One of literature’s darkest examinations of human nature is getting a bold new interpretation when William Golding’s Lord of the Flies comes to Theatre Works in St Kilda this September.
Adapted by Nigel Williams and directed and designed by award-winning theatre-maker Steven Mitchell Wright, the production revisits the story of a group of boys stranded on an isolated island following a plane crash, where attempts to establish order quickly unravel as fear, power and tribalism take hold.
Rather than simply retelling the classic survival story, Wright’s production explores masculinity, identity, authority and belonging through a 12-strong ensemble of male, non-binary and trans performers.
“I’m drawn to big literary works and I love stories that exist within a closed system or an isolated world,” explains Wright.
“I don’t believe theatre is necessarily a tool for fixing systemic problems or global atrocities, but I do believe that art, beauty, and the act of bringing people together can be life-shifting, hope-affirming and, in cases, life-altering.”
The production promises to be highly physical and sensory, shifting between realistic and poetic, earnest and absurd, while drawing inspiration from punk, electronica, choral music, visual art, reality television and game design.
Reality TV shows including Outlast, Kid Nation and Boys Alone have also influenced the production’s exploration of isolation, surveillance and what happens when established social structures disappear.
“There are a lot of bodies in the space and it’s visceral and highly physical,” Wright says. “It’s a very sensory production and we’re excited to share it with audiences.”
Lord of the Flies runs at Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda from 18 September to 2 October, with tickets from $35. Tickets available here.
