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FEATURES
Young, Gay and Excommunicated:
Mormon Boy Gets NYC Run in 2006 By Kenneth Jones · 17 Nov 2005 Long-promised for a commercial New York City run, Steven Fales' acclaimed one-man play Confessions of a Mormon Boy will finally land Off-Broadway in January 2006. Seen in engagements around the country, the actor-writer's autobiographical show will begin an open ended run at the newly renovated SoHo Playhouse at 15 Vandam St. Jan. 27, 2006. Directed by Tony Award winner Jack Hofsiss (The Elephant Man), the play opens Feb. 5.
"An inspiring true story told through humor, song and the Book of Mormon, Fales' critically acclaimed solo play explores one young man's captivating journey through excommunication, divorce, prostitution and drugs, as he struggles to reclaim himself, his children and his 'Donny Osmond' smile," according to production notes. Confessions of a Mormon Boy started as a stand-up comedy routine in Manhattan. The full play first premiered to sold-out crowds in Salt Lake City in 2001. Developmental stagings of the work have played San Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre, Miami's Coconut Grove Playhouse, Chicago's Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, San Diego's Diversionary Theatre (where it broke box office records) and the Connecticut Repertory Theatre. The production received an Overall Excellence Award at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival. The production features set and lighting design by Tim Saternow (Squonk) and costume design by Ellis Tillman (Urban Cowboy). The running time is 90 minutes with no intermission. The producing team consists of Carlton Spalding, Brian Malk, James Fales and Kyle Kimoto. Performances will play Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM and 7 PM. There is an added performance Feb. 1 at 2 PM, and there is no matinee performance Feb. 5. Tickets for Friday and Saturday evening performances are $55 each. Tickets for all other performances are $50 each. Tickets are now available by calling the SoHo Playhouse at (212) 691-1555, in-person at the SoHo Playhouse Box Office at 15 Vandam St. (just west of Sixth Ave. and Macdougal St.) or online at www.sohoplayhouse.com. For groups, please call (888) 523-5056.
For more information, visit www.mormonboy.com.
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Steven Fales is a sixth-generation Mormon born in Provo, Utah. He trained on scholarship at the Boston Conservatory before serving a two-year mission to Portugal for the Latter Day Saints Church. He then transferred to Brigham Young University where he completed his BFA in musical theatre, and later earned an MFA in acting from the University of Connecticut. In addition to acting and writing, Fales is a public speaker. He is a favorite at events for Affirmation (GLBT Mormons), Gamofites (Gay Mormon Fathers), the Sunstone Symposium, and recovery conventions. He has raised money for organizations across the country, including the Point Foundation, Desert AIDS Project, SoulforceNYC, the Utah AIDS Foundation, and Affirmation. He is in the process of founding Possibilities, a group that provides counseling, education, and support for sex-workers transitioning out of the sex industry. He lives in Salt Lake City with his two children. 
Fringe grads find Off B'way homes Season sees commercial bows of two fest alumni plays
By MARK BLANKENSHIP
NEW YORK -- The spirit that pervades the New York Intl. Fringe Festival every August is largely about inclusion, experimentation and risk. But as proven by several upcoming productions, the tune changes for plays that rise from the festival's ranks to find a home Off Broadway. Faced with the demands of commercial survival in Gotham, the Fringe graduates must translate that spirit of adventure into a magnet for a particular audience niche. And those graduates are multiplying. In addition to conception musical "Infertility," currently running, this season sees commercial bows of two plays, "Dog Sees God" and "Confessions of a Mormon Boy." Three more fringe alumni -- political satire "The Miss Education of Jenna Bush," gay drama "The Lightning Field" and comedy "The Irish Curse" -- all are in the process of locking down dates and venues for 2006. For some of these shows, the target niche is identical to that of the Fringe itself: hipsters. Few upcoming shows sound hipper than "Dog Sees God," a dark satire by Bert K. Royal that wowed Fringe auds in 2004 and opens Dec. 15 at the Century Center. The play is a violent, sex-addled spoof on the Peanuts gang, with a hot young cast that includes Ian Somerhalder ("Lost") and Eliza Dushku ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). Royal freely admits his play will benefit from its stars' offbeat appeal. "The 'Lost' chatrooms and the 'Buffy' chatrooms are all abuzz," he says. "And from what I've been reading online, a lot of the (potential audience) have never been to the theater before." Ironically, though, the show's allure for TV auds may serve as a stumbling block in terms of broadening its reach. Cast members like Dushku and Kelli Garner ("The Aviator") have little stage experience, and though the ensemble also features legit regulars like Keith Nobbs and Logan Marshall Green, the show could suffer with patrons who perceive it as a vehicle for slumming TV stars. But that risky hook is arguably a challenge faced within the Fringe itself. Simply by being chosen to participate, every show in the festival acquires an automatic marketing angle. But the winners are those that can both capitalize on the Fringe imprimatur and move past it. Royal notes that during its festival run, the auds for "Dog" were initially "younger, hipper Fringe types," but the houses ultimately were filled with a wider demographic. A similarly broad crowd has been attending regional perfs of "Confessions of a Mormon Boy," a 2004 Fringe grad bowing at the Soho Playhouse in January. A one-man show written and performed by Steven Fales, "Mormon Boy" follows the author's journey from closeted suburban father to drug-addicted gay prostitute. The story itself is an obvious marketing hook, and the playwright reports that members of target groups (Mormons, gay fathers) have traveled thousands of miles to see the show. However, as he travels with his play across the country -- there have been sold-out runs as far afield as Miami and Chicago -- Fales says, "My audiences are getting straighter and straighter." Combined with strong critical nods, this breadth of attendance suggests the piece has genuine legs. Fales says his momentum was strong before he hit the Fringe, so he feels less beholden to the festival for helping make his name. "What the Fringe gave me was the chance to see how 'Mormon Boy' plays in New York," he says. But playing in New York alone, without a festival's guaranteed press and attention, means facing an entirely new set of hurdles. No matter how good they are, shows like "Dog" and "Mormon Boy" still will be vying for attention in a crowded legit season. And their niche audiences will be more vital than ever in keeping the shows afloat until mainstream crowds begin to discover them. |
