The Farm Boy Who Left Home for a Life in Showbiz

We've all felt it -- that call to adventure, to become something great, escape monotony, go out into the world, and find out who we really are. For some, that call originates in our work, for others with family. And for this week's guest on The Sewers of Paris (a podcast about the entertainment that changed the lives of gay men), it came while riding a wheat truck on a tiny farm in eastern Washington.

From an early age, Brad Cerenzia knew he wasn't destined to be farm boy the rest of his life. His inspiration came from theater, musicals, drama -- creating a colorful world on the stage, while the world around him remained featureless and bleak. It was clear that he needed a ticket off of the farm, but for a long time it was unclear what form that ticket would take. It was hard to picture how his adventure would start, since life on the farm was so stable and monotonous.

What he needed was a key change. And when it finally happened, he didn't realize that it was to be the first of many.