Modern mystery loosely based on Columbine shooting opens Friday in Chattanooga

“The Library,” a modern mystery loosely based on the 1999 Columbine school shootings, opens Friday, Oct. 28, at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.

The drama looks at what happens to the narrative as stories unfold in the wake of a tragedy.

“This is an exploration of the truth,” says director Scott Dunlap. “It’s about the definition of truth versus facts and how our perception becomes our truth.”

The story centers on Caitlin Gabriel (played at alternating performances by Maggie Meller and Jamie McConnico), who is accused of surviving the school shooting by betraying the hidden location of other students to the gunman. As she struggles to tell her truth, she finds that other stories have already gained hold in the media.

“This play is about the fallout of the event more than the event itself,” explains Dunlap. “It shows how, in our rush to get the story out, the reports become facts.”

The drama is spare and fast-paced, without excessive dialogue, more closely resembling an episode of “Law & Order” than a typical theatrical play, he says. There’s little background provided, so actors and audiences are left to imagine the backstories. Its 90-minute run time is presented without an intermission.

The pacing is due to playwright Scott Z. Burns’ deep experience in cinema – he is a writer producer of movies including “Contagion” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.”

“This play is, ultimately, a mystery, and we see it happening every day,” says Dunlap. “Whose story is true? Whom do we believe?”

Performances take place in the Mildred M. Montague Circle Theatre, which, for the first time in years, is set up for a true, theater-in-the-round performance.