True Story: A Trilogy

True Story: A Trilogy gathers together three documentary plays by acclaimed playwright and poet Dan O’Brien concerning trauma, both political and personal. 

The Body of an American speaks to a moment in history when a single, stark photograph—of a US Army Ranger dragged from the wreckage of a Blackhawk helicopter through the streets of Mogadishu—altered the course of global events. In a story that ranges from Rwanda to Afghanistan to the Canadian Arctic, O’Brien dramatizes the ethical and psychological haunting of journalist Paul Watson. (Full-length drama / 2 performers, multiple roles.) 

In The House in Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage the playwright applies journalistic principles to an investigation of his childhood unhappiness, as he searches for the reason why his parents and siblings cut him off years ago. The more he learns about his family, the more mysterious the circumstances surrounding their estrangement become, until his sense of self is shaken by rumors regarding his true parentage. (Full-length drama / 2 performers, multiple roles.)

The trilogy concludes with New Life, a tragicomedy that finds Paul Watson in Syria and the playwright in treatment for cancer, while together they endeavor to sell a TV series about journalists in war zones. New Life explores the paradox of war as entertainment, and dares to dream of healing after catastrophe. These three gritty yet poetic plays stand as a testament to the value of witnessing, honoring, and perhaps transcending the struggles of living. (Full-length drama / 2 performers, multiple roles.) 

REVIEWS

“Revolutionary, revealing . . . In True Story: A Trilogy, the dramatist/poet expanded the boundaries of the docudrama and memoir . . . A distinctive achievement in theater history.”

—David DeWitt, The Arts Fuse

“Dan O'Brien is that exceptional breed of accomplished artist who never stops asking the hard questions . . . by turns painful and poetic, gut-level personal and universally relevant.” 

—Portia Pennington, Good River Review

INTERVIEW

“Q&A: Poet, memoirist, and playwright Dan O’Brien discusses his three new books” in The Times Free Press