A Contemporary Play
A groundbreaking theatrical work reckoning with the attitudes, systems, and policies surrounding substance use, overdose, and recovery in the face of America’s unprecedented and unabated Opioid Epidemic.
Inspired by a collection of five years worth of field work in recovery communities, rehab facilities, and meetings across the country.
The United States is in the midst of a nationwide public health emergency: an epidemic of opioid misuse and abuse that has been called the deadliest drug crisis in American history, particularly affecting young Americans.
As of April, 2024 CDC Wonder released the latest statistics:
Nearly 295 Americans die each day from drug overdose (NIDA).
This is a startling 47.5% increase from when The World Only Spins Forward Creative Team first began its creative research in 2019.
Source: "Drug Overdose Death Rates 1999-2022." Figure 1. NIDA. May 14, 2024. National Institute on Drug Abuse. May 28, 2024 .
Our research is being used to develop a groundbreaking, contemporary new play exploring the history and future of this epidemic through a fantasia of narrative scenes, video archives, immersive technology and theatrical vignettes.