The world premiere of The Truth Game rolls off the presses on Friday revealing the underbelly of a newspaper world in a state of flux.
The Truth Game is the debut play by Otago Daily Times deputy editor Simon Cunliffe.
"It requires a lot of energy to work with a new script like this, because it's never been done before. It means it can be whatever we want it to be," Fortune Theatre artistic director Lara Macgregor said yesterday.
The play unfolds around a stark, Bauhaus-style newspaper office, created by Fortune designer Matt Best.
"The set design is quite esoteric. It's linear and has grey lines; just like a newspaper," Ms Macgregor said.
"We've lit it like a film, so it has a long, slow transformation of lighting focus. The lighting gets starker and starker as the play goes on. We wanted to to create the effect of an hermatically-sealed environment."
The play revolves around irascible and charismatic Advocate journalist Frank Stone and his battle with the brave new world of digital media.
"The timing of this play's premiere is eerie. We couldn't have wished for a more relevant story to reflect our times," Ms Macgregor said.
"It's also been a huge insight into how newspapers work. I didn't know anything about that world. We've had to work to impossibly tight deadlines and schedules. Yet, all the components have had to come together by the end of the day, just like a newspaper. It's been great fun to explore that world."
And is there a future for newspapers and journalists?
"Don't worry," Ms Macgregor says. "You're going to be around for a while yet."
Playwright Simon Cunliffe said the play had its genesis in Dunedin and he was "delighted" it was having its premiere at the Fortune Theatre.
"In the wake of the News of The World phone-hacking scandals and the continuing rise in influence of digital media in this country and elsewhere, its underlying themes have never been more urgent," he said.
The Truth Game has been sponsored by the Otago Daily Times as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations.
The play features Michele Amas, Kathleen Burns, Peter Hayden, Anna Henare, Greg Johnson and Phil Vaughan.
The Truth Game runs at the Fortune Theatre from October 7 to October 29.
