Casting has been revealed for TimeLine Theatre Company’s The Lifespan of a Fact, a comedic showdown between truth and fact, set in the world of non-fiction publishing, based on true events, running November 1 – December 23, 2023.
TimeLine Company Member Mechelle Moe (she/her) has already been announced as director of the Chicago premiere of the acclaimed play by Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell, based on the book by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal.
Alex Benito Rodriguez plays fact-checker Jim Fingal, who is locked in a battle between truth and fact with his editor and a writer in TimeLine Theatre Company’s Chicago premiere of The Lifespan of a Fact. |
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Today, TimeLine confirmed Artistic Director PJ Powers (he/him) and founding Company Member Juliet Hart (she/her) will return to the stage for The Lifespan of a Fact. Powers last appeared at TimeLine in 2015 in The Apple Family Plays, also alongside Hart, whose most recent TimeLine credits include A Disappearing Number (2017) and Oslo (2019). Both are founding Company Members, favorites with TimeLine audiences, with dozens of credits over the past 26 seasons both on stage and behind-the-scenes. Alex Benito Rodriguez (he/him), making his TimeLine debut, rounds out the play’s three-person cast. Rodriguez was Jeff Award-nominated in 2022 for Actor in a Principal Role in First Floor Theatre’s Botticelli in the Fire.
In The Lifespan of a Fact, Rodriguez plays Jim Fingal, an eager young intern at a high-profile magazine hoping to impress his demanding editor-in-chief, Emily Penrose (Hart). When assigned the job of fact-checking an essay about the city of Las Vegas by legendary writer John D’Agata (Powers), Jim discovers a huge problem: many of the essay’s details were made up. As the publication deadline looms, a battle between truth and fact ensues in a gripping and fast-paced comedy of ethics.
The Lifespan of a Fact opened on Broadway in 2018 starring Daniel Radcliffe as Jim Fingal, Bobby Cannavale as John D’Agata, and Cherry Jones as Emily Penrose. The play was praised as “a smart and engaging exploration of the nature of truth and the role of the media in society” by the Chicago Tribune,and “a tightly written and expertly crafted play that keeps the audience riveted from start to finish” by The New York Times.
The book on which the play is based, The Lifespan of a Fact, was co-authored by Jim Fingal and John D’Agata, and is a deep dive into real-life Fingal’s fact-checking of D’Agata essay “What Happens There.” The book also received critical attention from NPR, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. It was subsequently named a “Top 10 Most Crucial Book” by Slate, a “Best Book of the Year” by The Huffington Post, and an Editor’s Choice by The New York Times Book Review.
TimeLine’s production team for The Lifespan of a Fact includes Jeffrey D. Kmiec (Scenic Designer, he/him), Kotryna Hilco (Costume Designer, she/her), Brandon Wardell (Lighting Designer, he/him), Rowan Doe(Properties Designer, they/them), Anthony Churchill (Co-Projections Designer, he/him) and Vija Lapp (Co-Projections Designer, she/her), Andrew Hansen (Sound Designer, he/him), Micah Figueroa (Fight and Intimacy Choreographer, he/him), Maren Robinson (Co-Dramaturg, she/her), Bryar Barborka (Co-Dramaturg, they/them), Dina Spoerl (Dramaturgical Display Designer, she/her) and Olivia Sullam (Stage Manager, she/they).
“I’m absolutely thrilled to dive into the themes of this play with such an incredible ensemble and production team,” said director Mechelle Moe. “In our space and time in the world now, what is our relationship to truth and facts? How do we uphold them, champion them, question them? What is the impact to society when misinformation allows truth and facts to be compromised and manipulated to serve a purpose/agenda? And are facts, indeed, the final measure of truth? With this topical comedy, we’ll delve into all these questions, and hopefully share some laughs along the way!”
“We’re elated to bring this hilarious, poignant, and conversation-starting play to TimeLine, and I can’t wait to return to the stage in our longtime home on Wellington Avenue—a special place that’s held countless memories for more than two decades,” said Artistic Director PJ Powers. “This play calls out with a bold red pen that facts matter, while also acknowledging the sometimes-fuzzy distinction between artistic license and journalism, each with its own set of responsibilities for storytelling and/or reporting. And as people’s sources for news—and truth—become more varied, the debate between John D’Agata and Jim Fingal is sure to resonate with Chicago audiences who experience this provocative show.”
The Lifespan of a Fact reunites on stage TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers and founding Company Member Juliet Hart.
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Juliet Hart plays magazine editor Emily Penrose, who mediates a battle pitting truth against fact between an arrogant writer and a meticulous fact checker in TimeLine Theatre Company’s The Lifespan of a Fact. |
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