The Play
Questions of the Heart is a play about gay Mormons, by a straight Mormon. Ben Abbott spent months interviewing gay members of his faith and produced a one-man play in which he performed as the people he interviewed, taking their lines directly from the transcripts of his interviews. The play explores the pain, the humor, and the contradictions of being both gay and Mormon.
In the two years since Ben first performed Questions of the Heart as a thesis production at UC Berkeley, so much has changed and shifted. In this new version of the play, Ben inserts himself as a character into the action and the uncertainty. If the first version of the play presents a problem, the new version asks how we deal with it. As Ben digs deep into his own heart, searching for answers to the contradictions, turning to his gay Mormon interviewees for help and guidance, he shares their stores by living them on stage. With empathy as the guiding light, he asks questions...which leads to greater understanding, and more and more questions.
Ben is working with Bloomington, Indiana director Mark Kamie to produce Questions of the Heart, and it has been accepted at the Cincinnati and Indianapolis Fringe Festivals!
How You Can Help!
It is a huge honor that Questions of the Heart has been accepted to these great festivals. When Ben first produced Questions of the Heart he had the production support of the Theater and Performance Studies department of UC Berkeley behind him, but now he needs your help to make it happen! With your donations we will be able to buy set pieces, props, and a costume. It will make it possible for us to travel to Cincinnati and Indianapolis, buy advertizing for the show, and print posters and pamphlets to promote it.
To show our gratitude for you generosity we have some fun and unique perks. If you give $25 we will include your name in the program, thanking you for making the show possible, and we will send you a copy as a thank-you note. If you give $50, we will also send you a beautiful, hang-on-the-wall-worthy show poster, designed by award-winning artists Denise and Dan Gasser (trust us, it's quite the conversation starter). For $100 you will receive all of the above as well as two professional production photos from the festival performance.
Long Term
Ultimately we think Questions of the Heart is a show that can and should be performed all over the country. We've designed this production with that goal specifically in mind which means that, production-wise, it is simple, streamlined, and easily transportable. By donating to this campaign, you will not only get Ben to the Fringe, but you will open the door for Questions of the Heart to be seen all over the country!
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't contribute, that doesn't mean you can't help! Please help us get the word out and let other people know about this campaign. Use the Indiegogo share tools to spread the word!
