CMU School of Drama


Friday, March 16, 2012

Chicago Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs Canceled After Mike Daisey's Work Called Into Question

Playbill.com: The Chicago Theatre and "This American Life" have canceled the April 7 Chicago performance of Mike Daisey's The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs following an NPR report that portions of the monologue were fabricated. Daisey earned acclaim for the monologue that takes a hard look at working conditions within Chinese technology factories – including Foxconn – shedding light on the human cost of demand for ever-evolving high-end gadgets in the technological age. The Agony and the Ecstasy is currently playing a return engagement at the Public Theater through March 18, where it previously enjoyed a critically acclaimed, extended run last fall.

1 comment:

K G said...

Although it would obviously be difficult to tell whether or not the bits of this monologue spoken about were actually fabricated, it does strike an nerve with me to see someone potentially trying to pass of fiction as reality. I started thinking there was no reason for this back when the issue truly came into the spotlight - with the revealing of the fiction in James Frey's novel A Million Little Pieces on Oprah. I read the book because of this, and I enjoyed it. I don't think I would have enjoyed it less if it had been passed off as a work of fiction all along. The same principle applies for the piece discussed in this article. The people who enjoy the story aren't going to enjoy the story less if you tell them it's fictional. Lying about authenticity doesn't give you any more credit.