Thoughts on Affirmation
By Steven Fales | August 31, 2010
I am interested in an Affirmation that is an umbrella for the Mormon heritage we all share whether we believe in the “Restoration” or not (which I don’t). Or whether we believe in God or not (which I do). Where else can you go in the gay community and ask, “Where did you serve YOUR mission?” or “How many kids do YOU have?” or “What was YOUR excommunication like?” or “Didn’t you just hate Steven Fales’s last play?” (Was that another plug for my work? Darn. I learned this from somewhere . . . just ask Mitt Romney!)
I also believe in full-artistic personal expression and a wonderful, good, hokey Mormon joke here and there. Where are we taking ourselves too flippin’ seriously?
I believe in an Affirmation where we do not shoot our wounded. For we are all in recovery from post-traumatic spiritual disorder. All should be welcome at the table whether we pray or not. (which I do.) That is why I’m Episcopalian/MCC after my disaster with pure secular humanism and, of course, Latter-day Saint-ism. But when it’s all said and done, even though I’m not a Latter-day Saint (first by excommunication, second by personal revelation and self-liberation), something about me will always be Mormon. I believe in Affirmation even when Affirmation doesn’t believe in me.
I do not believe that Affirmation’s mission is to promote politics or the next Wasatch artistic masterpiece. Affirmation should be limited to general education and fellowship. Nothing more. And it is not our job to change the Mormon Church’s mind. It is a place for me to be me. And you to be you. (As well as a safe haven free from sexual harassment as much as bashing of beliefs.)
George, thank you for leading this conversation. “To Thine Own Self Be True.” “The wolf cannot exist without the pack. The pack cannot exist without the wolf.” When this shift happens, Affirmation just may realize its potential.
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CurtainUp Fringe Review of “Missionary Position”
By Steven Fales | August 29, 2010
In a memorably upbeat show at NY Fringe a few years ago Steven Fales took us from growing up as enthusiastic Mormon boy and ended as sex worker in the big city. It makes a great story, but between start and finish there’s still a lot to be told. As traditional rite of passage at about college age, Mormons traditionally go to a foreign country for two years and aim to baptize as many living and dead souls as possible. Always proceeding in pairs, their clean cut looks and rudimentary local language aid them in this self- and family-financed period. Dealing with the realities of the church’s tight administrative structure in northern Portugal was but one challenge. By then Fales’s conflict between strict church teachings and awareness of his gay tendencies was welling up. In somber tones he recounts his unresolved feelings and also late-night conversations with his various mates about sex matters that were all off limits as Mormons. Returning home, Fales was ready to move toward his Endowment Ceremonies. Conducted at a Mormon temple, these rituals impress on the member the seriousness of his quest for salvation. Fales strips for us and dons a pleated white toga covering front and back, topped off with a green mason-sized apron tied about his waist. From here he describes the ultimate Ceremony of the Veil in a blazing white space where the member declares allegiance to the tenets of the church in presence of family. Switching to humorous mode, Fales concludes this behind-the-scenes account as his doubts about himself as a good Mormon were beginning to peak. His tale is as lively as the first installment, but a third part promises to be as interesting. Fales is telling his own story but he is also presenting details only an insider would know about Mormonism. For an audience that knows little about this sect, this show can be an eye-opener. It would be easy to come away with a new-found respect for the family cohesion and clean living (no cuss words and no alcohol, coffee or tea either) they espouse. One suspects Fales feels some of this respect as well. At SoHo Playhouse. 90 minutes. [Lipfert]
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The End of the Fringe
By Steven Fales | August 29, 2010
I’m about to go help strike and clean at the SoHo Playhouse where I just finished participating in the Fourteenth New York International Fringe Festival. There were so many shows here (197) from all over the world. It was an honor and a pleasure to be part of this. I feel that my show was not the hit Confessions of a Mormon Boy was last time. But it gave me a great chance to see how New Yorkers received my work. And I have to say that they appreciated the writing better than I ever imagined. Missionary Position is a pretty intense exploration in Mormonism, and they were right with me. The first and final performances were the strongest and the largest houses. I am looking forward to working the piece further and taking it to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City in September.
I saw the following shows at the Fringe: For Kingdom and Fatherland, Platinum, The Secretaries, Terms of Dismemberment, Viva La Evolucion, The Twentieth-Century Way, and I think one or two others. That was one of the best parts of being at the Fringe — seeing the shows at a discount!
Special thanks to my team: Alex Mark and Sean Lambert. We had such adventures and stories to add to our career-logs of most embarrassing and courageous moments.
Being naked onstage: I was told it was tasteful and was appropriate to the story. Mormon swearing: I probably could have gone further!
I want to do the Edinborough Fringe Festival in Scotland next year!
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THE CREATIVE LIFE by Julia Cameron, Excerpt Three
By Steven Fales | August 23, 2010
It’s a gray and rainy day, not a deluge, just a light, constant drizzle. I flag a cab and give the address of Saint Bartholomew’s Church at Fifty-first Street and Park Avenue. I am en route to see a reading of Steven’s new play, Missionary Position, which details his two years as a Mormon missionary in Portugal. Not yet at peace with his homosexuality, Steven spent his missionary years yearning–yearning for sex, yearning for connection, yearning for acceptance.
As Steven reads his adventures, his audience, mainly gay Episcopalians, is with him. There are rueful laughs and collective sighs. By journey’s end, the audience is won over completely. Steven’s long road to self-acceptance is one many of them have traveled. Several years after being excommunicated from the Mormon Church, he joined Epsicopalianism. His new church received him with open arms. Saint Bart’s, as it’s affectionately called, offered Steen a reading with a buffet lunc ahead of time and coffee and dessert afterward. His reading is held in the Terrace Room, a handsome, wood-paneled room that seats a hundred. Most of the chairs are filled.
Steven does an uncanny job of capturing the universal struggles of adolescence. Who as an adolescent hasn’t suffered from an unrequited love? Mine was over a boy named Bob O’Leary. Early this year I got an e-mail from Lynne Burke, the girl he married instead. Did I remember her? she wondered. For my part, howe could I forget? Listening to Steven’s recollections, I wince at their poignancy. I join the crowd in prolonged applause as Steven’s show draws to a close.
From The Creative Life by Julia Cameron coming out this fall by Tarcher/Penguin.
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THE CREATIVE LIFE by Julia Cameron, Excerpt Two
By Steven Fales | August 23, 2010
At nine fifteen, the line for admission to the nine forty-five show was already formed. Mary, the hostess, sweet-talks the crowd into compliance. We are here to see my friend Steven’s one-man show, Mormon American Princess. The crowd is varied, as much heterosexual as not, from twenties to sixties, some dapper, some not.
Steven Fales put himself on the map with Confessions of a Mormon Boy, his first one-man show, directed by the legend Jack Hofsiss. In that show, Steven threaded a tale from Mormon boyhood to youthful marriage to various therapies intended to cure him of homosexual urges. The therapies failed. Steven was irretrievably gay. He was excommunicated by the church, then launched into a self-destructive spiral of drink, drugs, and sex. Desperate, he turned to writing. The writing led him back to sanity. Resored to his dignity, he offered his show as a cautionary tale. The new show, Mormon American Princess, is a coming-out story. Good humor replaces pathos.
At nine forty-five, the crowd is still filing in. I am here with Emma; my daughter, Domenica; and her boyfriend. We are given a booth, elevated at center stage. We order round one of our obligatory two rounds of drinks. I sip at an orange juice on the rocks. At nine fifty-five, a hush falls over the room. “There he is,” someone breathes. All eyes are riveted on Steven, clad in blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a leather shirt. He looks like the Westerner that he is. For his opening number he does some musical gender-bending. He belts and then croons his way through “Son of a Preacher Man.” Steven has an incandescent sexuality that floods the stage. When he talks about sexual desire, the audience can feel it. Oddly, Steven’s sexual charisma throws a monkey wrench into his show. The show tilts to accommodate the audience’s lust.
Midway through his act, Steven performs another gender-bender. He sings, “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” Mary Magdalene’s show-stopper from Jesus Christ Superstar. The song reflects a promiscuous past–Steven’s as well as Magdalene’s. Part confessional, part sheer entertainment, the evening is uneven but engrossing. What clearly emerges is a sense of his impressive talent. Next time out, he would benefit from a director’s hand.
His audience responds with bursts of applause, and at show’s end a sustained round of enthusiasm. Steven is pleased by the show’s reception. The evening was his debut back in New York, and it made him feel there was a place for him and his work.
“Thanks for coming out,” Steven stops by to tell our table.
“Thank you,” we respond.
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THE CREATIVE LIFE by Julia Cameron, Excerpt One
By Steven Fales | August 22, 2010
The doorbell shrills and I open the door to a damp but cheerful Steven Fales, playwright and actor.
“Your hair! It looks wonderful! So youthful! So elegant!” He swoops me up in a bear hug. I kiss his cheek, leaving a crimson kiss. We settle onto a leather couch, giving each other a quick once-over. To my eye, Steven looks wonderful. He has just come back to New York after a grueling but satisfying run of his cabaret act, Mormon American Princess, in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He swapped his way through three venues, each one better than the last.
“I went to see ____.” He names a friend of mine who is still in the hospital. “He couldn’t talk, but we managed to have a lovely visit, reading lips.”
“That’s great.”
“He had a sparkle in his eye. I thought, Oh, good. He’s going to make it.”
“Yes, I think he is,” I agree. It occurs to me that our friend must have mixed feelings about our visits. He doesn’t want word to get out that he is ailing. He is in the midst of planning a one-man show, and a noted actor has expressed interest in playing him. Our friend would direct. It would be quite a coup if it all happened. There would be layer upon layer of artistry.
“I hope it all works out,” says Steven. “There was an actor friend of his there at the same time. He is in a Broadway show right now.”
Steven himself had a very successful off-Broadway show, Confessions of a Mormon Boy. Our ailing friend helped him to shape that show. Steven values him as a mentor.
“I have a present for you,” I say, taking out a copy of Prayers to the Great Creator, a compilation of four prayer books I have written. “I feel a little strange giving you a prayer book, knowing you have a whole collection of Mormon prayers.”
“Oh, no,” Steven says eagerly. “I’m open to any prayers. Mormons don’t have set prayers.”
“Well, then, good,” I say. “These are the concepts that undergird The Artist’s Way.” I open the prayer book to a selection from Blessings.
Steven avidly reads the prayer. ”I’m going to like having this,” he says.
Conversation turns to Steven’s career. His cabaret act went over well in Provincetown. He hopes to shape it further. He is set to make a documentary of Confessions of a Mormon Boy, and he has a date slated for a reading of this third work, Missionary Position. He is writing daily, hard at work on a memoir.
“It all sounds wonderful,” I tell him.
“It all feels good,” he answers. Then he checks his watch and does a double take.
“I’m due uptown,” he apologizes.
“Let me get you a bag for your book,” I offer.
“Thanks for the visit.”
“Thank you for the visit.” With another bear hug, he is out the door. He has an uptown meeting at four and then a pot-roast dinner party at seven. As I watch him walk to the elevator, I think he is a delightful mix of show business and apron strings.
From The Creative Life by Julia Cameron. Coming this fall and published by Tarcher/Penguin.
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Performance Two at FringeNYC
By Steven Fales | August 20, 2010
After six days of being off, I had my second performance today at FringeNYC. It was a matinee today. I think it went well. But there is always that second-performance hesitation. Will it go as well as Opening Night? Let’s just say that it may not have, but there were new colors today. The poignant scenes went to deeper places.
I had old and new friends in the audience. One friend came all the way from Los Angeles to see the show.
I have been seeing some incredible theatre at the Fringe. Tonight I saw The Five Lesbian Brother’s THE SECRETARIES. It was produced by TOSOS (The Other Side of Silence) and directed by Mark Finley. It was quite brilliant. One of the actresses, however, fell off the stage in a scene change. She is a hero. She continued right through the rest of the show. Wow! That’s how dangerous Fringe theatre can be. Not nearly enough rehearsal time. That’s when safety becomes a huge issue.
I have seen FOR KINGDOM AND FOR FATHERLAND. This was one of the most powerful stories I have ever seen in a solo show. Shabana is a famous Muslim comic from Norway who had to flee to the U.S.A. because of death threats. She shares her story and the story of her father . . . sure he came from Karachi, Pakistan, but what was most inspiring was that he became sober later in life. And so did Shabana!
Other shows I’ve seen include VIVA LA EVOLUCION. It’s a fantastic, funny Cuban coming-out story.
I also saw Bruce Vilanch’s musical PLATINUM. I found it quite engrossing. It’s a love-letter to L.A. and showbiz.
I also saw Jim David’s SOUTH PATHETIC. A love-letter to the theatre. It’s quite funny.
There’s more to see than can possibly be seen.
In this trip to NYC, I have felt so connected once again to the city. I have seen friends and colleagues that usually take a whole year to engage. That is the miracle of this trip. I am seeing everyone because I am just running into them. When I live here it is not that way. That is why basing in Salt Lake City and then exporting my work to L.A. or N.Y.C. is the way to go. Children and Mountains in Utah. Writing and Musicals in the Cities.
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Endorsement from Bob Rosen
By Steven Fales | August 17, 2010
“I have had the good fortune to see the first two parts of Steven Fales’s The Mormon Boy Trilogy in Los Angeles and have had lengthy discussions about the prospects of incorporating his ground-breaking work in theatre into the context of an equally ground-breaking feature-length documentary. The subject matter of his performances and their powerful presentation manage to mix oil and water: to be an 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.”
“It is precisely these intrinsically interactive qualities that make this particular theater piece one that has the potential to become a compelling and highly original film — questions (and self questioning) — about the story behind the story, the personal motivations that make taking the risk of telling it so necessary, the thoughtful, even painful examination of what it reveals, and what remains hidden, and finally, why its very form as a work of art is intrinsic to its message — in short a film that has the potential to move audiences, provoke reflection, and I might add, sell tickets and win festival awards.”
Robert Rosen
Professor and Dean Emeritus
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Co-founder of Outfest
Father and Pioneer of the Film Preservation Movement
10-year film critic, NPR
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Opening Night of Missionary Position
By Steven Fales | August 16, 2010
It all came together for the Opening Night of MISSIONARY POSITION here at the New York International Fringe Festival. The place was filled with friends. The laughter and tears and spirit were palpable. I am so blessed to be able to do what I do. I will write more. I’ve just been too busy!
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Amy Matheny Windy City Queer Cast – MISSIONARY POSITION and Steven Fales
By admin | August 10, 2010
Our good friend Amy Matheny from Windy City Queer Cast contacted me to talk on her podcast about a number of queer topics. We talked about Prop 8 being over turned, our responsibility as individuals in the queer community. We also debated some of the boycotts going on and where do draw the line. Amy Matheny is a great friend and it was an honor to be on her show. Click on the podcast at the end of this post.
I hope you enjoy the interview.
“Run don walk to get your tickets.” —Amy Matheny
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