An exceptionally well-written article – sorry, essay – about the suicide of a 16-year-old boy who jumped from the observation deck of a Las Vegas casino has the potential to breathe life into a struggling magazine. The demanding editor-in-chief hires a millennial fact-checker to verify the essay's content before publishing. The deadline is very tight, the young fact-checker overzealous and the writer, we soon learn, has played a little fast and loose with the truth. What ensues is a timely, whip-smart and very witty play that examines what happens when factual journalism and artistic expression collide.
The 2018 Broadway play The Lifespan of a Fact by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell was adapted from the aforementioned essay written by real-life writer John D'Ogata titled, "What Happens Here." There was a subsequent book published by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal on the same subject, and the play of the same name is set to run for only four performances at University of Illinois Springfield.
I had the pleasure of attending a rehearsal 10 days before the opening night. Even without all the tech details in place, I could tell this is a play people need to see. It won't leave you with easy or obvious answers by the end, but you will pay close attention as you, and the characters, try to get at those answers. And that's exactly what makes it so good.
This play examines the question: what is a story? Is it how a person organizes their life? Is it the events that make us know each other and give our lives meaning? The right story at the right time can change lives. How much does it matter then if that right story isn't 100% accurate?
Directed by Michael Savage with John M. O'Connor as John D'Agata, Laura Briggs as Emily Penrose and Jakob Hankins as Jim Fingal, audiences can expect a 90-minute one-act sprint as these three characters tackle the ethics of truthfulness. At one point, the editor, Emily, points out that John's essay goes beyond the death of one boy and how it speaks to "sense from immeasurable tragedy" and "what it is to be human." But fact-checker Jim is loyal to the truth at all costs and will not relent. To him, and to Jakob Hankins who plays Jim, "Facts are his moral compass – the pursuit of truth and honesty is his driving force. Jim needs structure for everyone but himself, and he doesn't fully understand that the truth can have shades of grey." Hankins' portrayal of Jim is exceptional; fast-talking and funny with an unflinching, almost aching commitment to only what's provable and accurate.
As Emily, Laura Briggs is the reasonable and balanced one, and she brings a stoic confidence to the role. In the play, all three characters are very good at their jobs and want to do the right thing. Hers includes having to mediate a showdown between ego and honesty while staying committed to her own higher truths, all while keeping a magazine alive.
John O'Connor, himself a reporter for The Associated Press, is a passionate and strong-willed D'Agata who stands by his essay, embellishments and all. O'Connor approaches the character as someone who sees his writing as "improvements on a story. He's not a journalist, he's an essayist," O'Connor admits, though he also sympathizes with Jim.
Such is the crux of the play. "Every journalist is a writer, and lives are stories. People say journalists have to be completely unbiased and impartial, but their job is to not just record facts, but to interpret them," O'Connor said.
Director Mike Savage said he first saw the play in New York in 2018 and knew he "had to do it someday." We are presently living in a time where we are told the facts are fake and that truth is somehow always subjective. For him, the questions of what's real, what's fake and who you trust are notions to be wrestled with, even challenged. This play does just that by transcending an entertaining night out at the theater and forcing everyone in attendance to sit up and take notice.
The Lifespan of a Fact is a Groundfloor Production and runs Sept. 26-29 in the Studio Theater at UIS. For ticket information visit: https://uispac.com/the-lifespan-of-a-fact/ The play contains adult language.
Mary Young was born and raised in Springfield and has been performing in, producing and directing live theater for decades.
