Theatrefolk Featured Play – One Hundred Lies by Alan Haehnel

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight.  In One Hundred Lies by Alan Haehnel, “Lies are inevitable, but the quality of our relationships are what save or damn us.”

In this poignant comedy, teenager Liz Nostrand presents her life as a competition, complete with scoreboard and time clock. The goal of the game: To dramatize, in only 30 minutes, 100 significant lies told by and to Liz.

By the final buzzer, though, we see that the most crucial lies in Liz’s life are those she has told herself.

One Hundred Lies brings you in laughing and sends you out thinking.

Why did we publish this play?
For Liz, life is a competition. Points for her choices and points against. The goal of the game is that in 30 minutes we see 100 lies told to and by Liz.

The great thing about this play is how it creeps. It presents as one thing and twists into another. We start out with your standard “hey it’s a game show!” format, right up to the point where actors enter for a particular scene and the Liz turns to them to say “I’m not ready for that scene yet.” That’s when everything turns and you know you’re not in a “game show” play. You’re in for something deeper, more poignant, and by the end, heart breaking.

The play needs a dynamic actor to play Liz and some thought into how to play the score board. But it’s the kind of problem solving that makes for awesome theatre!

Let’s hear from the author!

1. Why did you write this play?
Plays usually begin with a fascination or a frustration. This one came mainly from my fascination with how many lies, big and small, our lives rely upon. One Hundred Lies also came from the frustration of trying to get to the real truths that underlie our actions.

2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences.
Lies are inevitable, but the quality of our relationships are what save or damn us.

3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play?
Liz squaring off against the scoreboard.

4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be?
Keep the pace tight!

5. Why is this play great for student performers?
Those not playing the role of Liz get the opportunity to play a variety of roles. The actor playing Liz gets a rich acting challenge playing a character with a great deal at stake and a great number of walls she has to break down in order to begin to heal.