World Premier Performance: Stage Play of Religious Parents Dealing With a Gay Son's Suicide

World Premier Performance: Stage Play of Religious Parents Dealing With a Gay Son's Suicide

Carol Lynn Pearson's drama, "Facing East," premiered Nov. 16th. At his graveside, a Mormon mother and father grieve for their gay son who has committed suicide and struggle with the religious implications.

In Carol Lynn Pearson's newest drama, "Facing East," the setting is a cemetery where a Mormon mother and father are grieving at the burial site of their gay son who has committed suicide. Here they meet their son's partner and all three struggle with the tragedy and particularly the religious implications.

"Thank you, Carol Lynn Pearson, for reminding us that the task of any religion is to teach us whom we're required to love, not whom we're entitled to hate." -Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People (said about No More Goodbyes, Carol Lynn's new book on gays in religious families).

Playwright Carol Lynn Pearson gained national acclaim with her 1986 bestselling book, "Goodbye, I Love You" in which she tells the story of her marriage to a homosexual man, their divorce, ongoing friendship, and her caring for him as he died of AIDS. This story made her a guest on such programs as "Oprah" and "Good Morning, America." She has been featured in "People Magazine."

Pearson says that after writing "Goodbye, I Love You," she hadn't planned to revisit the subject of homosexuality. "But the accumulation of all the letters and phone calls I got after that tipped the balance for me. The religious rhetoric is not helpful. With all the many, many people I've talked to in the last 20 years, it's just not a moral-ethical thing to keep quiet about it. We do such an injustice to these people and their families."

Three actors appear in the play. Ruth is a faithful Mormon and loves Andrew, her son, but is ashamed he couldn't overcome his urges and heartbroken that he won't be joining the rest of the family in the most elite part of heaven. Alex, the father, rejected his gay son out of embarrassment. Marcus was Andrew's partner who mourns the loss of a troubled soul and the culture that contributes to such tragedy.

November 16, 2006 in Salt Lake City marked the world premier of "Facing East." The play is produced by Plan-B Theater, directed by Jerry Rapier, and features Charles Lynn Frost, Jayne Luke, and Jay Perry.

Information and availability of the play may be found at http://www.facingeasttheplay.com. Additional information on Carol Lynn Pearson may be found at http://www.nomoregoodbyes.com

Contact:
Don L. Wright, publicist
801 706-0422
publisher@pivotpointbooks.com