When John D’Agata wrote the book “Lifespan of a Fact,” he never expected to see a version of the story on stage. Both he and his co-writer, Jim Fingal, thought the idea was ridiculous when a fan in New York City first proposed they turn the essay into a play.

Thirteen years later, D’Agata has since sat in the audience for about three dozen different productions. The show’s stop at Riverside Theatre in Iowa City, however, marks the first time D’Agata watched it in the city where he lives and works.

D’Agata graduated from the UI with dual MFAs in poetry and nonfiction in 1998. In 2005, he returned to the university and became Director of the Nonfiction Writing Program.

While a professor, he helped write “Lifespan of a Fact,” which chronicles the correspondence between himself and fact-checker Fingal as the two argue over the definitions of truth and accuracy in his new essay.

“Jim and I, who write exaggerated versions of ourselves in the book, actually like each other quite a bit,” D’Agata said. “So, the bickering and the name-calling were all fictional.”

The theatrical version takes that concept to the extreme, adding new storylines, condensing the timeline, and upping the antagonism between the fictional versions of D’Agata and Fingal. The show was originally brought to life by producer Jeffrey Richards, who took over the rights. Eventually, actor Daniel Radcliffe saw the script and helped propel it to Broadway.

In “Lifespan,” the fictionalized John is a proud and talented writer who wants to tell a story through his essays, sometimes sacrificing hard facts for what he believes are the best and most human interpretations.

“I think the character is ridiculous, but I would defend his right to do whatever he’s attempting to get done in the play, because I would want someone to do the same for me as a writer,” D’Agata said.

John’s viewpoints in the play were brought to life at Riverside by director Adam Knight, who grew to love the book during the COVID-19 pandemic. Knight views the show as a clash of two philosophical beliefs about the nature and responsibility of nonfiction writing.

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“John’s character in the book is very much on the side of this greater literary truth that may not be right in every single fact,” Knight said. “And Jim’s is the opposite, accuracy above all else.”

The play also adds a third character: editor Emily Penrose. Unlike John and Jim, Emily was not based on any real-life person but instead a theatrical creation meant to serve as a moderator between the two men.

She’s also meant to bring to life the idea of the deadline looming over John and Jim. The book’s original emails take place over seven years. In the show, the characters have five days to get John’s essay ready for publication.

Martin Andrews, the actor who plays John in Riverside’s production, was first sent the script by Knight, who believed he would be a good fit for the role. Andrews had been part of several previous Riverside productions, so Knight was familiar with his skills.

During rehearsal, D’Agata visited Riverside and meet with the actors, including Andrews.

“What I took from that meeting with John was his passionate belief in the power of the essay and how we should allow writers of essays to be interpreters of life,” Andrews said. “I think he has a deep and forceful set of ideas about the artist and the world.”

In each performance, Andrews tries to convince the character of Emily that he is right and that she should go ahead and publish John’s original version of the article at the end of the play. And each time, Andrews himself has a different belief about whether she should publish.

“The show allows you to participate in this conversation about truth and accuracy and story, and I think that’s an exciting conversation to be involved in,” Andrews said.

Elijah Jones, who plays Jim, also enjoys the ambiguity of the show’s final question. A recent UI graduate, Jones was brought into the show after being approached by Knight.

“What really got me interested was the unique opportunity for this to be done in Iowa City, where John D’Agata lives and teaches,” Jones said.