Production of The Agony and the Ecstasy of Mike Daisy to be Held at WPI’s Little Theatre

February 12, 2013

What

WPI's Department of Humanities and Arts and Masque present a production of The Agony and the Ecstasy of Mike Daisey, written and performed by Jeff Zinn.

Who

Jeff Zinn, an academic professional with a longstanding affiliation with WPI, is former artistic director of the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater.

When

Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 18 and 19, at 7 p.m.

Where

The Little Theatre, WPI campus, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, Mass.

Why

This production is an adaptation of The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, a monologue by Mike Daisey that created some controversy last year when it was found to contain fabrications about working conditions in the Chinese factories that produced Apple products such as the iPhone and iPod. Daisey’s play, which was an off-Broadway hit, told the story of Apple founder Steve Jobs along with accounts purported to have been drawn from firsthand observations about working conditions in those Chinese factories.



Last March NPR’s “This American Life” reported that Daisey’s monologue contained numerous falsehoods. Zinn’s “mashup” includes audio excerpts of the on-air interrogation of Daisey by “This American Life” host Ira Glass. Zinn has said this play examines the theater’s relationship with the truth, and prompts the audience and other theater artists to ask questions of their own. It is directed by Valerie Stanford.

More Information

Tickets are by open donation only and can be reserved online here .