Natural Life
Natural Life by Eduardo Ivan Lopez produced by T. Schreiber Studio directed by Jake Turner with Holly Heiser and Anna Holbrook Eduardo Ivan Lopez’ harsh play Natural Life is based on the true story of a Midwestern death row inmate in the 1980’s. She chose not to continue the appeals process and to allow the state to execute her. A TV journalist covered her story as she awaited execution. The character’s name is Claire McGreely; the program notes don’t tell us if this was the name of the actual person, and an internet search turns up nothing. She’s been convicted of murdering her husband. She’s contacted the journalist, Rita, to offer her exclusive access to her story. Interviews between the prisoner and the writer are central to the script. Lopez makes extensive use of flashbacks to tell the convict’s biography. Lopez has invented the subplots, or at least embellished on life. He shows us Rita with her boss in the TV newsroom. He also lets us be with her when she int