“The Lifespan of a Fact,” April 18 through May 4

Friday, April 18, through Sunday, April 4

Riverside Theatre, 119 East College Street, Iowa City IA

Lauded by Vulture as "a brisk, disconcerting brainteaser" that "gives you the satisfying rush of a good mystery," playwriting triumvirate Jeremy Kareken's, David Murrell's, and Gordon Farrell's The Lifespan of a Fact serves as the mainstage season closer for Iowa City's Riverside Theatre, its April 18 through May 4 run sure to demonstrate why Variety praised the work for its "terrifically funny dialogue," and for how the piece ultimately "transcends comedy and demands serious attention."

With the play based on the acclaimed book by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal, The Lifespan of a Fact finds an eager intern at a top literary magazine given a career-making assignment: fact-checking a new work by a celebrated essayist. The only problem is, most of the facts in the essay are embellished, adjusted, or just plain made up. Details wrestle with truth when the intern travels thousands of miles to confront the essayist, with the deadline looming. With the play's original Broadway production performed by Emmy Award winner Bobby Cannavale, Tony Award winner Daniel Radcliffe, and Emmy and Tony winner Cherry Jones, Riverside Theatre's production of The Lifespan of a Fact is made possible by generous support from The Robert E. Yager Charitable Trust, the University of Iowa Department of English, and The University of Iowa School of Journalism.

Riverside's producing artistic director Adam Knight returns to the directing chair for The Lifespan of a Fact, his other recent presentations including Scalia/Ginsburg, A Case for the Existence of God, The Trip to Bountiful, and this past January's The Cure at Troy. Knight's three-person cast is composed of Martin Andrews as John D'Agata, Elijah J> Jones as Jim Fingal, and Iowa City favorite Megan Gogerty as Emily Penrose. Tyler Salow serves as the presentation's stage manager, and additional members of Knights creative team include: scenic designer Kaelen Novak; costume designer Marc Marcos; lighting designer Haven Haywood; sound designer Chris Rich; props designer Stephen Polchert; and assistant stage manager Charlie Schmelzer.

The Lifespan of a Fact runs in Iowa City from April 18 through May 4, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. After the April 19 performance, there will be a talkback with director Knight and John D’Agata, the latter the critically acclaimed author, professor, and director of the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program. And on April 27, a talkback will feature the Lifespan of a Fact performers and director hosted by Miriam Gilbert. Both events are free and open to the public, and you do not need to attend the day's performance to attend the talkbacks.

Performance admission is $15-39, and more information and tickets are available by calling (319)259-7099 and visiting RiversideTheatre.org.