An Other Theater Co's NEXT FALL Examines Love, Faith, And God

Opening May 4th, An Other Theater Company will be presenting Geoffrey Naufft's funny and poignant Next Fall, continuing their trend to provide an alternative theatrical voice to Utah County.

The Tony-nominated play follows a gay couple: Luke (a devout Christian) and Adam (a staunch atheist), and examines how they both let and don't let their differences in belief affect their relationship to each other. Things are further complicated when an accident has put Luke in critical condition in the hospital, leaving Adam to deal with the situation along with Luke's parents who aren't aware of their son's sexuality.

"We so often want our lives to be black and white but they rarely are," says Abram Yarbro who plays Luke in the production. "What happens when you find yourself stuck between beliefs that seem to contradict each other?"

"Luke is such a unique character," adds director Kacey Spadafora. "We don't often see depictions of gay men who are trying to find a way to balance their sexuality and their faith, but we do often see those that are like him in the real world, particularly here in Utah County."

Brett Merritt, who previously appeared at AOTC as Vanya in their production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, plays Adam in the production. "[The play] shows us that two people don't have to believe the same things to be in love even if that makes certain parts of the relationship difficult," he says. "It's important to have conversations that are hard because real people are more important than any particular personal belief. Too often we write others off because they don't think or believe the way we do."

The play runs Fridays and Saturdays May 4th through May 26th at 7:30pm (with one 2:00pm matinee May 19th) in their blackbox theater in the Provo Towne Centre.

About An Other Theater Company:

An Other Theater Company seeks to provide a voice to many who are overlooked in the mainstream local theatre scene, including stipulations in its season selection process to highlight works by and about women as well as the LGBT community.