How did you two meet?
Adrian: In Tucson playing pool. We hit it off and the rest is history.
Joe: We dated the old-fashion way. We went to the movies and got to know each other.
Adrian: We stayed in our separate houses.
Joe: We didn't even have sex until the third month -- or, second month in.
Adrian: We got to know each other first, which was important.
Joe, your play Dirty Secrets deals with the downfalls of cheating in relationships. Does that storyline imitate your lives?
Joe: For us it's been monogamy -- keeping it close, personal and keeping it between each other. It's the most important thing for us. Once that door opens -- no matter what anyone says -- it's seems that it's not as passionate, not as good and not as tight. I look at my mom and dad. They never went anywhere else. I've got to follow that suit, even though I'm gay.
Some would say there are separate rules within the gay community.
Joe: Well, they set their rules. The straight community does the same thing too. They have swingers. No one is perfect.
Adrian: It's not easy. You have to commit to yourself that you want this to work. It's easy to give up on a relationship and just walk away and find another one. But, when you find the person you really love, you just make the decision that you're not going to let this one end.
Joe: We've both said that -- we're not going to let this go.
All of the shows in the Alternative Theatre Company have gay themes. Don't you ever feel like you want to write about or do something different?
Joe: No. Every playwright should write about what they know. So, I write what I see and know. I know my community. I know pretty much who I am. It's not always pleasant. There's a play that I wrote called The Player that deals with crystal meth addicts. I've seen friends on crystal meth, so I wrote a play about it and a lot of people were disturbed. I had a sexual counselor come in and talk to the audience prior to each show and leave his card on the way out.
Did you ever face any backlash or homophobia for doing gay shows?
Joe: I never heard of any. It's interesting because Phoenix is very conservative. We were very well supported. In fact, most of the critiques I got were from inside the gay community because they wanted to voice how they wanted to be represented.
There was never anything negative written on the building of your theaters?
Joe: Not unless we wrote it ourselves!
What if the Alternative Theatre Company doesn't make it in New York?
Adrian: We'll figure that out. Our strategy is to do our best.
Joe: I think Marriott is still hiring!
To learn more about the Alternative Theatre Company, visit www.alternativetheatreco.org. The Gayest Christmas Pageant runs through Jan. 3 at the Actors' Playhouse in New York.
-- DUSTIN FITZHARRIS
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