Greater Fort Myers Chamber Of Commerce: PLAYERS CIRCLE THEATRE PRESENTS A PLAY BASED ON TODAY'S “FAKE NEWS” SITUATION IN JOURNALISM

Press release from Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce:

2021-10-22

The Player Circle Theatre opens its 2021-2022 season with The Lifespan of a Fact. “Fake news” is on the minds of many Americans these days.  The play is being presented October 27-November 14 at the theatre in North Fort Myers.  The play revolves around the importance of truth in journalism in the age of fake news.

The Players Circle Theatre’s cast includes (from left to right) Steven Coe playing Jim Engel, the fact checker; Carrie Lund, the editor; and, Paul Graffy playing John D’Agata, writer of the essay.  The recent Broadway dramedy is based on the best-selling 2012 book of the same name by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal.  The Players Circle play was written by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Garrell.  It is being directed by Players Circle artistic director Robert Cacioppo.

The play is based on a tru-ish story of a millennial fact checker who is eager to prove he has what it takes to his demanding editor.  His first assignment offers a glimmer of hope but the essay is riddled with inaccuracy after accuracy, thus beginning the heated battle between truth and fact and right and wrong.  Those attending the play will leave, thinking, “what news can I trust?”

Cacioppo has commented, “Lifespan of a Fact is remarkably pertinent in our age of fake news:  it hits right on the pulse of what’s going on today in America in the world of media and politics.  The theatre is pleased that it can give the area premiere; it’s packed with razor-sharp dialogue and unexpected twists and turns that will keep audiences laughing, guessing, and gaping.”

Show times for the play are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, 7pm; Fridays, 8 pm; and Sundays, 2pm.  Individual tickets are $50.  Tickets may be ordered by mail, online at PlayersCircleTheeater.com, or by calling 239-800-3292.  Parking is free.  Box Office hours are Monday-Saturday, 10am to 2 pm   All other times, leave a message at 239-800-3292.

The theatre hopes that its patrons have been vaccinated, but if they haven’t been vaccinated, for their own safety and that of others, wearing a mask will be greatly appreciated.  Theatre team members will continue to wear masks out of an abundance of caution.  The theatre continues to be thoroughly sanitized before every performance.

A special food and drink menu is available for nightclub patrons, serving delicious, shareable plates and drinks in the theatre 45 minutes before performances and during shows.  Full dinner and bar also available at the adjacent Southern Grill. Call 239-995-3999 for reservations.

The Players Circle Theatre was developed by veterans of the Southwest Florida theatre movement, Carrie Lund Cacioppo and Robert Cacioppo.  They are prominent faces of theatre in Lee County for over 35 years, having started Lee County’s first professional theatre on Sanibel Island and the Florida Repertory Theatre, which has been named “One of America’s best regional theatres” by The Wall Street Journal.  Players Circle Theatre is a professional black box theatre providing Broadway-level entertainment.  Follow it online at PlayersCircle.org.

This press release was produced by Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.