True Story: A Trilogy gathers together three documentary plays by
award-winning 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. In
The House in Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage the playwright applies
journalistic principles to investigating the source 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. 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.
