Truth Be Told

by William Cameron

Kathleen Abedon is the mother of Julian Abedon who, one year earlier, allegedly carried out a mass shooting at a food warehouse that claimed the lives of 14 people, including Kathleen’s husband and Julian’s stepfather, Harlan Kenney. The shooting spree ended with Julian’s apparent suicide. When true-crime writer Jo Hunter comes to town to interview Kathleen for a book on the shooting, Kathleen seeks to convince...

Kathleen Abedon is the mother of Julian Abedon who, one year earlier, allegedly carried out a mass shooting at a food warehouse that claimed the lives of 14 people, including Kathleen’s husband and Julian’s stepfather, Harlan Kenney. The shooting spree ended with Julian’s apparent suicide. When true-crime writer Jo Hunter comes to town to interview Kathleen for a book on the shooting, Kathleen seeks to convince the skeptical journalist that her son was framed for the shooting. At a time in our history when the truth is under daily attack, Truth Be Told seeks to explore the nature of objective truth and the ways in which we manipulate and distort it to serve our own ends.

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Truth Be Told

Recommended by

  • Claudia Haas: Truth Be Told by William Cameron
    “

    Cameron takes us on a whirl wind tour into our world of alternative facts, twitter news, sound bytes and rush to judgment. He offers us some ‘truths” (dare I say that word?) as to how we arrive at our conflicting realities. A tight, gripping two-hander that should be widely produced. I’ll be first in line to purchase a ticket.

    Cameron takes us on a whirl wind tour into our world of alternative facts, twitter news, sound bytes and rush to judgment. He offers us some ‘truths” (dare I say that word?) as to how we arrive at our conflicting realities. A tight, gripping two-hander that should be widely produced. I’ll be first in line to purchase a ticket.

    ”
  • Beth Kander: Truth Be Told by William Cameron
    “

    Taut, expertly crafted, and ultimately so achingly human, this play will get you in the gut. Highly recommend.

    Taut, expertly crafted, and ultimately so achingly human, this play will get you in the gut. Highly recommend.

    ”
  • Ashland New Plays Festival: Truth Be Told by William Cameron
    “

    "Valid, truthful, riveting, relevant, harrowing, powerful." These are responses from Ashland New Plays Festival audiences after seeing this strong two-hander which is both a compelling story about the nature of truth in the "fake news" era we find ourselves in and an effective production over Zoom. We are excited to support this ANPF 2020 winner and can't wait for a theatre to consider TRUTH BE TOLD for full production.

    "Valid, truthful, riveting, relevant, harrowing, powerful." These are responses from Ashland New Plays Festival audiences after seeing this strong two-hander which is both a compelling story about the nature of truth in the "fake news" era we find ourselves in and an effective production over Zoom. We are excited to support this ANPF 2020 winner and can't wait for a theatre to consider TRUTH BE TOLD for full production.

    ”
View all 5 recommendations

Character Information

  • Kathleen Abedon
    40s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Josepha (Jo) Hunter
    30s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female

Development History

  • Reading, Dayton Playhouse FutureFest, 2021
  • Reading, Genesius Theatre, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, 2019

Production History

Awards

  • Henry Award
    Colorado Theatre Guild
    Winner
    2024
  • W Keith Hedrick Playwriting Contest
    HRC Showcase Theatre
    Winner
    2020
  • Playwrights FIrst
    Runner Up
    2019
  • Stanley Drama Award
    Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
    Winner
    2020