| Fernando Gonzales, Philadelphia theater artist and co-director of Truth Be Told Productions, made his regional directing debut with The Shape of Things at the Ritz Theatre, NJ. As a director, he shaped plays, musicals, and operas, including The Secret Garden, Andre’s Mother, and Fidelio. As a singer and actor, he also appeared in Much Ado about Nothing, The Last Five Years, The Secret Garden, Rent, A Little Night Music, Marguerite, Grease, Barnum, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes, The Pajama Game, Ragtime, and Legally Blonde. Gonzales also made a name for himself in many other musicals, plays, and operas in Colorado, Illinois, and Oklahoma. Gonzales earned a degree in Opera Performance from Colorado State University and a Master’s in Opera Performance and Pedagogy from Chicago College of Performing Arts. After receiving his MBA from the University of Maryland, Gonzales began using the other side of his brain in the finance and banking world with PNC Bank in Philadelphia, where he lives today. |  Fernando Gonzales, Truth Be Told Artistic Director |
Henrik Eger: You have quite an interesting background in theater.
Fernando Gonzales: My interest in the arts is mostly by accident. I was an army brat who, after moving around a bit, was forced into a choir class in 7th grade because the Spanish class I wanted was full. Thus began my artistic journey. Fast-forward to college, where a decision had to be made about a major. I chose to pursue opera performance and went on to graduate school. After becoming a bit burned out in the opera world, I left the stage and went on to receive an MBA.
Realizing something was missing from my life, I knocked on the door of a local theater in 2004 to see if they needed any help with their shows. Coming from an opera background, I had no idea what I was getting into. The rest is history. I’ve been onstage or offstage in some capacity with shows ever since. I started Truth Be Told to fill a void I saw in the local scene that didn’t seem to be telling the hard truths of life for the LGBT community.
Eger: You co-founded Truth Be Told Productions with Carlos Diaz in 2014. Tell us about your mission and the plays you have produced so far.
Gonzales: Carlos and I began TBT with a focus on LGBT themes that are largely unexplored. Opening with BENT, we found that few people had heard the stories of the Holocaust from the perspective of the gay community. The show was well-received, and this season we focus on the coming-of-age stories that are very timely with a high incidence of LGBT teen suicide. Each of our seasons will have an underlying theme.
[Next will be] Bert V. Royal’s Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. [An “unauthorized parody,” the play imagines characters from the popular comic strip Peanuts as teenagers. Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion, sexual relations, and identity are among the issues covered in this drama.]
Fernando Gonzales: My interest in the arts is mostly by accident. I was an army brat who, after moving around a bit, was forced into a choir class in 7th grade because the Spanish class I wanted was full. Thus began my artistic journey. Fast-forward to college, where a decision had to be made about a major. I chose to pursue opera performance and went on to graduate school. After becoming a bit burned out in the opera world, I left the stage and went on to receive an MBA.
Realizing something was missing from my life, I knocked on the door of a local theater in 2004 to see if they needed any help with their shows. Coming from an opera background, I had no idea what I was getting into. The rest is history. I’ve been onstage or offstage in some capacity with shows ever since. I started Truth Be Told to fill a void I saw in the local scene that didn’t seem to be telling the hard truths of life for the LGBT community.
Eger: You co-founded Truth Be Told Productions with Carlos Diaz in 2014. Tell us about your mission and the plays you have produced so far.
Gonzales: Carlos and I began TBT with a focus on LGBT themes that are largely unexplored. Opening with BENT, we found that few people had heard the stories of the Holocaust from the perspective of the gay community. The show was well-received, and this season we focus on the coming-of-age stories that are very timely with a high incidence of LGBT teen suicide. Each of our seasons will have an underlying theme.
[Next will be] Bert V. Royal’s Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. [An “unauthorized parody,” the play imagines characters from the popular comic strip Peanuts as teenagers. Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion, sexual relations, and identity are among the issues covered in this drama.]
Jared Rosenberg as Peter dancing with Cody Lee Miller as Jason. Photo by Fernando Gonzales
Eger: Why did you choose BARE?
Gonzales: This show has a cult following and amazing music. Bringing this show to life for the first time in Philly in many years is important at a time when suicide is at the forefront of the community with initiatives like It Gets Better and the Trevor Project. Telling this story is haunting and impactful and, hopefully, we can help move the conversation along for a few of our patrons. We have had a very strong opening weekend [and are still going strong].
Eger: Before Truth Be Told came into existence, there were a few gay theater companies in Philadelphia in the past. Two are presenting quite a few plays to this day: Mauckingbird Productions and Quince Productions. You are now the third operating LGBT theater company in Philadelphia that offers regular programs. How would you describe the demographics of your audience?
Gonzales: Our demographic is largely the same as that of Mauckingbird and Quince. There is certainly not a saturation of raw theater in this city with LGBT themes. These stories are all around us every day, and we can all stand to expose reality to the [public] in an attempt to create beautiful art while allowing for truth to be told.
Gonzales: This show has a cult following and amazing music. Bringing this show to life for the first time in Philly in many years is important at a time when suicide is at the forefront of the community with initiatives like It Gets Better and the Trevor Project. Telling this story is haunting and impactful and, hopefully, we can help move the conversation along for a few of our patrons. We have had a very strong opening weekend [and are still going strong].
Eger: Before Truth Be Told came into existence, there were a few gay theater companies in Philadelphia in the past. Two are presenting quite a few plays to this day: Mauckingbird Productions and Quince Productions. You are now the third operating LGBT theater company in Philadelphia that offers regular programs. How would you describe the demographics of your audience?
Gonzales: Our demographic is largely the same as that of Mauckingbird and Quince. There is certainly not a saturation of raw theater in this city with LGBT themes. These stories are all around us every day, and we can all stand to expose reality to the [public] in an attempt to create beautiful art while allowing for truth to be told.
Drama teacher (Elexis Morton) and seniors
(Jordan O'Brien, Jared Rosenberg, and Colleen Murphy)
rehearsing for Romeo & Juliet. Photo by Fernando Gonzales
(Jordan O'Brien, Jared Rosenberg, and Colleen Murphy)
rehearsing for Romeo & Juliet. Photo by Fernando Gonzales
Eger: What are your plans for the upcoming season?
Gonzales: We look to focus more on the stories of middle-aged LGBT people and their families, both chosen and biological. More details to come.
Eger: I was impressed by your direction of BARE, the cast, and the work of Robert Stoop, Musical Director for Cabrini College, who created a sound that made me sit up and listen. You may have had a bare-bones budget but not a bare-bones sound. On the contrary, going by the comments from the audience, you moved a number of people with your production. Thank you, one and all, and a happy Pride Day.
HENRIK EGER
BARE presented at the Luna Theater, 620 South 8th Street, June 5-13, 2015, truthbetoldphilly.com
Originally published by Phindie, June 12, 2015
Gonzales: We look to focus more on the stories of middle-aged LGBT people and their families, both chosen and biological. More details to come.
Eger: I was impressed by your direction of BARE, the cast, and the work of Robert Stoop, Musical Director for Cabrini College, who created a sound that made me sit up and listen. You may have had a bare-bones budget but not a bare-bones sound. On the contrary, going by the comments from the audience, you moved a number of people with your production. Thank you, one and all, and a happy Pride Day.
HENRIK EGER
BARE presented at the Luna Theater, 620 South 8th Street, June 5-13, 2015, truthbetoldphilly.com
Originally published by Phindie, June 12, 2015
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