We sat down Wiebke Green who returns to Arcola Theatre with a bold theatrical challenge: Tarantula and The Poltergeist by Philip Ridley, performed in rep for the first time. Tickets here.

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Having directed both Tarantula and The Poltergeist before, what excited you most about reimagining them as a back-to-back theatrical experience?

Although the plays are stand-alone pieces, they both explore memory and how identity is shaped by one’s experiences in the past. They’re both highly subjective plays, told from the perspective of two young individuals, but they’re tonally very different; one a fizzy, dark comedy, the other a twisty, psychological thriller. So I think seeing them performed side-by-side will offer up a really rich, thrilling evening.

Philip Ridley’s monologues are emotionally intense and physically demanding-how do you work with actors to sustain that energy across multiple performances a week?

I encourage them to take a well-deserved rest between rehearsals and performances!
We also do check-ins throughout the week with our Stage Manager Mik, and I encourage the actors to speak up about their needs. One-person plays can feel lonely, so we like to reiterate that there’s a support network behind them!

In this double bill, what threads or contrasts between the two plays do you most want the audience to notice?

They’re inherently very different plays, but both are full of moments of joy, humour, revelation, and hope, and explore a young individual‘s response to a traumatic event in their past.

As a British-German director, do you bring any particular cross-cultural perspective to Ridley’s deeply East London-rooted stories?

I love Philip’s writing because it is so well observed. I don’t think it matters where you’re from or what your background is, there’s always something in his writing that everyone can relate to – like the nerves of a first kiss, or irritation at family gathering!

How has your creative relationship with Philip Ridley evolved across your three collaborations at the Arcola?

I guess our creative relationship has deepened in that we now have a short-hand when discussing the work. I know now that when Phil comes to see a run, the overarching note will probably be “yes, that works, but push it further!“