Sparkleshark
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| Sparkleshark | |
|---|---|
 Poster of 1999 National Theatre production. Designed by Fiona Richards and illustrated by Mark Longworth. | |
| Written by | Philip Ridley |
| Characters | 6 Male and 3 Female |
| Original language | English |
| Series | The Storyteller Sequence |
| Subject | Bullying, Fantasy, Storytelling |
| Genre | Theatre for Young People |
| Setting | "The rooftop of a tower block in the East End of London" |
Sparkleshark is a stage play by Philip Ridley that was originally commissioned for the BTNational Connections, the UK National Theatre's youth theatre scheme in 1997. Sparkleshark had a professional run at the Royal National Theatre in 1999 followed by a tour in 2001.
The play is part of Ridley's sequence of plays for young people The Storyteller Sequence which share thematic similarities, the most distinct being the redemptive power of storytelling.[1]
High up on a tower block roof, Jake writes magical and fantastic stories in his secret book 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 fantasy 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.
Characters
All characters are in their mid-teens and all go to the same school, except for Shane who is in his late teens and left the school last year.
Jake – He is a highly imaginative and creative individual creating stories in a notebook. He however is often bullied by others and dismissed as a geek, resulting in him spending most his free time at school hiding between the bins.
Polly – She only joined school with the others last week. She has noticed Jake despite his secluded nature and loves his stories.
Natasha – She has looked after Polly in her first week at school coaching her into how to be popular. She has a troublesome relationship with her father and yearns for his attention.
Carol – She dresses in the same manner as Natasha suggesting she wants to attain to her popularity. She is attracted to Russell.
Russell – He is good-looking and knows it. He bullies Jake, often beating him up with Buzz and Speed.
Buzz and Speed – They are Russell's sidekicks.
Shane – He's already left school. He used to be Natasha's boyfriend.
Finn – Polly's brother. He is large and has limited speech and communicative skills but possess extreme strength for his age, which makes most of the other children fearful of him. They refer to him as “The Monster”.