SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
For the Arts and Entertainment
240 West 44 Street, Penthouse
New York, NY 10036
Phone: 212-575-0263
Fax: 212-575-2240
Samrudy4@cs.com
AWARD-WINNING ACTOR/PLAYWRIGHT
STEVEN FALES
TO PERFORM 3 PLAYS IN REP FOR FIRST TIME EVER
"MORMON BOY TRILOGY"
set for January 16-February 9
at Richmond Triangle Players
STEVEN FALES
TO PERFORM 3 PLAYS IN REP FOR FIRST TIME EVER
"MORMON BOY TRILOGY"
set for January 16-February 9
at Richmond Triangle Players
Mr. Fales will perform the MORMON BOY TRILOGY – three inspiring, insightful and humorous plays – in Richmond prior to an anticipated run Off-Broadway in New York in fall 2014. According to Philip Crosby, Managing Director of RTP, it is believed that no solo performer has previously performed three solo plays in repertory – certainly not in a 3-week span.
The TRILOGY consists of three solo plays:
CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY had an acclaimed run Off-Broadway in NY in 2006 (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination) directed by Tony winner Jack Hofsiss (THE ELEPHANT MAN), coached by Larry Moss, and was a breakout hit at the 2004 NY International Fringe Festival (Overall Excellence Award). The play is an examination of the Mormon culture and family life as told by Mr. Fales, a sixth-generation Mormon who wandered into a life of crystal meth in the sex industry, escorting in the penthouses of New York in order to survive, having been excommunicated from the Mormon church after 'reparative therapy' failed to work. Furthermore, the play depicts Fales' fight to remain in his two children's lives following his divorce from the daughter of Carol Lynn Pearson – the most celebrated author in Mormondom – whose memoir “Goodbye, I Love You” depicted her own experiences when she brought her Mormon ex-husband, afflicted with AIDS, home to die.
CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY has toured across the U.S. and overseas at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, at Charing Cross Theatre in London's West End and elsewhere and has been performed to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity, including a benefit at Lincoln Center for The Point Foundation. As well, CONFESSIONS won the “Overall Fringe Hit Award” at the Atlantic Fringe Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and received an “Oscar Wilde Award Nomination” from the Dublin International Gay Theatre Festival. During previous U.S. engagements, the show has chosen as a “Critics Choice” in L.A. Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune and Houston Chronicle.
MISSIONARY POSITION is described as a 'prequel' to MORMON BOY, depicting Mr. Fales' experiences as a Mormon missionary in Portugal and secret Mormon Temple rites. Fales performed MISSIONARY POSITION at the NYC Fringe 2010 and on national tour.
PRODIGAL DAD, a sequel to CONFESSIONS and the newest of the TRILOGY, relates Steven's discovery of his bipolar disorder, becoming HIV-positive, his custody battles in his home state of Utah, and reclaiming his Greek heritage.
MORMON BOY TRILOGY has been work-shopped at Rising Action Theatre Ft. Lauderdale and The Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles. Each solo play is self-contained and one does not need to see all three to be understood. All three together, however, deliver an epic emotional punch.
Mr. Crosby says, “We are truly ecstatic to have Steven back. His Confessions of a Mormon Boy blew away our audiences with his honesty and talent last February for Richmond’s Acts of Faith Festival. We had been waiting for years to get Steven here and he exceeded every expectation we had. When we heard he had a trilogy we said, ‘Can we do it?’ We are thrilled about the entire trilogy going to New York. The messages of the plays are so powerful and deserve to be widely seen. I can’t speak more highly of Steven as an artist and as a person. He’s the real deal. I like to think of the trilogy as being ‘The Mormon Conquests’!”
Fales says, “I feel like I’m still on a mission and my life has been on hold until this trilogy is finished. Doing three shows in repertory is a daunting task, but I feel I’ve been training for this my whole life. For the first time I’ll be adding projection to my storytelling. And I am so happy to work again at RTP. They really know how to treat their artists and I think they are the best theatre in the South—and one of the best in the country.”
Steven Fales (actor/writer/producer) was born in Provo, Utah and raised in Las Vegas. He first came to national attention with the off-Broadway production of Confessions of a Mormon Boy at the SoHo Playhouse. The book of the play was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist. He is featured in The Creative Life by Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way) and the recent anthology Latter-Gay Saints. In addition to his other solo work, Fales has performed in Shakespeare, American Classics and musicals in regional theatres across the country from the Coconut Grove Playhouse to Utah Shakespeare Festival. He has acted in television, commercials, and industrials. He holds a BFA from the Boston Conservatory/Brigham Young University and MFA in acting from University of Connecticut. For more information about Fales including awards, credits, reviews, feature articles, video clips, photos, current projects and more go to www.mormonboylive.com , facebook.com/fales.steven, twitter @mormonboy, or contact fales.steven@gmail.com
RTP recently received 15 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle nominations for 2012-13 season productions, most notably for its productions of La Cage aux Folles and bare: a pop opera. The Acts of Faith Festival, the largest of its kind in the country, presents theatrical works that open up the discussion of faith and religion. Richmond Triangle Players has been a leading voice in the Festival, having also produced shows such as Next Fall, The Busy World is Hushed, Visiting Mr. Green, and Carol Lynn Pearson’s Facing East. For the 2013-14 season, in addition to The Mormon Boy Trilogy, RTP will present Matthew Lombardo’s High as a part of the Festival.
MORMON BOY TRILOGY playing schedule:
CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY every Thursday at 8 pm; Saturday at 1 pm and Sunday at 7:30 pm
MISSIONARY POSITION every Friday at 8 pm; Saturday at 5 pm and Sunday at 3 pm
PRODIGAL DAD every Saturday at 8 pm
See all three shows every Saturday, with a special “Marathon Discount”. See all three shows for $20/per show. Visit www.rtriangle.org for pricing.
Mr. Fales will also perform his cabaret act MORMON AMERICAN PRINCESS (presented previously at Joe's Pub, Upright Cabaret in L.A.) for one-night only on January 28 at 7:30 pm at Richmond Triangle Players. Tickets are $20 (or free if patron buys one ticket to the entire TRILOGY). M.A.P. is described as a “one-man BOOK OF MORMON,” that follows Fales' journey to become a Mormon American Cowboy. The evening features parodies and music – standards and original songs.
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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Steven Fales (actor/writer/producer) first came to national attention with the off-Broadway production of Confessions of a Mormon Boy at the SoHo Playhouse. The book of the play was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist. In addition to his other solo work, Fales has performed in regional theatres across the country from the Coconut Grove Playhouse to Utah Shakespeare Festival. He has acted in television, commercials, and industrials. He holds an MFA in acting from University of Connecticut. For more information about Fales including awards, credits, reviews, feature articles, video clips, photos, current projects and more go to www.mormonboylive.com , facebook.com/fales.steven, twitter @mormonboy, or contact fales.steven@gmail.com
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Reviews of Confessions of a Mormon Boy
“An exceptional achievement to rank beside the best of the solo genre.
Wrenchingly honest, hilariously jubilant, and utterly clear-eyed. ”
--Los Angeles Times (Critic’s Choice)
“An astonishing generosity of spirit . . . with fierce comedy and sharp intelligence.
He bares his soul . . . feels like a sacred gift.”
--Boston Globe (Critic’s Choice)
“The stuff of great theatre. Riveting. It’s a strangely intriguing dichotomy . . .
in a sense, he is reliving his own Madonna-whore complex.”
--Associated Press
“Fales’ play is a gripping hybrid of memoir and theater . . . succeeds as non-fiction theater thanks to the writing and acting talent of a true survivor.”
--Connecticut Post
“A triumph! A jolting climax . . . a fascinating turn. Fales knows that the conflict in his life isn’t just homosexuality versus Mormonism. As in all good theater, the protagonist must confront his own shortcomings and overcome them.”
--Newsday
“An uncommonly powerful, gripping, and very moving piece of theatre.”
--Chicago Tribune
“The story couldn’t be more timely. Affecting. Enlightening.”
--San Francisco Chronicle
“A masterful story teller and one hell of a writer. Sexy and harrowing.
A play that transcends religion, gender, and sexuality.”
--San Francisco Examiner
“Fales is such a perceptive writer. As moving as it is funny.”
--New York Daily News
“Compelling confessional theatre. Fales knows how to sell it.”
--New York Times
“Brokeback Mormon . . . a rare blast of lyricism.”
--Variety 14
“Audience-pleasing. Told with much brio. Great material.”
--New York Post
“A quintessentially American once-upon-a-time of sexual identity crisis and selfhood.”
--Village Voice
“His willingness to literally strip away his own defenses will leave you breathless.”
--Metro New York
“Theatrically, comically, and emotionally, this show reaches heights that most off-Broadway productions could only hope to achieve. You will walk out of the theater feeling completely and utterly satisfied.”
--Columbia Daily Spectator
“A tale about finding redemption in honesty.”
--Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“The play is alternately funny and sad—and at its best moments, both . . .
a self-examination about accepting responsibility.”
--The Advocate
“A very funny, poignant, and surprising story of self-acceptance
and the happiness in finding spiritual connections.”
--Las Vegas Review-Journal
“Steven Fales is a hero.”
--Austin Chronicle
“It all leads up to a moment of vulnerability so simple and powerful, it suggests a kind of grace. All is forgiven with his final breathtaking, self-revelatory gesture. Makes you want to say ‘amen.’”
--San Diego Union-Tribune (Critic’s Choice)
“An absorbing tale about the universal human search for belonging.
Gay or not, Mormon or not, it is something we can all relate to. Feels like a sequel to Good-bye, I Love You, from the husband’s perspective and a generation removed. An unflinchingly honest experience.”
--Salt Lake Tribune
“Rare and skillful. Fales’ tumble from grace and his road to redemption peg him as the male counterpart of the fallen woman . . . think Joan Crawford or Bette Davis playing outcasts at their most glamorously vulnerable. Best of all, we don’t see Fales’ ultimate moment of catharsis coming; it hits us between the eyes like a shot with a two-by-four. Fales has lived a stunningly eventful, almost Dickensian life, and he is, by happy coincidence, a fine writer and actor.”
--Chicago Sun-Times 15
“Honest, moving, whimsical, sobering, tender and cathartic.”
--Miami Herald
“The play builds in power until it crests in a warm and satisfying wave that lifts theatergoers to their feet . . . his play shoots skyward in dramatic content and emotional payoff.”
--South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“It’s impossible not to marvel.”
--The Scotsman
“All told with great verve and energy and with very engaging humour.
It is impossible not to warm to this man.”
--ScotsGay (Four Stars)
“Brilliantly acted and beautifully written.”
--Irish Daily Mail
“An incredibly smart play . . . manages to re-invest a predictable story line with boldness, insight, astute political observation and breath-takingly brittle humour and gorgeous one-liners. Confessions is a deeply-felt spiritual phenomena every bit as much as a piece of careful and well-crafted performance.”
--QueerID.com (Dublin, Ireland)
“Fales captivates his audience with a sometimes moving, often funny, and occasionally shocking odyssey from sexual denial to emotional salvation.”
--WhatsOnStage London (Four Stars)
“There’s something here that every gay man can relate to.
And, my, how the boy entertains.”
--London Gay Times (Five Stars)
“Breathtaking. A gripping story. That it’s touching and wise too only adds to the appeal.”
--Entertainment-Focus London
“As American as apple pie. It takes a healthy, open-minded approach to barrier busting.
Its truth is its strong suit.”
--ExtraExtra (London)
“A dynamo show.”
--QX Magazine London (Four Stars)
“A slick one-man show . . . fast, furious, and compelling . . .
An undeniably dramatic story of the self-confessed ‘gayest Mormon on earth.’”
--BOYZ Magazine London (Four Stars) 16
“Mormon Boy is a stunning example of a true emotional journey that is powerful from start to finish.”
--Examiner.com, Denver
“Through this shameless confession, he adorns himself with the powers of self-recognition.
In my world, Steven Fales is a super hero in the gay justice league.”
--MileHighGuy.com, Denver
“Brave, bold, brightly shining masterpiece. One of the most transparent real life plays
I have ever experienced. Unforgettable.”
--Houston Chronicle
“It is the truth-telling that provides the punch and holds the audience in thrall. A talented performer recounts with charm and power a gripping narrative . . .
an emotional, amusing and roller-coaster theatrical ride.”
--Houston Press
“A remarkable piece of theatre. Fales shines. An extremely appealing actor and singer—bold, confrontational, understanding, compassionate. He does not pity himself in the telling of his story. He is funny, winning, shockingly honest, moving and entirely believable.
Confessions is about as intense an experience as you will get in the theatre.”
--The Chronicle Herald, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada)
“A polished piece of theatre that knows what notes to hit, but there’s a human heart beneath the slick showbiz veneer. Fales is a whiz-bang actor. His script is gracious to the church that excommunicated him, lampooning spiritual hypocrisy without apparent malice.”
--The Coast, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada)
“Fales walks a fine line between satire and truth and ultimately generates a skillful and compelling balance between one-line zingers . . . and life-affirming revelation. It is a testimony to Fales’ skill as a storyteller as well as his ability to find humor in the often painful human condition that holds his audience for 90 uninterrupted minutes.”
--Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Fales is a rare and gifted storyteller who cradles his audience with his words. Even when he is talking about areas of his life that would cause the strongest person to crumble and rail against the world, he brings a smile, holds no grudge, and looks for the divine in his life.”
--Richmond NPR Reviewer, Mondo Johnny
