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The Lifespan of a Fact
2022/23 Mainstage Season

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT
Philadelphia Premiere
By Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell
Based on the book by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal
Directed by Matt Pfeiffer

February 2 - March 5, 2023

A famous writer, a magazine editor, and a lowly fact checker walk into a bar disagree about the meaning of words, truth, and art. This play comedy pits the three against one another in a struggle to the death an epic battle and chaos ensues. Based on the best-selling book by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal – the real-life writer and fact checker – The Lifespan of a Fact exposes shocking secrets explores meaningful questions about truth vs. art.

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THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT on THE LANTERN SEARCHLIGHT BLOG
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Artist Interview: Artist Interview: Playwrights Jeremy Kareken and David Murrell
The Lifespan of a Fact writers on collaboration, play development, and the power of theater

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Artist Interview: Actors Ian Merrill Peakes and Trevor William Fayle
A conversation with the sparring partners at the center of The Lifespan of a Fact

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"The ones that are left": The Decline of Traditional Media
For magazine editor Emily Penrose, the stakes of The Lifespan of a Fact could be a publication's life or death

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QUIZ: Stretching the Truth
How much do you know about writers who have blurred fact and fiction? Take our quiz and find out!

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"I'm not interested in accuracy; I'm interested in truth": Facts or fiction?
From the dawn of recorded history, we have debated about what truths to tell, and how

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“I will tell you the facts to the best of my ability”: Fact Checking in The Lifespan of a Fact
Exploring the facts-first side of the play’s central debate

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THE CAST

Trevor William Fayle as Jim Fingal  •  Joanna Liao as Emily Penrose  •  Ian Merrill Peakes as John D'Agata

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Dirk Durossette, Scenic Designer  •  Kelly Myers, Costume Designer  •  Amanda Jensen, Lighting Designer  •  Chris Sannino, Sound Designer  •  Michael Long, Projection Designer  •  Rebecca Smith, Stage Manager  •  Patrick Reilly, Assistant Director

Applause, please, for our Honorary Producers
David Pierson and Barrie Trimingham
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Header Photo: Lawrence Stallings in the world premiere of Me and the Devil (2021); Anthony Lawton and Dave Johnson in Travesties (2022); Melissa Rakiro and Joanna Liao in Twelfth Night (2023); and Paul L. Nolan, Sally Mercer, and Charles McMahon in Copenhagen (2018). Photos by Mark Garvin.

Lantern Theater Company acknowledges that it is situated on Lenapehoking, the ancestral and spiritual homeland of the Unami Lenape, and we pay respect to them as this region's original storytellers.

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