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The Definition of Truth

Photo Credit COG LOG LAB, Via Flickr Creative Commons

The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs is the one-man play by Mike Daisey that runs for nine performances at the music hall loft in Portsmouth. Daisey was vilified by the media when news broke that Daisey had fabricated characters and scenes and portions of the story, which aired on This American Life. Daisey was then grilled by host Ira Glass and producer Brian Reed as part of an hour-long retraction, during which Daisey regretted airing the monologue as journalism, but denied that it wasn’t true. The exposure placed Mike Daisey in heavy rotation in the news cycle and blogosphere. A week later, many in the packed audience at Georgetown University responded to Daisey’s defense of his story’s veracity as theater with a standing ovation. On Friday The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs begins a nine performance run at the loft..and a panel discussion on Sunday. We were curious to find out how the producers and performers would acknowledge or treat the controversy, and how they think truth is defined for works of theater.

 

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