Headlines and Footlights: The Theatre’s Love Affair with Journalism

Playwrights are consistently drawn to newsrooms and broadcast desks because these environments act as a perfect, ready-made pressure cooker for dramatic conflict. Here’s a sampling of plays that center around journalism.

The Front Page (1928) by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
A fast-talking, definitive comedy about a star reporter trying to quit the tabloid business, and his ruthless editor who will go to illegal extremes to keep him on a breaking story. This play has had 4 revivals, most recently in 2016 starring Nathan Lane, John Slattery, and John Goodman.

Night and Day (1978) by Tom Stoppard
Set during a violent African rebellion, this play contrasts a cynical veteran reporter and an idealistic freelancer to debate press freedom, ethics, and the dangerous pursuit of an exclusive scoop. The lead role was created by Diana Rigg in London and Maggie Smith on Broadway.

Frost/Nixon (2006) by Peter Morgan
Recreates the high-stakes 1977 television interviews between David Frost (Michael Sheen) and Richard Nixon (Frank Langella), highlighting the psychological warfare and accountability demanded by broadcast journalism.

Time Stands Still (2009) by Donald Margulies
An emotional drama about a wounded photojournalist (Laura Linney) and a foreign correspondent (Brian d’Arcy James) recovering in Brooklyn, wrestling with the moral ambiguities and exploitative nature of documenting human tragedy.

Lucky Guy (2013) by Nora Ephron
Ephron’s final play captures the gritty, hard-drinking 1980s tabloid culture through the meteoric rise, scandalous fall, and redemption of Pulitzer-winning columnist Mike McAlary, played by Tom Hanks in his Broadway debut.

The Lifespan of a Fact (2018) by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell
A high-stakes ideological battle between an overzealous fact-checker and an acclaimed author, questioning the value of verifiable facts versus emotional truth in storytelling. This three actor play starred Bobby Cannavale, Cherry Jones, and Daniel Radcliffe.

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With a built-in ticking clock, moral and ethical dilemmas, and naturally sharp dialogue, there’s a clear intersection for theatre and journalism. With the internet and the 24 hour news cycle making the news move faster than ever before, what can we expect to see from future playwrights? Only time will tell.