Zachary Hanlon and Chloe Tobin in rehearsals for The Lifespan of a Fact. Photo: Wollongong Workshop Theatre.
In an era when so many people rely on social media for news, where is the boundary between fact and fiction?
It’s a question posed in Wollongong Workshop Theatre’s latest production, The Lifespan of a Fact, which opens on Friday (1 May).
In the sharp, dramatic comedy, fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker Jim Fingal (Zachary Hanlon) faces off against esteemed writer John D’Agata (Bryson Grenfell), whose new essay might be able to revitalise their fading magazine … if only he could prove its veracity.
Under the watchful eye of their editor Emily Penrose (Chloe Tobin), Fingal and D’Agata go head-to-head in a battle over facts versus truth.
Director Stephanie Arezzi said she found the play particularly relevant in a world of fake news and questionable truths.
“We are sitting in a time where the authority of fact has been destabilised,” she said.
“We’re seeing public figures and media outlets reshape narratives to serve a purpose – whether for impact or for persuasion – saturating our timelines with competing narratives.
“This play asks: when does that become dangerous? Is there such a thing as ‘the right fact’ and who gets to decide that?”
The book on which the play is based was written by Fingal and D’Agata in 2012.
In October 2018, The Lifespan of a Fact was adapted into a Broadway play starring Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones and Bobby Cannavale.
Stephanie said the intimate Workshop Theatre space was the perfect stage on which to tell this story.
“The intimacy of the Wollongong Workshop Theatre is crucial to the presentation of this play,” she said.
“It’s a piece that relies on tension, language and the audience being close enough to feel every shift in power and perspective.
“It doesn’t tell you what to think. It challenges you to consider where you personally draw the line between accuracy and impact.
“How much are you willing to bend the truth for a good story?
“And how complicit are we, as consumers of those stories, in prioritising compelling content over uncomfortable truths?”
The Lifespan of a Fact runs at the Wollongong Workshop Theatre in Gwynneville from 1 to 16 May. Performances are at 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday and 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday. To book tickets visit Wollongong Workshop Theatre.
