Phoenix playwright Joshua Webb says his father, Steve, never hesitated to say, “I love you” or “I’m proud of you.” He was a steady, affirming presence in his family’s life. 

In 2018, Joshua learned that his 62-year-old dad’s drug addiction got the best of him. Now 30 and living in Phoenix, the Birmingham, Alabama, native will share his grief with the audience in “Figment.” The 90-minute one-man show runs on Fridays, June 12 and June 26, and on Saturdays, June 13 and June 27, at Phoenix College’s John Paul Theatre. Tickets start at $17.85.

“The story is loosely based on my own life,” Webb said. “The narrative is about a son, whose father has died, telling the audience two different stories about the same person.

“The stories conflict, so the narrative bounces back and forth, and it slowly becomes increasingly apparent that there are contradictions. The person is trying to navigate their complicated feelings about a loved one or someone they cared about.”

In the aptly titled “Figment,” Webb uses 1990s family videos, photos, documents, and staged phone calls to build an unstable collage of memories. One of the most poignant moments comes when Webb learns of his father’s death in a phone call from his mom. He recreates the exchange with a voiceover and an audience participant.

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“None of it is negative toward her,” said Webb, adding that his mother is traveling from Alabama to see the show. “But I’ve warned her it’ll be a little weird.”

Steve Webb grew up on a farm in rural Alabama with a violent father. Despite that, Steve paid his way through Mars Hill University in North Carolina, had a “great career,” married and had three children, including Webb.

Webb graduated from Evangel Christian School in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2014. Four years later, he earned a political science degree from Patrick Henry College in Virginia. 

“Despite the internal adversity [Steve] was dealing with, he really pushed [us] to try to get the most out of life,” he said. “In a lot of ways, it’s very positive. When I say ‘push,’ I know that can be a bad thing. This was good.”

Webb eventually moved west for mental health support and later went sober, which shaped his recovery and his storytelling.

“Sometimes you just need more help,” he said. “It made a huge difference for me.”

Admittedly, after working in IT and mental health, Webb hasn’t found the right job. One thing he did know: He needed to tell a story.

“I have felt like I had a story to tell for a long time,” Webb said. “I’ve been drawn to creating stories since I was a teenager. It was hard to figure out what it was going to be.”

Eighteen months ago, he had an epiphany: he would pull from his life.

“Finally, after I went on this journey of self-exploration, I thought I would tell my story about navigating grief and loss,” said Webb, who will begin studying law at ASU in the fall. His goal is to bring it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. 

Webb cited the 2017 Woody Harrelson film “The Glass Castle” as a turning point in his grieving process. The story is based on a memoir by Jeannette Walls, who lied about her father to keep others from learning he was a homeless alcoholic.

“She decided to stop lying about him,” Webb recalled. “She tells these people at dinner that she was lying, that her father’s homeless and, at times, incredibly cruel. But he’s also one of the most loving and ambitious people she’s ever met.”

Walls, played by Brie Larson, visits her dad before he dies.

“I think I watched that about six months after my dad died,” Webb said. “That’s what allowed me to accept that I can let go of the bad parts of him and just hold on to the good. He’s gone, but I can hold on to those beautiful things.” 

“Figment” was modeled, in part, by “In & Of Itself,” a Derek DelGaudio show Webb saw in New York in 2017. “He used the audience to help tell the story,” Webb said. “I always thought that was fascinating.

“Some people say the art they make is really for themselves. There are definitely elements of that that are true for me. This is part of my own grieving process, too.”