Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) premiers its last show of the season, ‘The Lifespan of a Fact,’ on June 9 and it will run through June 25.
Written by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrel, “The Lifespan of a Fact” is a fictional retelling based on a true story about renowned essayist John D’Agata and Harvard graduate and fact-checker Jim Fingal, as they collaborate on D’Agata’s infamous essay, “What Happens There” — a deep dive into a series of suicides in Las Vegas, Nevada in the early 2000s.
The show is directed by Renee Prince and the cast consists of TRTC veterans Owen O’Farrell, playing John D’Agata, and Trary Maddalone LaMée, playing Editor in Chief Emily Penrose. The theater company welcomes newcomer Jack Trembath, who plays Jim Fingal.
Audiences can anticipate a theme about searching for the truth, within the context of news media and sensitive topics.
“What’s striking about this play is it grapples with the idea of truth and the journey we go on to reach capital ‘T’ truth, especially in journalism,” the show’s dramaturg, Kayla Henly, stated. “It digs into the trust that comes from an audience [and is given] to a writer.”
Prince echoed Henly, and added that this introspective show will have audiences dissecting how to make meaning out of the chaos they come across.
“It feels to me like an archeological dig. We’re trying to dig up and find all of the juicy, wonderful, beautiful, sparkly things that the playwrights have left for us to discover. It’s an exploration. We do that a lot through playing and trying big, bold ideas. I love that part of the process.” Prince shared.
Prince delved further into the rehearsal process. When she initially read the play, she was swayed back and forth by the characters’ arguments. She described the show’s conflict as just that, a fascinating debate that will pull audiences from one side to another throughout.
“I kept getting pulled back, because we’re seeing what happens in the world when there’s an erosion of fact, when we can’t agree on the factual truth of an event…we can see how dangerous that is. These characters both make such compelling arguments, they both are right in their way,” she explained.
O’Farrell and Trembath both stated that while their characters hold very opposing views on how to report the facts of a story, they share a similar desire to tell the truth in their work.
“D’Agata is a very interesting character to me,” said O’Farrell. “He sees the big picture and has a lot of freedom in his world. His writing style encompasses freedom of choice in his message. He’s not beholden to the facts in any way, shape or form; and he’s trying to get huge truths in his work while not caring about the little details. He’s more into the feelings of everybody involved than the facts that may have influenced the story itself.”
Trembath added that his character is the antithesis of D’Agata, in that he can “only see trees, and not the forest” of a story.
“Everything is a fact to my character in this play, even maybe to a fault. I think that’s where the heart of the conflict between the two characters is,” added Trembath.
According to Trary LaMée, one question that will linger throughout the play is how much a writer is willing to risk to break an important story, especially when it will likely have a major impact on the audience reading it.
“As an actor, I approach a character as if I’m an attorney representing that character gathering evidence and persuading the audience, who acts as the jury, that everything I do is motivated and justified. These playwrights walked a fine line trying to keep a careful balance. Up until the very end, an audience member could be debating with themselves about what they think,” LaMée explained.
Tickets for “The Lifespan of a Fact” are available at www.thunderrivertheatre.com or through the box office at 970-963-8200.