Ruff Yeager is a man about town. He’s an actor, playwright, musician and gay Dad.

He has a solid commitment to theater, so much so that he recently got brave enough to say a fond farewell to his long-time employer. Currently he’s nothing less than a theatrical acrobat, flying about San Diego without any financial or artistic safety net. He’s got a new show debuting at the Adams Avenue Studio of the Arts called Cool As We Fly.

It is clear to understand why Yeager had to quit his managerial retail position with Robinsons-May. Corporate America robs artists, young and old, of the necessary creative juices until they have nothing left to offer their public. In addition to creative juices, Yeager has been with his partner for 14 years and between the two of them they have nine children and also grandchildren. His 20-year old son currently lives with Dad while the other kids come and go. Ruff says he’s a family oriented kind of guy.

Yeager is no stranger to the stage, nor is he a fledgling playwright. He won an award for best new play at the Fritz Blitz for Losing Mother. He’s called upon to direct when available, as he did for Diversionary’s production of Bent and Sledgehammer’s very well received recent production of SIC. He’s currently involved in the Playwright’s Project where he teaches playwriting in high schools. The mission is to improve students’ literary skills. They even conduct a playwriting competition each January for those 17 and under which is showcased at the Old Globe Theatre.

When all is said and done, Yeager and his partner do more to raise the rainbow flag than most. By communicating oopenly with their family and community the are showing the world that gay men can be models of parenthood as well as gay models in the community.

I was lucky enough to catch up to Yeager this week and speak to him via telephone — with the sounds of his kids coming and going in the background.

Ruff Yeager: I’ve been an ensemble member of Sledgehammer since 2000. All of the members have a commitment to this theater and artistic contributors, like myself, help define the vision at the “Sledge,” along with artistic director Kirsten Brandt.

RY: No, it’s going to be performed at the Robert Korbett’s Avenue Adams Studio of the Arts. However, Sledgehammer Theatre does offer space to other disciplines. This year, Kirsten [Brandt] has offered the open space to Sushi Performing Arts until the City builds them the space they lost with the opening of the new ballpark. I’ll be performing in this production and following that up with a role in A Dream Play, opening Oct. 16 as part of Sledgehammer’s current season.

RY: I am currently composing the score for Bright Shiny Objects, which is written by one of the other ensemble players, David Tierney. This one will be directed by Kirsten Brandt as well and I’ll even be playing the piano on stage.

RY: I’ve been a writer all my life. I’ve had a few successes in San Diego that you may have heard about. In 2000, Friends of Dorothy was produced at Diversionary theatre. I had a 1998 production of it in Provincetown, but I expanded it from a two-actor play to 10-actor show and it enjoyed a nice run. In 2001, I did a Christmas show called Sounds in the Key of Winter at what is now the 6th@Penn Theatre.

RY: It’s autobiographical to some extent while the time period is about 1984. It deals with issues of strangers in hospital rooms. There’s a gay character, Troy, who’s there as a result of an attempted suicide. In addition to Troy, there are two female characters, Wendy and Kim, one dying of breast cancer and another who has just lost a child.

RY: I would say it’s a supernatural mystery about strangers who somehow find that they are interrelated. A deaf, 9-year old girl, using American Sign Language, connects the lives of three individuals on an intimate, emotional and spiritual journey. She’s an interpreter of dreams in a somewhat supernatural landscape.

Cool As We Fly opens Sept. 24 at the Adams Avenue Studio of the Arts. For ticket information call (619) 584-3593.