Stasimotita (Greek for stagnation) thrives on a pile of unchanging realities - nothing ever moves here.
Except, of course, until Alternavia, an ageless, wandering minstrel arrives here by the somewhat serendipitous slip of her own internal GPS. What she sets off is what The Fated Five never expected. This will be a journey that is both marvellous and maddening in every way, towards an elusive land where change is not just a possibility, but a norm. As the great Gautama Buddha said ever so simply: Nothing is permanent but change.
Every Inch Upstream is a play about many things, but at the heart of it are questions that we must choose to confront if the Stasimotitas we inhabit everyday hold us back. Downstream is a great direction, but is it really the way to go? If we are indeed to challenge the status quo that binds us to a life of complacency, what would that entail?
We may have to recognise things — sometimes those you hold dear — keeping us from springing forward. It will often, and most likely, be tough and uncomfortable and ask you look at yourself in ways you never have. But also this: so much of the change we seek is embedded in the social, environmental and political world around us. We can’t make much progress if these realities stay stagnant. And finally, does the change you want always propel you forward? Or can you be moving in a direction right for you - sideways, diagonally, a little to the back before you leap?
If The Fated Five are to look at this transformation in a meaningful and compassionate way they will have to know that it involves more than just their internal world. So upstream they shall swim: equipped with good music, a splash of courage and oh, just a bit of desire for the unexpected.