The man himself, Steven Fales.

teven Fales is a 33-year-old actor and playwright, but above all, he says, he’s an “oxy-Mormon.” He did all the things a “good” Mormon should do: served two years on a mission in Portugal, went to Brigham Young University, married reputably in the temple and had two kids. He exclaims that he was “a true, true blue Mormon” until he was excommunicated after undergoing reparative therapy for being a homosexual.

This is the subject of his earlier autobiographical work “X'd: Confessions of a Mormon Boy,” which is soon to make its official off-Broadway debut in September. His newest work, “CULT!” takes a humorous look at our abounding need for cults to define who we are and tell us what to think.

[The following interview was conducted through e-mail while Fales was in New York City preparing “X’d.”]

RED: What got you into writing plays?

Some RED readers may remember Steven Fales as the subject of his earlier, autobiographical work "X'ed: Confessions of a Mormon Boy."

SF: After years of acting in musicals, Shakespeare, etc.  (I've done everything from Utah Shakespearean Festival to “Touched by an Angel”), I started doing some stand-up in Manhattan. It was a revelation. My first show, “X'd,” started as a stand-up comedy routine. So essentially, my life and my work came together in this dynamic juxtaposition.

Instead of playing others on stage, I am now playing myself. It is such a relief and a revelation. I love just talking with other human beings about the absurdities of life. I used to be so dang “perfect,” I didn't know who I was.

RED: How do you feel about becoming a commercial artist?

SF: On becoming a commercial artist. I have so many student loans, I'm looking forward to making a little money someday. I also have two children to put through college. I've done the “artiste” thing, whatever that is…I really just want to do work that touches, moves and inspires people. So far so good.

My kids are the reason I write. I hope to help transform (in my own small way) the world in which they live. The homophobia here in Utah (where they live) is overwhelming. That's why I started my work right here. If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.

RED: How do you feel about your audience?

SF: I find my audience is very, very diverse. The first time I did “X’d” here in Salt Lake City, the run completely sold out. And it was filled with not just gay Mormons, but their parents, their straight friends. Old, young. Gay, straight. Mormon, non-LDS.

I recently did my show “X'd” in Miami for three months at the Coconut Grove Playhouse. Sometimes I'd do shows for a room full of old Jewish ladies. They loved the show.

I get e-mails all the time about what my work means to them. But I especially love my gay Mormons. And it doesn't seem to matter where I'm performing, they seem to find me. I love hearing their stories. They are often better than my own.

One of the things people comment on about my work is its generosity toward the Mormon Church. And the last thing I want to be is another bitter, gay victim on stage.

One of the biggest messages for gay men (and everyone) is to stop with the victim attitude thing. Our movement will get much further along without it.

RED: What is the general reaction of audiences in Utah as opposed to audiences in other states?

I love my Utah audience the most. I can get away with Mormon in-humor here. I have to write it out in other cities. And Mormon in humor is just so delicious.

RED: What is “CULT!” about?

SF: “CULT!” deals with my obsessive need for cults of all shapes and sizes, of all kinds, to define me, tell me what to do, what to think, what to buy. You can take the kid out of the cult, but you can't take the cult out of the kid. Elizabeth Smart and I have a lot in common.

RED: How would you compare “CULT!” to your earlier work?

SF: “CULT!” is a bit more campy and irreverent than my one-man play, “X'd: Confessions of a Mormon Boy.” It also has much more Mormon/Utah in-humor. It has more of a stand-up feel than “X'd,” that's why I'm doing my reading at Wiseguys Comedy Cafe.

Some of the highlights of “CULT!” are my “Cult Rap,” my “Excommunication Polka,” retelling the Sodom and Gomorrah myth, and my ever-so popular “Pre-Existence.” The pre existence was originally in “X'd,” but I had to cut it. It fits perfectly in “CULT!” Wait until you meet Heavenly Mother!

Fales will perform “CULT!” on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 8:00 p.m. at the Wiseguys Comedy Café. Part of the proceeds will go to benefit the UTAH AIDS FOUNDATION. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or by calling (801) 463-2909.
haley@red-mag.com