Sparkleshark
Sparkleshark is a theatre play by Philip Ridley that was originally commissioned for BT National Connections, the UK National Theatre's youth theatre scheme which ran from 1993-1999. Sparkleshark had a run at the Royal National Theatre followed by a tour in 2001.
Synopsis
High up on a [tower block] roof, Jake writes magical and fantastic stories in secret to hide from bullies. Polly finds Jake on the roof and realizes that there is more to him than what meets the eye. Natasha joins Polly and finds her talking to a 'geek' shortly followed by Carol and the rest of the bullies. When the gang of boys actually arrive, though, everyone's in for a great surprise. To save himself, Jake weaves his best story yet. It is so good that the gang drop their tough trendy act and demand starring roles in the unfolding drama of mystery, danger, love... and the final encounter with Sparkleshark. Eventually they make a pact to meet up every week as a group and tell stories together. The play was written by Philip Ridley.
Productions
Sparkleshark's debut was at the Royal National Theatre in 1997, performed by Youth Lyric, Lyric Theatre, Belfast. The show was awarded first prize at BT National Connections,[1] receiving a notable standing ovation.[2] Following the show, Ridley published a book of his short plays, citing each member of the Youth Lyric cast as a thank you to their work. The cast played the show for a further three years. Since 1997, Sparkleshark has had many productions around the world, including at the Australian Theatre for Young People.
Setting and roles
The play is set on the rooftop of a tower block in the East End of London. It is sunny and set in Mid-September. The whole play only has 9 characters, meaning it has very few roles (although in more recent adaptations of the play more characters have been added), they are Jake, Polly, Natasha, Carol, Russell, Buzz, Speed, Shane and Finn.