Rising Action Theatre - 'Confessions Of A Mormon Boy'

(Photo courtesy of Rising Action Theatre)

Rising Action Theatre presents the, critically acclaimed Off-Broadway one-man play, CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY written and performed by Steven Fales and directed by Tony Award Winner, Jack Hofsiss (The Elephant Man.)  It will run Feb 28 – March 22, 2008 at the new Rising Action Theatre, 840 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park FL 33334.

CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY plays Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 3:30 and 7 pm. There will be two special performances: Monday March 17 at 8 pm and Saturday March 22 at 3:30. Tickets are $25 for the first week and $30 thereafter. Tickets are available at www.risingactiontheatre.com or by calling 1 800-595-4849. Cash Tickets are also available at the retail store "Out" at 2256 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Also available are dinner and show packages; three course dinner at the five Star Primavera Restaurant and Show is $55 or $59. Please contact Rising Action for further details.

CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY is Steven Fales' compelling, humorous, and inspiring true story about a young gay man who went from being a model Mormon boy in Utah to a high-priced call boy in New York City. His captivating tale takes audiences through his excommunication from the Mormon church, divorce, male prostitution and drug abuse, as he struggles to reclaim himself, his children and his "Donny Osmond smile."

The one-man play received a New York Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance and an Overall Excellence Award at the 2004 NY International Fringe Festival. The book of the play, "CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY" was a recent finalist for a Lambda Literary Award.

CONFESSSIONS played at the Cocounut Grove Playhouse in 2003 and was well received.

The very personal play shows the link between spiritual abuse and addiction. Fales defines spiritual abuse as any time an individual, group, or institution uses religion to justify telling or showing anyone they are not worthy of God's full love and blessings. MORMON BOY also illustrates the dilemma of those struggling to reconcile their dreams of becoming straight with the realities of being gay and what it costs to accept or deny that truth when children are involved.

Fales says he wrote his "valentine to Mormonism and hedonism" for his children so that they would some day be able to understand their gay father. "I kept thinking that if I were to die, there wasn't anyone I could fully trust to tell my kids who their 'wicked' gay dad really was and how much I loved them." 

Fales' former mother-in-law is celebrated Mormon poet Carol Lynn Pearson whose autobiography, "Good-bye, I Love You" (Random House, 1986,) poignantly recounts her relationship with her gay ex-husband who died of AIDS in her home. Steven married their oldest daughter, Emily.

Steven Fales is a classically trained actor with an MFA in acting from The University of Connecticut. He turned to writing and stand-up when his perfect Mormon world fell apart. Born in Provo, Utah, Fales began performing as a young boy singing solos in church. Regional credits include leading roles at the Utah Shakespearean Festival, Pioneer Theatre Co., Coconut Grove Playhouse, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Sundance Theatre, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and others. He is currently working on a new one-person show called MORMON AMERICAN PRINCESS and a book called OXY-MORMON MEMOIRS. He writes a monthly column called "Ask Mormon Boy."

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