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Carol Lynn Pearson's 'Facing East' returns after 20 years

September 4, 2026 at 6:03 AM MT · via Sunstone · Summarized by Mormon News from original reporting

Carol Lynn Pearson's 2006 play "Facing East" will return to Utah stages in October and November 2026, twenty years after its premiere helped shift how Mormon families understood LGBTQ loved ones. The play centers on the parents of a gay man who died by suicide and their journey toward acceptance.

"Facing East" had runs off-Broadway and in San Francisco after its Salt Lake City debut, reaching religious audiences beyond Mormonism. Pearson, a prominent Latter-day Saint poet and playwright, has said the work was inspired by real families navigating faith and sexuality.

The revival coincides with ongoing debates within the Church over LGBTQ inclusion and family relationships.

Read the full story at Sunstone

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