| Way Upstream | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Written by | Alan Ayckbourn | ||
| Characters | Keith June Alistair Emma Mrs. Hatfield Vince Fleur | ||
| Date premiered | 2 October 1981 | ||
| Place premiered | Stephen Joseph Theatre (Westwood site), Scarborough | ||
| Original language | English | ||
| Subject | Power struggles | ||
| Official site | |||
| Ayckbourn chronology | |||
| |||
Way Upstream is a play by Alan Ayckbourn. It was first performed, under Ayckbourn's direction, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK, "in the round" at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, on 2 October 1981.[1] Although realistic in style, with a setting of a hired cabin cruiser on an English river, some journalists read it as an allegory of the political state of England at the time, with the violent resolution of the usurping captain's tyrannical regime taking place at "Armageddon Bridge", and crew members "Alistair" and "Emma" (representing an innocent "Adam" and "Eve") making a new start at the end.[2][3] Ayckbourn, however, always maintained he was an apolitical writer and is on frequent record for his lack of interest in party politics; his website makes it clear that the play is not about the political state of the nation.[4]
- ^ Ayckbourn, Alan. (1983). Way Upstream: A Play. London: Samuel French. ISBN 0-573-11504-4.
- ^ Londré, Felicia Hardison (1996). "Alan Ayckbourn". In Gale, Steven H. (ed.). Encyclopedia of British Humorists. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 70. ISBN 0-8240-5990-5.
- ^ Hayman, Ronald (1984). "Alan Ayckbourn". In Hochman, Stanley (ed.). McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 247. ISBN 0-07-079169-4.
- ^ "Alan Ayckbourn's Official Website".