Arcola Theatre is set to host a thrilling theatrical event this autumn, as two of Philip Ridley’s most acclaimed monologues, Tarantula and The Poltergeist, return in a daring in-rep format.
Running back-to-back each evening from 11 September to 11 October 2025, the plays will be staged in Studio 2, offering audiences an intense double-bill of explosive queer storytelling.
Directed by Wiebke Green, this marks the third collaboration between the British-German director and Ridley at Arcola Theatre. Their previous work together earned standing ovations and a clutch of OFFIE nominations.
Rising star Kemi Awoderu, recently seen in Stranger Things: The First Shadow at The Phoenix Theatre, will lead Tarantula. Louis Davison, known for Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix, takes on the role in The Poltergeist.
Originally streamed by Tramp Theatre Company and Aria Entertainment in 2020 and 2021, both plays made their live stage debuts at Arcola Theatre to critical acclaim.
Tarantula follows Toni, a teenager on the cusp of her first date and kiss. What begins as a moment of youthful joy quickly spirals into a chilling exploration of trauma, identity, and survival.
The Poltergeist centres on Sasha, a former art prodigy now living in obscurity. As he grapples with lost potential and fractured relationships, Ridley’s darkly comic script interrogates genius, memory, and the ghosts of ambition.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
