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Philip Ridley’s politically-charged MOONFLEECE visits Birmingham in election run-up

An abandoned home. A right-wing radical. A lost brother. A secret love story. Time Out and Evening Standard Award-winning playwright Philip Ridley’s politically-charged MOONFLEECE will stop at The Drum as part of its professional premiere tour at the height of the run-up to national and local elections. MOONFLEECE is a directly political new work by the celebrated playwright, dealing with his hopes and fears for the future of the UK in the context of rising right-wing nationalism and homophobia and a climate of widespread economic uncertainty.

Following an opening in London, the professional world premiere of MOONFLEECE tours the UK in March and April 2010, visiting The Drum arts centre in Birmingham, on 25th & 26th March. The play is set in an abandoned council flat scheduled for demolition, where a young right-wing activist finds himself questioning the political and personal beliefs on which his life has been based as secrets are revealed and relationships rediscovered.

* * * * "Brilliantly alert and magically tragicomic" The Independent

* * * * "A powerful broadside against the hypocrisies of the far-right"WhatsOnStage

"Fizzes with energy and acuity... this play should be celebrated" The Times

Director David Mercatali, recently picked as 'clearly one to watch' by Time Out, said: 'I’m excited to bring the show to Birmingham – it’s a brilliantly diverse area so I’m looking forward to the responses from schools and audiences.

When you’re doing a play about something as important as racism and political extremism you want to be playing to communities who’ve experienced these things themselves.'

The production's multi-cultural ensemble cast features several top young British talents, including Sean Verey (Skins, Dead Man Running), Reece Noi (Grange Hill, Waterloo Road, Paradox), David Ames (Doctor Who; Julius Caesar, Barbican) and Emily Plumtree (Hollyoaks Later).

- ENDS

LISTINGS INFORMATION
Production Supporting Wall presents MOONFLEECE by Philip Ridley

Venue The Drum | 144 Potters Lane, Aston, Birmingham, B6 4UU

NOTES 1. Playwright Philip Ridley was born in the East End of London, where he still lives and works. He is one of the country’s most celebrated living playwrights, winning Time Out and Critics Circle awards, and is the only person to have won both the Evening Standard Award for both Most Promising Newcomer to British Film and Most Promising playwright. He has a lifelong commitment to community and outreach work, especially in East London, and has written many plays and novels for young people. His play The Fastest Clock In The Universe was recently revived by the Hampstead Theatre/Leicester Curve, and his new film Heartless, starring Jim Sturgess, Timothy Spall and Noel Clarke, is due for release later this year.

Ridley has variously been described as ‘a major literary talent’ (Independent), ‘a visionary’ (Rolling Stone), ‘the master of modern myth’ (Guardian) and ‘the best British playwright of the last 20 years’ (Aleks Sierz, Time Out).

2. David Mercatali is a young director and writer based in London, recently described as ‘clearly one to watch’ (Time Out). He has previously developed new work for the LOST Festival, Oval House Theatre, Blue Elephant and Royal Court Theatre, and directed Runners: The Return at the Edinburgh Festival and People’s Day at the Pleasance Islington. Designer William Reynolds is currently working on Metta Theatre’s Waiting at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Rooms. Other recent designs include Saturday Night (Jermyn Street Theatre, Arts Theatre Leicester Square & Theatre Royal Windsor) – 'the atmosphere is built up perfectly’ (WhatsOnStage) – and Jingo (Finborough Theatre) – ‘... beautifully designed and lit by Will Reynolds’ (Michael Billington in the Guardian).

3. The production’s young, multi-cultural ensemble cast includes Sean Verey (Skins, Dead Man Running), Reece Noi (Grange Hill, Waterloo Road, Paradox), Beru Tessema (The Frontline, Shakespeare's Globe; Hanjo, Young Vic), David Ames (Doctor Who; Julius Caesar, Barbican), Krupa Pattani (Dinnerladies, No.1 Tour; Handful of Henna, Sheffield Crucible), Alicia Davies (La Cage Aux Folles, Menier Chocolate Factory & West End; series regular, Holby City), Sian Robins-Grace (Romeo and Juliet, RSC; Love's Labour's Lost, Shakespeare's Globe & US tour), Ashley George (Measure for Measure, Shakespeare's Globe; recurring guest, The Bill), Bradley Taylor (Some Trace of Her, National Theatre; Gilgamesh,Cheek by Jowl), Reeda Harris (A New World: A Life of Thomas Paine, Shakespeare's Globe) and introduces the professional stage debut of Emily Plumtree (Hollyoaks Later).

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