From Stage to Book
Frank Anthony Polito’s first play, “John R” was produced in New York City in 2001 starring the then pre-Tony Award-nominee, John Tartaglia (Avenue Q). Polito’s coming of age/coming out story caught the attention of Kensington Publishing Editor-in-Chief, John Scognamiglio, who encouraged Polito to flesh out the world of his two character play. “There’s a lot of talk in the play about other friends, teachers, and off-stage events,” Polito explains. In writing a novel, he found it liberating not being bound by the constraints of an off-off Broadway producing budget and turned John R into Band Fags! Which will be published by Kensington this June.
Polito grew up in Hazel Park with a path similar to that of his protagonist. “When I met my own Best Friend in 7th grade, neither of us had any idea the other was gay,” he says twenty-some-odd years later. It wasn’t until high school that Polito and his pal confided their questioning sexuality to each other, setting off a chain of events that led him to becoming the person he is today. But Polito admits that not everything in Band Fags! is auto-biographical. “Especially not the good parts!”
Drawing from his own personal experiences, Polito has jam-packed Band Fags! with ’80s references and nostalgia which you can get a sense of in his trailer here.
“The story is a tribute to a friendship that has truly changed my life,” Polito says. To this day, he keeps in contact with his Best Friend since 7th grade, Grat Dalton, who still lives in the Detroit-area, and to whom he dedicates the book. “Growing up gay in the ’80s sure wasn’t easy. But having a Best Friend who was going through the exact same experience made it pretty special.”
His full-length play, Another Day on Willow St, was named “Outstanding New Play” by Talkin’ Broadway after it appeared in the New York International Fringe Festival in 2007
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