Moonfleece

Story

Moonfleece follows the story of Curtis, who is seeing his brother’s ghost. He returns to their now derelict childhood home to try to find out why his brother is haunting him. Curtis, a leading member of the right wing political party, discovers his brother had been exiled by their step-father for being gay, the full story he learns will change Curtis’ life.

Why we chose it

A powerful story about memory and identity, written to deal with issues of racism, fascism and homophobia in a way that young adults can relate to.

Where it came from

Moonfleece was written as part of the National Theatre’s Connections programme of theatre for young people and was originally performed by teenagers. It is written to deal with issues of racism, fascism and homophobia in a way that young adults can relate to. In interviews, Ridley has said the play is about learning who we are and who we want to be, and how we react when those are two different people.

Where it went next

The play was written in 2004, but wasn’t performed professionally until 2010. It has been controversial and some venues have refused to perform it. However it has been revived several times in professional and amateur productions. Given the change in right wing politics in the UK over the past decade, each performance comes with a new perspective.

In interviews Ridley comments that television and the internet has made the world a smaller place, and he feels younger generations will relate to his characters, as they attempt to navigate that world.

Associated stories

Philip Ridley has written numerous other plays, all equally controversial, starting with The Pitchfork Disney (1991) about two teenagers who have locked themselves away from the world for years.

Moonfleece is part of The Storyteller Sequence, a series of 5 single act plays written for young adults and tackling controversial issues including homelessness, loss of a parent, natural disaster and broken relationships.

Ridley is well known for not only plays, but as a children’s novelist, artist, musician, songwriter, poet and filmmaker. He has said in interviews he doesn’t want to repeat himself so he is always trying to push things, but that he doesn’t aim to shock people. He feels the best way to engage with an audience is through emotional honesty, and if you have that, they will engage with your subject matter whether they agree with you or not.