Last weekend, my partner and I went to go see a local play, "The Lifespan of a Fact." It was an excellent production, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it! It was at a local theater company that I saw once before the pandemic, I'm glad that they're still running and able to put on shows!
The play centers on an essay written for a magazine. A recently hired employee is tasked with fact checking it, a job that he goes to with zeal and enthusiasm. A little too much enthusiasm. He ends up travelling to the writer's place in Las Vegas to ask him some questions about the piece. There he's met with a writer who considers the crafting of a compelling and well-written essay much more important than sticking strictly to facts. Meanwhile, the editor of the magazine is trying to publish this gorgeous essay without offending anyone, and acts as the middle ground between these two extremes.
The writing is wonderfully done, it exposes the ridiculousness within both worldviews. But also how they both can have valid claims here. There also aren't any answers given within the play, the audience leaves not knowing if the essay was published in the magazine or not. But it really makes you think about what a fact is, and how facts should be used to serve the purpose of crafting a story.
Definitely would recommend seeing it if you can! It's a production that really makes you think and reflect.
No comments:
Post a Comment