Aputheatre ("APU" or "APUT") began life as the Aids Positive Underground Theatre Company. Founded in 1989 at the in Brighton, England, the objective was to provide a cultural response to HIV and Aids. The company quickly established a reputation for hard-hitting drama very much in the In-yer-face theatre style and a good example of queer theatre. From 1994 onwards, Aputheatre produced work that moved away from being exclusively about HIV-AIDS. Though HIV remained a key subtext in many works, other themes like prostitution, pornography, became more important.