Sigrid Thornton in Sydney Theatre Company debut

Last night Sigrid Thornton did something it’s taken her 40 years to do. And she says making her Sydney Theatre Company debut for the premiere of The Lifespan of a Fact was worth the wait.

IT’S taken Sigrid Thornton four decades, but on Saturday night she made her debut on the Sydney Theatre Company stage for the premiere of The Lifespan of a Fact – a production she says was worth the wait. For the longtime Aussie stage and screen legend, script and process is key to making art – and with the questions raised in this fast-paced and intelligent Broadway hit, the normally Melbourne-based mother of two says she just couldn’t say no. In it, Thornton plays Emily Penrose, the editor of a prestigious magazine who tasks intern Jim Fingal – played by Charles Wu – with fact-checking a piece written by her star essayist John D’Agata, played by Gareth Davies. A seemingly simple task turns into an ideological battle over the meaning of truth, accuracy and the ethics of creative nonfiction – issues that have never been more relevant, the Seachange star says.

Sigrid Thornton arrives at the AACTA Award in 2018. AAP Image/Joel Carrett.

“I know some people will question why it’s taken so long for me to work with STC, but it has to be the right timing and the right show – and this show is definitely that for me,” Thornton tells Insider.

“This play is so topical because we are in an age of re-identification with what truth really is, and reassessing fact and fiction in terms of how elastic they are. What is terrific is that this is addressed through satirical comedy, and I think that is part of its juice – how it’s able to tease out the issues through laughter.”

Sigrid Thornton and John Howard reprised their roles in Nine's revival of the TV series SeaChange. Supplied by Channel 9.

Australian actress Sigrid Thornton pictured before making her Sydney Theatre Company debut in upcoming show, Lifespan of a Fact. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Social media and the truth is part of the discussion of the play – a movement she describes as insidious, if not scary. “And it’s very difficult to control – that’s why I think that the play is an important piece of work, because it throws up a lot of questions for people to consider.”

The show was meant to be staged last year, but a Covid delay made way for the slightly new incarnation by associate director Paige Rattray.

The Lifespan of a Fact will play Roslyn Packer Theatre until October 22.