When Larry Kramer’s “The Normal Heart” appeared at New York’s Public Theatre more than 25 years ago, both critics and the viewing public saw that it was an important addition to the American dramatic canon. The play’s Broadway run last season, directed by George C. Wolfe, confirmed that realization. Now Wolfe’s production, which won a 2011 Tony Award, is being produced by Arena Stage.

The story of a group of AIDS activists, even before the acronym was known, “The Normal Heart” begins in July 1981 and ends in May 1984. It documents how the epidemic ravaged New York’s gay community between those dates.