The Pitchfork Disney
| The Pitchfork Disney | |
|---|---|
Poster advertising the original 1991 production | |
| Written by | Philip Ridley |
| Characters | Presley Stray (Male, aged 28) Haley Stray (Female, aged 28) Cosmo Disney (Male, aged 18) Pitchfork Cavalier (Male) |
| Date premiered | 2 January 1991 |
| Place premiered | Bush Theatre, London |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | In-yer-face theatre |
| Setting | "A dimly lit room in the East End of London" |
The Pitchfork Disney is a 1991 stage play by Philip Ridley. It was his first professional stage work, having also produced work as a visual artist, novelist, filmmaker, and scriptwriter for film and radio. The play premiered at the Bush Theatre in London, UK in 1991 and was directed by Matthew Lloyd, who directed most of Ridley's subsequent early plays.
Although initially met with negative critical reviews for its script, the production was enthusiastically received by predominantly young audiences, making it something of a controversial hit. Over time, the play has come to be regarded as a seminal work in the confrontational 1990s style and sensibility of British drama termed in-yer-face theatre.
The play is the first entry in Ridley's unofficially titled "East End Gothic Trilogy", followed by The Fastest Clock in the Universe and Ghost from a Perfect Place.
In 2015 the script was republished as part of the Methuen Drama Modern Classics series, recognising the play's impact on modern British theatre.