, as an important historical AIDS blogger and an inspiration for Decker's own AIDS blogging efforts.
Schalchlin volunteers time as a Board member of GLBT support organizations, Families United Against Hate (http://fuah.org) and Youth Guardian Services (http://www.youth-guard.org). He marched with Soulforce (http://soulforce.org) on the historic first march to Jerry Falwell's church. He was a featured performer at the PFLAG national conference and speaker at the March on Washington.
Steve will always be in debt to pop star George Michael for allowing him to play John Lennon's IMAGINE piano in the front yard of Gabi and Alec Clayton in memory of their son, Bill, who committed suicide after a gay bashing (http://www.youth-guard.org/gabi/). (It was during that moment, playing an instrument of peace in a place of violence, that he conceived New World Waking!). Steve's personal video blogs of the event:
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
gers, beginning his in 1996 to keep family and friends updated on his failing health. When he responded well to a last ditch effort in treatment by his doctor, he found out that his little "AIDS blog" had garnered a net following. A respected songwriter, Steve put his miraculous rebound into music that his partner, playwright Jim Brochu, turned into the critically acclaimed The Last Session
The Last Session
The Last Session is an off-Broadway musical about a singer/songwriter who has decided to commit suicide to end his battle with AIDS, but only after one last recording session in the studio.-Overview:...
.
In 2001, the New York Times profiled Schalchlin's groundbreaking diary. The Times has also raved about Schalchlin and Brochu's musicals, The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman?
Schalchlin is cited in Shawn Decker
Shawn Decker
Shawn Decker was born in Waynesboro, Virginia on July 16, 1975. He was diagnosed with HIV at age 11, through the use of tainted blood products used to treat hemophilia, a bleeding disorder that he was born with. In 1996, he posted a web site called "My Pet Virus", writing humorous articles about...
's 2006 Book, My Pet Virus, as an important historical AIDS blogger and an inspiration for Decker's own AIDS blogging efforts.
Schalchlin volunteers time as a Board member of GLBT support organizations, Families United Against Hate (http://fuah.org) and Youth Guardian Services (http://www.youth-guard.org). He marched with Soulforce (http://soulforce.org) on the historic first march to Jerry Falwell's church. He was a featured performer at the PFLAG national conference and speaker at the March on Washington.
Steve will always be in debt to pop star George Michael for allowing him to play John Lennon's IMAGINE piano in the front yard of Gabi and Alec Clayton in memory of their son, Bill, who committed suicide after a gay bashing (http://www.youth-guard.org/gabi/). (It was during that moment, playing an instrument of peace in a place of violence, that he conceived New World Waking!). Steve's personal video blogs of the event:
Awards
Among his awards and nominations:- Best Musical Score, L.A. Drama Critics Circle, 1997 & 2003
- Best L.A. Theatre Production, GLAAD Media Awards, 1997
- Best Musical L.A. Ovation Awards (LA's equivalent of the Tony), 2005
- Best Musical Nomination NY Drama League, 1997
- Best Musical Nomination NY Outer Critics Circle, 1997
- Best Theatrical Production nomination, Off-Broadway GLAAD Media Awards 2004
- Best Theatrical Production nomination L.A. GLAAD Media Awards, 2004
- Best Musical, ADA Awards, 2005
- Best Musical Director, ADA Awards, 2005
- Best Lead Actor in a a Musical nomination, L.A. Ovation Awards, 2005
- PFLAG-LA Oscar Wilde Award, 1997 & 2003
- Best Concert of a Musical Desert Theatre League Awards 2005
- Best Original Writing, Desert Theatre League Awards 2005