John D’Agata is an American writer who once spent several years locked in a battle of wills with fact-checker Jim Fingal over the accuracy of creative non-fiction content in just one essay. The two men wrote a book about the experience called The Lifespan of a Fact, which was turned into a play by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell — a production of which is currently on stage at the Rubicon Theatre in downtown Ventura.
Directed by Simon Levy, this dramatic version of The Lifespan of a Fact is furiously funny and presents two sides of an important argument about artistic license versus facts, a conversation so intelligently contrived that viewers will be drawn with equal fervor to both sides of the case. The Rubicon’s production is focused and tight, with three excellent actors keeping the battering volley of dialogue pulsing until the inevitable conclusion.
Fingal (Jonah Robinson) is tasked with fast-track fact checking an essay set to be published the following week, but he finds the author, D’Agata (Ron Bottitta), absolutely disinterested in adhering to factual information that doesn’t support his artistic vision for the piece. As D’Agata, Bottitta plays a Hemingway-esque personality, brusque and bombastic, with a deeply sensitive soul and a passion for his craft, which he uses to express essential truths of the human condition.
Fingal represents a new generation of artist/employee, one who grew up with the internet — essentially, the entirety of human knowledge at his fingertips. Fingal believes there is no room for liability, even in the slightest misrepresentation. The timeline of the play is compressed into a long weekend, setting the stakes high — every movement on stage pushes the tempo with the characters’ (understandable) exasperation with their clashing ideals.
The Lifespan of a Fact runs at the Rubicon Theatre (1006 E. Main St. Ventura) through October 21 and does not disappoint!
For more information and tickets, see rubicontheatre.org/events/the-lifespan-of-a-fact.