How Lindsey Ferrentino Dramatized Real Life Injustice in THE FEAR OF 13

What goes into crafting the words that make up our favorite Broadway shows? How do Broadway playwrights and book writers make our favorite characters shine and our favorite scenes come alive? BroadwayWorld is finding out with Notes on a Script.

The Fear of 13 tells the true story of Nick Yarris, who spends more than two decades on death row for a murder he insists he did not commit. Through a series of prison visits with a volunteer named Jacki, Nick traces a life shaped by impulse and consequence. As Nick and Jacki’s conversations deepen, the line between witness and participant blurs, forcing both to confront what justice demands, what belief requires, and the perilous distance between true freedom and the illusion of self-determination. 

"[In the documentary], Nick has this incredibly theatrical way of articulating his own life experiences. I felt like that would just lend itself really easily to the theater because Nick was in solitary confinement for 22 years, so his main company were the books that he was reading. He almost narrates his own life experience as if it's a novel and he has this very vibrant theatrical way of telling his life story," she explained. "So, when writing the play, I spent a lot of time with Nick. I interviewed Nick, I took the transcript of the documentary, I took Nick's real life story, and then I took my own research, my own life experience and created this sort of hybrid script."

In this video, watch as Ferrentino breaks down her words in the newest episode of BroadwayWorld's Notes on a Script and learn even more about the new play.

The Fear of 13 is running on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theatre.