Wertheim, Aubrey

Noted playwright and gay rights activist in Cleveland, Ohio. Born Robert Wertheim in Sagamore Hills, Ohio, he moved to New York City in the late 1970s to pursue a performing arts career. Wertheim received numerous awards and honors for his plays. Wertheim was also involved with the National Gay Task Force in New York, and he developed support and empowerment programs for gay men. After returning to Cleveland in 1987, Wertheim continued to advocate for the lesbian and gay communities in greater Cleveland, specifically through his involvement with the Lesbian/Gay Community Service Center of Greater Cleveland.

Aubrey Wertheim (1953-2003) was a noted playwright and gay rights activist in Cleveland, Ohio. He served as the Director of Services for the Lesbian Gay Community Service Center of Greater Cleveland from 1989 to 1994.

Born Robert Wertheim in 1953, he was originally from Sagamore Hills, Ohio. In the late 1970s Wertheim moved to New York, New York to pursue a performing arts career. While there he began volunteering with the National Gay Task Force where he was later employed as Director of Services for the Fund for Human Dignity division of the Task Force. He developed Circles, an empowerment program for gay men which has been taught worldwide, and established the nation's first toll-free AIDS information line. He returned to the Cleveland area in 1987 and began work at the Lesbian Gay Community Service Center.

While at the Lesbian Gay Community Service Center of Greater Cleveland, Wertheim began the Maryanne Finegan Anti-Violence Project, an anti-discrimination program. He also created PRYSM, a support group for gay youth. His other activities for the center included educational programs on HIV transmission and founding the Living Room, the mid-west's first HIV/AIDS drop-in center.

Wertheim received numerous honors and awards for his plays. Popular Neurotics was featured on PBS' American Playhouse in 1984, Make Way for Dyklings was a nominee for the 1994 Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play and Costume Drama was winner of the 1996 Chilcotte Prize. He was a nominee for the 2000 Kennedy Center Best New Playwright Award.