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GHOST from a PERFECT PLACE by Philip Ridley PRACTICAL

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GHOST from a PERFECT PLACE by Philip Ridley PRACTICAL Sarah Stribley Productions presents GHOST FROM A PERFECT PLACE by Philip Ridley PRACTICAL RESOURCES PACK Welcome to the Ghost From A Perfect Place resource pack. Back in the swinging sixties, Travis led a gang that terrorised East London. Now, after an absence of many years, he returns to find his old turf in the clutches of a new kind of gang…with a new kind of leader. Rio - ruler of a mob of girls - instantly captivates Travis with her haunting beauty. But soon a shocking story begins to emerge - one that shatters both their distorted memories. Ghost From A Perfect Place had its explosive premiere at Hampstead Theatre in 1994 where it was denounced as “pornographic” by The Guardian‟s Michael Billington and hailed as “a masterpiece” by The Spectator. Twenty years later it has its first major revival in this production at London‟s Arcola Theatre. The information and resources in this pack have been collated with the aim of providing an insight into the staging of the production and a practical basis for groups to further explore the Introduction themes of the play together. Please do get in touch if you would like to receive a copy of the playtext, provide feedback or to request and further information or resources. Email us at: [email protected] Enjoy! Contents The Production …………………………………………… 3 The Writer …………………………………………………… 3 Plot Summary …………………………………………….. 4 The Characters …………………………………………… 7 Interview with the Assistant Director ………… 8 Staging the Play ………………………………………… 12 Practical Resources………………………………….... 14 Community Partners …………………………………. 25 Thanks & Further Reading ………………………… 27 2 | P a g e Ghost From A Perfect Place by Philip Ridley opened at the Arcola Theatre on 11 September 2014. Cast (in order of appearance): Production Team: Torchie Sparks Sheila Reid Production Manager Andy Reader Travis Flood Michael Feast Stage Manager Niki Buys Rio Sparks Florence Hall Costume Supervisor Kat Smith Miss Sulphur Scarlett Brookes Production Assistant Sam Parkinson Miss Kerosene Rachel Redford Set Construction AWAV Production Services Creative Team: Director Russell Bolam Producer Sarah Stribley Designer Anthony Lamble Assistant Producer Natalie Allison roduction Lighting Designer Malcolm Rippeth Press Representation Kevin Wilson Sound Designer Richard Hammarton Graphic Design Rebecca Pitt P Movement Director Jack Murphy Photography Ben Broomfield Fight Director Malcolm Ranson Casting Director Francesca Bradley Assistant Director Lisa Carroll This production was supported using public funding by Arts Council England. To mark the first major revival of the play since it premiered at the Hampstead Theatre in 1994 a new edition of the updated script was published by The Methuen Drama to coincide with the production. A visual artist, poet, novelist and film-maker, Philip Ridley is one of the country‟s most celebrated living playwrights. In 2012 WhatsOnStage named him a Jubilee Playwright (one of the most influential British writers to have emerged in the past six decades) and he has won both the Evening Standard‟s Most Promising Newcomer to British Film and Most Promising Playwright Awards. The only person ever to receive both prizes. Philip was born in the East End of London where he still lives and works. Many of his plays including Ghost From A Perfect Place are set there. His first stage play The Pitchfork Disney premiered at the Bush Theatre in 1991 and was a controversial hit, kick-starting the „In-Yer-Face‟ theatre movement of the 1990s. Philip‟s next two plays The Fastest Clock in the Universe and Ghost from a Perfect Place opened at the Hampstead Theatre to both critical acclaim and uproar, establishing him as one of Britain‟s most promising and controversial playwrights. Since then he has written 10 adult stage plays: those mentioned above, plus Vincent River, Mercury Fur, Leaves of Glass, Piranha Heights and most recently Tender Napalm, Shivered and the award-winning Dark Vanilla Jungle, plus several plays for young people: Karamazoo, Fairytaleheart, Moonfleece (recently named as one of the 50 Best Works About Cultural Diversity by the National Centre for Children‟s Books), Sparkleshark and Brokenville (collectively known as The Storyteller Sequence), and a play for the whole family, Feathers in the Snow. His work is regularly revived both in the UK and internationally, and his plays are staple texts for study and performance in UK drama schools. Philip also wrote the highly acclaimed screenplay for the The Krays feature film starring Gary and Martin Kemp (winner of The Evening Standard Best Film of the Year Award). Whilst researching for the film, he became interested by perceptions of the Kray brothers in the East End, and this was one of the factors that led to him writing Ghost About the Writer From A Perfect Place. Philip has been described as “a visionary” (Rolling Stone), “the master of modern myth” (Guardian),“probably a genius” (Time Out) and “the best British playwright of the last 20 years” (Aleks Sierz, author of In-Yer-Face Theatre). 3 | P a g e Act One: The play takes place in a fire-gutted flat in Bethnal Green belonging to Torchie Sparks and her 25 yr old granddaughter. It follows former gang leader Travis as he returns to his old turf in Bethnal Green. Having met Rio in the graveyard earlier that day, Travis goes to meet her at the flat immaculately dressed in a black suit and tie. When he arrives it is to find only Torchie in, and she agrees to let him come in and wait. Travis is surprised Torchie doesn‟t remember him and draws her attention to the lily in his jacket lapel to remind her. His gesture sparks recognition and Torchie becomes very excited and apologetic. Her manner to Travis is reverential and they both lament how the area has changed since the „heydays‟ of the gangsters. When Travis gets soot on his sleeve from the windowsill Torchie explains there was a fire in the flat and her leg was badly burnt. Rio is now the breadwinner and Torchie defends her granddaughter‟s occupation, saying how special she is. Torchie tells how her daughter Donna (Rio‟s mother) used to idolize Travis. Donna became pregnant at 13; she wouldn‟t tell her parents who the father was and was Plot Summary beaten by Mr Sparks who was a very religious man. After having the baby early Donna dies in childbirth, leaving baby Rio. Travis tries to commiserate with her, though much to Torchie‟s frustration he doesn‟t remember her. He then shows Torchie a book „The Man with the White Lily‟ which he says is his life story. Looking through it Torchie reminisces about the „heydays‟ and the awe-inspiring figure Travis was, and he gifts the book to her. “No one has the ability to laugh at their misfortunes like the women of the East End” Torchie tells Travis about how her husband fell apart when Donna died. One night he fell from the roof of the flats and ever since has been hospitalised in a coma, leaving Torchie to raise the baby. Travis asks Torchie to make him a cup of tea and tells her about his life in LA, sweeping her up into the story of his blissful existence there. He does however admit he is lonely sometimes for the East End and old times. Torchie announces that she wants to show him something and makes Travis close his eyes whilst she turns the lights out. When she he opens them she is carrying a cinema tray and holding a torch. Travis realises the meaning of her nickname – she was a cinema usherette. He suddenly becomes troubled as memories come flooding back and he finally recollects Torchie. He becomes very upset as the reality of some of the things he did dawn on him. Travis tries to tell Torchie but she thinks he is worrying about not having prevented people‟s troubles and assures him that all hurt is paid for in this life or in hell. As they are talking Rio enters, startling them both and Travis especially. She is hauntingly beautiful, with blond hair and wearing a denim jacket and gold lame skirt. She hurries Torchie out and starts to ask Travis about the stories of the people he tortured and killed, though he is reticent in answering. Rio makes to lead Travis to the bedroom but he struggles away, and when she demands payment upfront before having sex he pushes her away. Rio goes to the window and signals to the gang in the graveyard with a light. Travis laughs at this attempt to intimidate him, declaring that crowds used to part to let him through. Miss Sulphur and Miss Kerosene rush into the flat and the lights go down. 4 | P a g e Act Two: Travis is shown tied to a chair with Rio, Miss Sulphur and Miss Kerosene chanting around him. The girls are collectively known as the Disciples; Miss Sulphur and Miss Kerosene wear cheap blond wigs and similar outfits to Rio. Miss Kerosene struggles to remember the words of the chant and becomes angry at Travis whose presence, she says, is distracting her. She compares him to an old man whose flat she broke into on the estate, and beat with a poker when the man found her intruding. As she recounts the violence she remembers the sense of safety it gave her and in revisiting this moment calms down. Apologising to Rio for her behaviour she talks about how much the gang means to her and the feeling of power it gives her. Miss Sulphur and Miss Kerosene excitedly tell Rio about the bonfire they have been building and Miss Kerosene accidently lets slip that Miss Sulphur has got some pills for them.
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