The Lifespan of a Fact separates the truth from truthiness, at Studio 16 May 2 to 12
Real battle between a writer and fact-checker makes for high-stakes theatre
Kindred Theatre Society presents The Lifespan of a Fact at Studio 16 from May 2 to 12
THE TERM “ALTERNATIVE facts” was first coined in 2017 by U.S. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway (remember her?), in an interview when she defended White House press secretary Sean Spicer's inflated attendance numbers for Donald Trump’s inauguration. The play The Lifespan of a Fact appeared on Broadway the following year—but Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell’s taut exploration of the subject of truth and journalism has grown even more loaded in the ensuing years.
Now a Vancouver indie company is bringing the three-hander, based on the true story recounted by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal in their book of the same name, to intimate Studio 16. The comedy tracks the battle between an essayist trying to write creatively about the suicide of a young man and a picky-to-the-extreme fact checker, while the magazine editor waits on deadline.
The production boasts an impressive team, including acclaimed local theatre veteran Jennifer Clement in the director’s chair, and actors Ben Immanuel, Tal Shulman, and Loretta Walsh in the roles that were played on Broadway by Bobby Canavale, Daniel Radcliffe, and Cherry Jones. They’re working under the banner of Kindred Theatre Society.
Whose side you fall on—the writer's or the fact checker's—may depend on how much you care for truth—or truthiness. 
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