Press Release for The Mormon Boy Trilogy -- L.A. Apr 19 - May 22

MormonBoyPR                                                                       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jason Barbarigos (646) 498-2894
mormonboyprod@aol.com

MB Productions in association with Hudson Theatricals presents

Steven Fales in

THE MORMON BOY TRILOGY

Three One-Mormon Plays Performed in Repertory

SIX WEEKS ONLY! April 19 – May 26

CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY — The Original True Story

Off Broadway and West End Hit.                                                 Preview Thurs, Apr 19, 8pm

Thurs 8pm, Sat 2pm                                                                        Press Opening Sun, Apr 22, 2pm

MISSIONARY POSITION — A Coming-of-Age Tale.

The comic prequel. Contains full-frontal nudity                       Preview Fri, Apr 20, 8pm             
Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm                                                                              Press Opening Sun, Apr 22, 5pm

PRODIGAL DAD — A Manic Memoir Meditation

The dramatic sequel. A World Premiere                                     Preview  Sat, Apr 21, 8pm
Sat 8pm                                                                                              Press Opening Sun, Apr 22, 8pm

Individual Tickets $30 at www.plays411.com/mormonboy or (323) 960-4420 or at box office

Special discount of $60 ($30 off!) when seeing all three shows on consecutive nights in the same week or all three shows on a single Saturday. General admission.
Hudson Guild Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038 (Valet parking)
Twitter@MormonBoy, Facebook.com/Fales.Steven, StevenFales.blogspot.com, YouTube mormonboyprod

 “Before THE BOOK OF MORMON there was a MORMON BOY.” In THE MORMON BOY TRILOGY, internationally acclaimed playwright/performer Steven Fales (the original Mormon boy) brings his three autobiographical solo plays together for the first time in repertory, creating a dynamic solo performance event in the spirit of THE “MORMON” CONQUESTS. Any of the shows can be appreciated without needing to see all three. PRODIGAL DAD (Part Three) is a world premiere. The L.A. run of THE MORMON BOY TRILOGY is an out-of-town tryout preparatory to an off-Broadway engagement this fall TBA.

CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY: The Original True Story -- After excommunication, divorce, prostitution and drugs, a sixth-generation Utah Mormon reclaims his kids and ‘Donny Osmond’ smile. Told with humor, song, and The Book of Mormon.  90 min without intermission. About: A hit off Broadway (SoHo Playhouse 2006), nationally (Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, etc.), and internationally (Charing Cross Theatre in London’s West End, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011, International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival 2008). Originally directed off Broadway by Tony Award Winner Jack Hofsiss, this New York International Fringe Festival phenomenon premiered in LA in 2007 at The Coast Playhouse. Opening soon in Sao Paulo, Brazil in Portuguese. "The best of the solo genre." --LA Times (Critics’ Choice), "As moving as it is funny."--NY Daily News, “Uncommonly powerful.”—Chicago Tribune, “A story that must be told.”–SF Chronicle,  “Unforgettable.”—Houston Chronicle, “Feels like a sacred gift.”–Boston Globe, “*****5-stars”--Gay Times London, Brilliantly acted and beautifully written.”—Irish Daily Mail

MISSIONARY POSITION: A Coming-of-Age Tale -- This comedic prequel is based on Elder Fales' journals from his mission to Portugal. A fantastical, crowd-pleasing solo ride that takes audiences further behind the Mormon machine than ever before, including the secret Mormon temple ceremony. Contains full-frontal nudity and Mormon swearing.  90 minutes without intermission. About: A hit at the New York International Fringe Festival 2010, the play first premiered for an extended run at Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles 2009 and has been performed in Las Vegas, Ft. Lauderdale, and Salt Lake City. "A laugh riot!"-- NYTheatre.com, "Plenty of seduction."--LA Times, "Powerful."--TimeOut New York

 PRODIGAL DAD: A Manic Memoir-Meditation – This dramatic world premiere follows Fales as he fights for his life and rights as a father in Utah. As he seeks answers from his Greco-Mormon heritage, he comes face to face with his own demons and his greatest nemesis, shattering family myths and secrets in an underworld where bipolar ghosts and mortals collide. 120 min WITH intermission. About: Coached by Larry Moss and developed at readings at Abingdon Theatre and TOSOS Theatre in New York. Steven recently gave staged readings at Rising Action Theatre, Ft. Lauderdale and at the United Solo Theater Festival on Theatre Row last fall. This dramatic sequel to CONFESSIONS completes THE MORMON BOY TRILOGY.

STEVEN FALES (actor/writer/producer) recently returned from a highly acclaimed UK tour of CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and at Charing Cross Theatre in London’s West End. He received a NY Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance for CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY off-Broadway, an Overall Excellence Award for Solo Show at the New York International Fringe Festival, and an Oscar Wilde Award Nomination for Outstanding New Writing for the Theatre at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. His book, CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY: Behind the Scenes of the Off-Broadway Hit was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist. His solo work includes THE MORMON BOY TRILOGY (including MISSIONARY POSITION and PRODIGAL DAD), his cabaret MORMON AMERICAN PRINCESS (Joe’s Pub), CULT!, Conversations with Heavenly Mother: An Uncommon Diva, and is working on Joseph III and another cabaret, SONGS OF MY PEOPLE (All My People). Projects currently in development also include: MORMON BOY the documentary film ,memoir, and album; The Mormon Boy Cooking Show; two plays called Sacred Strain and Cleft; a musical called, Saltair. Other stage credits: Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival, Judith Shakespeare Co., Pioneer Theater Co., Coconut Grove Playhouse, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Stages St. Louis, Sundance Theatre, etc. Other credits include talk shows, commercials, mini-series, and series. He has worked with such luminaries as Elaine Stritch, Judy Kaye, Douglas Sills, Len Cariou, Will Swenson, Eden Espinoza, Michael Rupert, Moises Kaufman, etc. Activism: Fales has helped raised raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity with his work including The Point Foundation (Lincoln Center Gala Benefit) to Utah AIDS Foundation and Desert AIDS Project, among others. As a public speaker, he recently spoke to the Gay/Straight Alliance at the Phillips Academy Andover including students from Phillips Exeter Academy as well. His episode on Tyra Banks was a GLAAD Media Award Nomination. He has been on Hollywood Extra, BBC Newsnight, NPR radio stations across the country, and many magazine covers. Training: Fales works privately with acclaimed acting coach Larry Moss. He holds an MFA in acting from the University of Connecticut and a BFA in musical theatre from The Boston Conservatory/Brigham Young University. He has studied at the American Comedy Institute. Fales leads workshops in solo performances across the country. Member Actors Equity Association since 1998. Personal: Fales lives in Salt Lake City where he helps raise his two children, attends to his magnet collection and his new, affirming Episcopal congregation, and exports his Oxy-Mormon work from the Rocky Mountains. Mormonboyprod@aol.com

What people are saying about STEVEN FALES:

“A knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark performance. Confronting the ‘demons’ within, and seemingly around him, and ending up such an inspiring example of true self-respect and authenticity left me deeply touched and equally inspired.” — Judith Light

"Steven Fales’s tale of his journey to self-acceptance made me want to jump up in the theatre and holler ‘Amen’!  Mr. Fales is a master at his craft. His work is timely and of utmost importance in these days of religious-based intolerance."— Leslie Jordan

"It was wonderful-- the best gay coming-of-age, grappling-with-being piece I've seen since Dan Butler's, and you know there have been a thousand of them ever since his. It's really good."  — Bruce Vilanch

"Steven Fales has captured the essence of the gay soul.”— John Duran, Mayor of West Hollywood

"When one can be so moved as to laugh till your jaw hurts, wince with a sorry recognition at the pain distorted religion can inflict, cheer with unashamed abandon at an enviable and inspiring bravery so rarely expressed in the face of certain banishment and ridicule, you know you have had a thrilling and emotionally fulfilling theatrical experience. Bravo, Steven Fales and his Mormon Boy!"— Lucie Arnaz

“Steven is a man of passion and integrity and this radiates out of him as he lives his life as a man of faith.  As an ex-Mormon myself, I congratulate Steven for his courage and have no hesitation in recommending him and his story!”— Rev. Neil Thomas, Senior Pastor, MCC LA

“Mormon Boy is a riveting night of theatre. Grounded in the specifics of his own colorful life, it transcends personal revelation by inviting the audience to consider larger issues—the costs of authenticity in a rigid and stratified world. He is a playwright whose work displays great moral courage and daring.”— Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

"Steven Fales has taken an archetypal journey through real crucifixion to real resurrection, and he writes about it with great originality, wit, a searing and poignant nakedness, and a knowledge of redemption that will inspire all who come to his work. He is a writer to watch and to learn from."— Andrew Harvey, author Return of the Mother

 "If you are interested in human truth expressed with heartbreaking honesty--and great joy and pride--then you do not want to miss Steven Fales."— Doric Wilson, Off-Broadway Legend

"Mormon Boy is an important contribution to the ongoing dialogue about the place of gay men and women in our churches, mosques, and synagogues."— Andrew Brewer, Chairman, Soulforce NYC

 "I can’t imagine how many one-man/one-woman shows I’ve seen during my 20 plus years of work in the theatre. Mormon Boy took me somewhere I never could have imagined."— Richard-Jay Alexander, Director

 “Steven Fales is funny, moving, bitchy, wise, and brutally honest. Prodigal Dad might even make you wish he was yours.” “--Al Watt, Founder LA Writer’s Lab, The 90-day Novel

 “The subject matter of his performances and their powerful presentation manage to mix oil and water: to be at once intensely personal and broadly social, deeply moving and intellectually provocative, serious in content and genuinely entertaining. His tour de force one-man shows elude easy closure, but instead provoke questions that stay with the spectator long after he or she has left the theater.” –Bob Rosen, Dean Emeritus, UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television

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From the Dean of the Cathedral of St. Mark's

The Very Rev. Ray Walden, Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City, Utah recently saw the entire THE MORMON BOY TRILOGY: Confessions of a Mormon Boy, Missionary Position, and Prodigal Dad. Here's what he had to say:

"If Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams had a child and that child married George Carlin, their offspring would be Steven Fales. His creative work takes us from the profane to the profound. As the Dean of a Cathedral, I have the rare privilege of walking with people as they journey through life. In Steven is found an extreme walk of life experience that he has crafted into redemptive lessons of laughter and tears of classical proportions and universal appeal."

Father Ray and St. Mark's is part of the Episcopal Church, part of the Anglican Communion (Anglo/Catholic or Church of England)

March 2012 Update

I love March. It's my birthday month and the month when Spring begins. At least in my heart.

So far 2012 is off to a great start. January was a month to do a lot of work on my memoir "Mormon Boy". I still need to get that formal book proposal to my agent or these hundreds of pages will just sit here being re-written. 2012 is the year to take all my hard work during the Recession and put it into motion.

It's great to have my office to work from. It's one of the best things about being in Utah. I love my desk, my office, and having the tools I need to get things done from paper clips to my new printer. We are making progress.

Performance-wise, we've already tackled a lot. I did "Confessions of a Mormon Boy" at The Complex SLC the end of January. It went so extremely well. Even the Dean of the Cathedral (St. Mark's) came! Then February was a quick tour to Boston where I did a high school version of "Confessions" for the Phillips Academy Andover (which included students from Exeter and surrounding schools). This was a great honor. Phillips Academy was founded in 1778 and is one of the two most prestigious boarding schools in the country, maybe the world. Most of these students automatically get accepted into Harvard, MIT, etc. I performed and spoke for two hours for the oldest gay/straight alliance in the country. I still have to pinch myself. I want to do more public speaking and schools/university gigis.

I immediately flew to Houston, Texas for a week-long run at Theater Lab Houston. The run was sold out before we even opened. All kinds of press, beautiful audiences, great folks. I was treated like a star. I saw Galveston. (Got my magnet to add to my world-famous collection!) I can't speak more highly about what Gerald LaBita has created with his theatre company. Eve Ensler and Tim Miller have all performed on that stage. I felt so honored to be there.

Both Phillips Academy and Houston came from being at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last summer. Good work begets good work.

I came back to SLC and brushed off my second show "Missionary Position" and did it for two nights at The Complex SLC. I really needed to do this so I could get the show in my mind, body, and mouth before I do it in L.A.

I perform "Confessions" in Denver in two weeks, then off to work on "Prodigal Dad" with Larry Moss in New York City first week of April. Then back for a week in SLC. Then I perform the entire THE MORMON BOY TRILOGY for six weeks in Los Angeles at Hudson Theatre (www.plays411.com/mormonboy) Apr 19 - May 26.

Yesterday I was working on press and editing "Confessions of a Mormon Boy LIVE from London's West End." This is an album I will download digitially.

So many things on my plate. Here's a quick shout out to the many people in SLC who are making me feel at home. It's a challenging place for me to live. It's nice to not feel so alone.

And to top it off, I just spoke with my dear old friend Jack Hofsiss. Looking forward to reading "Prodigal Dad" to him when I'm in New York. His Tony Award-winning experience ("The Elephant Man") turned "Confessions" into an enduring piece of theatre. And he is a good friend. He knows my story better than anyone else. And he says to hang in there no matter what with "The Mormon Boy Trilogy". This is how any piece of art is born. Someone has to believe in it to the very end. "Naysayers, beware!" One day at a time we keep showing up, just like Sisyphus.