Traits can run. Emotions run as well, did you know that?
Fate runs.
Yes, none of them possess any legs to stand on, but oh boy can they run. Some are speedy little racers that blaze through a person, leaving scorched tracks. Others are experts in marathon, spanning the entirety of a life. Some do not stop even at death’s door and like a relay baton are passed on from one generation to the next.
Where? you ask. In us. In all of us, in society… in families.
Families are the ultimate running grounds, perfect for relays. Be they large or small, healthy or dysfunctional, they set the terrain according to their own nature - from cool jogs alongside the beach to hurdles and wolf pits.
So, the relay is on. It started long ago, when no one knew who or what the contestants are, and will be going on forever perhaps. In track one, safety overtakes despair. Joy will storm the open space, without a care for lanes or corridors, util misery cuts everyone off. They are all sprinting, spiralling, and striding, and no one asks: Where from? Where to?
Do you see them? I know, sometimes it’s hard to notice the tracks inside, or to spot the busy runners, but I am sure you sense their flux. I am sure you feel the burn.
If you’re doubtful still, look around. Look at Father Griff. Look at Angela. Soon the two of them will face some of the feelings racing through their lives. The fates running in their families.
Keep looking, and don’t forget: Any relay can go off-track.
Text: Vladislav Nenchev
Photo: Alex Wigan on Unsplash
Read more about Running in the Family
Welcome to the Finn-Brit Players' virtual performance of Running in the Family by Vladislav Nenchev on 25, 27 and 29 May 2021 at 19:00 EET. (NB This event will not be a reading, but a rather a fully staged version of a 40-minute one-act play performed over Zoom.)
CAST
When a car accident causes John Crowley and his wife Susan to seek refuge at a cottage in a quiet village, little do they know that they will be thrust into an unsolved mystery dating back thirty-five years. Against John’s wishes Susan continues to investigate, but are her theories correct and why did she feel such compulsion to solve the mystery?
Passport Theatre