The Storyteller Sequence
Encyclopedia
The Storyteller Sequence is a series of one act dramas
written for young people by Philip Ridley
. The plays, all set in east London
, use fairytale stories and theatrical conventions to reveal the traumas of their young protagonists. To date there are five plays in the sequence, although Ridley has intimated there will eventually be seven. The five written to date are Karamazoo, Fairytaleheart, Moonfleece, Sparkleshark and Brokenville; note that although this is not the order in which the plays were written and performed chronologically, it is the order Ridley intends the finished "sequence" to run.
from an east London
teenager called Ace. Two versions of the play exist, for male and female actors respectively. Ace is the most popular boy/girl at school, waiting at a bus stop for a date. Through his/her interaction with the audience, we discover that Ace's recent surge in popularity is the result of a personality "makeover" following the death of a parent; in recounting the fairytale stories told by the dead father/mother, Ace reveals how much the loss still haunts them and realises the vacuousness and selfishness
.
Kirsty's mother died two years ago, but she is still grieving whilst watching her father announce his engagement to her 'stepmother' she flees her own birthday party and sits alone in the community centre that was once her mother's 'kingdom', where she then meets Gideon: the complete opposite to popular, pretty, pretentious Kirsty. He's a scruffy boy with 'rat tails' for hair. Together by the cathasis of storytelling they entre the magic world of karamazoo and search for the 'luminous butterfly'. Finally finding it in themselves to see their problems in a new light. The story ends seeming as though they are about to kiss.
Moonfleece received a professional world premiere in March-April 2010, opening at Rich Mix on Bethnal Green Road for the 2010 East Festival before touring the UK, produced by London-based independent theatre company Supporting Wall. The production stars Sean Verey (Skins, Dead Man Running) as Curtis and is directed by David Mercatali. The controversial play has been banned in Dudley
, but afterwards was performed in Greenwich
. Its poster was designed by photographer Adam Levy
in London (with Jude Law
playing one of the parts, fresh from doing Ridley's The Fastest Clock In The Universe) and subsequently presented as a work-in-progress for a short run under the name of Apocalyptica. Ridley continued working on the play, until it become Brokenville, and it subsequently became part of the National Theatre Connections plays for young people and performed at the Olivier Stage of the National Theatre
in England in 2003. Brokenville is a play that is based on an unknown disaster, and there are seven characters, including one unspoken part. The characters come in one at a time, with no knowledge of who they are or of what has happened. They are named after things that they have.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
written for young people by Philip Ridley
Philip Ridley
Philip Ridley is a British artist working with various media.- Biography :Ridley was born in Bethnal Green, in the East End of London, where he still lives and works. He studied painting at St. Martin’s School of Art and his work has been exhibited throughout Europe and Japan...
. The plays, all set in east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, use fairytale stories and theatrical conventions to reveal the traumas of their young protagonists. To date there are five plays in the sequence, although Ridley has intimated there will eventually be seven. The five written to date are Karamazoo, Fairytaleheart, Moonfleece, Sparkleshark and Brokenville; note that although this is not the order in which the plays were written and performed chronologically, it is the order Ridley intends the finished "sequence" to run.
Karamazoo (2006)
Karamazoo is a fifteen-minute monologueMonologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
from an east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
teenager called Ace. Two versions of the play exist, for male and female actors respectively. Ace is the most popular boy/girl at school, waiting at a bus stop for a date. Through his/her interaction with the audience, we discover that Ace's recent surge in popularity is the result of a personality "makeover" following the death of a parent; in recounting the fairytale stories told by the dead father/mother, Ace reveals how much the loss still haunts them and realises the vacuousness and selfishness
Fairytaleheart (1998)
In Fairytaleheart, two 15-year-old youths deal with ruptured families and homelessness by embracing their hopes and fears in a derelict community centreCommunity centre
Community centres or community centers or jumping recreation centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole community or for a specialised group within...
.
Kirsty's mother died two years ago, but she is still grieving whilst watching her father announce his engagement to her 'stepmother' she flees her own birthday party and sits alone in the community centre that was once her mother's 'kingdom', where she then meets Gideon: the complete opposite to popular, pretty, pretentious Kirsty. He's a scruffy boy with 'rat tails' for hair. Together by the cathasis of storytelling they entre the magic world of karamazoo and search for the 'luminous butterfly'. Finally finding it in themselves to see their problems in a new light. The story ends seeming as though they are about to kiss.
Sparkleshark (1997)
"Sparkleshark" is a play about a loner teenage boy called Jake. As he is sitting alone, on top of the block of flats he lives in, writing stories, a toubled girl who is polly (she's a carer for her younger brother) who has started in his school, who recently moved into the block of flats comes up to quietly fix a satellite dish. At first he is abusive and defensive but lightens to her when she compliments his work. More people come up to the roof for different reasons. Tasha, the popular girl, goes up to find Polly; Carol, the wannabe, follows Tasha after getting bored. She then calls up Russell, the school Bully and his two friends Buzz and Speed Follow, as well as "emo" Shane, Tasha's ex-Boyfriend. As Russell and his boys go to dangle Jake over the roof they are stopped by the offer to hear a story by Jake, at first a little hesitant to tell one as it was Polly's idea, but eventually he does, and as he does the others start acting it out. It is a fairytale about a Prince (Russell) and his Horses (Buzz and Speed), a Princess (Polly) her father (Jake), a Witch (Tasha) and a Wizard (Shane) and a Frog (Carol) at the end of the story they are attacked by a dragon known as "Sparkleshark" due to its shiny scales, who is played by Finn, Polly's Grunge brother. The story has a happy ending with all being resolved and the play ends with all the group promising to meet up on a regular basis to read and act out stories.Moonfleece (2004)
Moonfleece is the story of Curtis, a young right-wing activist in East London who arranges a meeting in a flat in a derelict tower block where he grew up. Years ago, when he was a child, Curtis lived happily here but, then, tragedy struck and his elder brother died. Now Curtis is seeing his brother’s ghost. With the aid of Gavin and Tommy, fellow members of the right wing political party of which he is a leading figure, Curtis aims to find out why this ghost is haunting him. Things, however, do not go as planned. For a start, there are two squatters now occupying the flat. And one of them has a story to tell. A story that will change Curtis’s life forever.Moonfleece received a professional world premiere in March-April 2010, opening at Rich Mix on Bethnal Green Road for the 2010 East Festival before touring the UK, produced by London-based independent theatre company Supporting Wall. The production stars Sean Verey (Skins, Dead Man Running) as Curtis and is directed by David Mercatali. The controversial play has been banned in Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, but afterwards was performed in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. Its poster was designed by photographer Adam Levy
Brokenville (2000)
Brokenville has had the longest gestation period of all Ridley's plays. It was first performed as Cavesongs and was part of Ridley's performance art work while he was a student at St Martin's School of Art. It was then done as an afternoon rehearsed reading at the Hampstead TheatreHampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
in London (with Jude Law
Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
playing one of the parts, fresh from doing Ridley's The Fastest Clock In The Universe) and subsequently presented as a work-in-progress for a short run under the name of Apocalyptica. Ridley continued working on the play, until it become Brokenville, and it subsequently became part of the National Theatre Connections plays for young people and performed at the Olivier Stage of the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in England in 2003. Brokenville is a play that is based on an unknown disaster, and there are seven characters, including one unspoken part. The characters come in one at a time, with no knowledge of who they are or of what has happened. They are named after things that they have.