On the Couch with Steven Fales

Steven Fales - photo by Kevin McIntyreWho is Steven Fales?
I’m a gay ex-Mormon father of two who used to be a hooker until he changed his life and wrote a show about it. Are you intrigued? When all else Fales … come see the show!

What would you do differently to what you do now?
I’m an actor/writer/producer. I produce the things I write and perform. There is nothing else I would rather be doing. Nothing.

Who inspires you and why?
Taylor Swift. I know. I know. But she really is remarkable and extraordinary in every way. Her songs speak to my lost innocence. And she’s SUCH a great business woman. What’s not to like!

What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I tell my story onstage. Our own story of personal transformation is all we really have to change the world. Tell your story, mate!

Favourite holiday destination and why?
I love the mountains. I love hiking. If there is a mountain to hike, I’ll be there. Have you ever been to Utah? The Rocky Mountains are the best. Sure, I love the ocean, but I love a good view even more. So inspiring.

When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
If you come to New York I will take you up, up, up to the top of the new World Trade Center. If you come to Utah … I give the best “Oxy-Mormon” tour of Temple Square in the world. That’s the Mormon Vatican if you haven’t guessed.

What are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading A Life of Unlearning: A Preacher’s Struggle with his Homosexuality, Church, and Faith by Sydney local gay icon Anthony Venn-Brown.

What are you currently listening to?
My new jam is anything Ariana Grande is singing. Sorry, Taylor. I get sick of you sometimes. (But I’ll always be gay for Tay! I’m a Swiftie to the end.) But sometimes I listen to Renee Fleming. She’s my Lady GaGa.

Happiness is?
Happiness is having my two kids sitting at the table while I cook for them and as we talk.

What does the future hold for you?
All my dreams seem to be coming true after years and years of watching, waiting, and writing. This Mormon Boy International Tour next plays South Africa on our way to an Off-Broadway revival of Confessions of a Mormon Boy accompanied with the new book that will be published, Oxy-Mormon Memoirs: Surviving Mormondom and Everything Else (Including Myself), and the documentary film Mormon Boy. 2020 will be a banner year. There is so much on the other side of Mormon Boy. I’m so much more that Mormon.

Steven will perform Confessions of a Mormon Boy at Chapel Off Chapel: 6 – 8 March 2019. For more information, visit: www.chapeloffchapel.com.au for details.

Image: Steven Fales – photo by Kevin McIntyre