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1LORD OF THE FLIES TEACHER AND STUDENT RESOURCE PACK

A NEW ADVENTURES AND RE:BOURNE PRODUCTION

TEACHER AND STUDENT RESOURCE PACK


1. USING THIS RESOURCE PACK p3

2. WILLIAM GOLDING’S NOVEL p4

William Golding and Lord of the Flies Novel’s Plot Characters Themes and Symbols

3. NEW ADVENTURES AND RE:BOURNE’S LORD OF THE FLIES p11

An Introduction By Matthew Bourne Production Research Some Initial Ideas Plot Sections Similarities and Differences

4. PRODUCTION ELEMENTS p21

Set and Costume Costume Supervisor Music Lighting

5. PRACTICAL WORKSHEETS p26

General Notes Character Devising and Developing Movement

6. REFLECTING AND REVIEWING p32

Reviewing live performance Reviews and Editorials for New Adventures and Re:Bourne’s Production of Lord of the Flies

7. FURTHER WORK p32

Did You Know? It’s An Adventure Further Reading Essay Questions References Contributors


1. USING THIS RESOURCE PACKThis pack aims to give teachers and students further understanding of New Adventures and Re:Bourne’s production of Lord of the Flies.

It contains information and materials about the production that can be used as a stimulus for written work, discussion and practical activities.

There are worksheets containing information and resources that can be used to help build your own lesson plans and schemes of work based on Lord of the Flies. This pack contains subject material for Dance, Drama, English, Design and Music.

The symbols above are to guide you throughout this pack easily and will enable you to use this guide as a quick reference when required. They will appear through the pack as symbols highlighting further work that can be done.

There are also a number of related activities, practical exercises and discussion ideas that can be used to develop ideas, workshops and as a starting point on which to use for your own course requirements.

Discussion and/or Evaluation Ideas

Research and/or Further Reading Activities

Practical Tasks

Written Work


2. WILLIAM GOLDING’S NOVEL

William Golding and Lord of the Flies William Golding was born in Newquay, Cornwall, on 19 September 1911. He was nearly three at the outbreak of the First World War, and his childhood memories of that conflict were powerful. His father was a science teacher at the grammar school in the small Wiltshire town of Marlborough, and Golding and his brother were pupils there. Both became schoolteachers too. In Lord of the Flies, the severed pig’s head - the Lord of the Flies - speaks to Simon “in the voice of a schoolmaster”. Golding had often heard that voice, and he had produced it as well. He knew its ambiguity.

As a child, Golding - always known as Bill or Billy - was imaginative, affectionate, musical and, it seems, pugnacious. He recounts in an autobiographical essay ‘Billy the Kid’ that he looked forward to going to school because it “was to bring me fights”. He finds that, surprisingly, the other boys don’t want to fight all the time. So he provokes them. But this incurs a cost: to his astonishment he realises “They don’t like me!”

Leaving school in the summer of 1930, Golding went to Brasenose College, Oxford, to study natural sciences. The experience soon palled. Oxford seemed outrageously snobbish, and he became bored with the work. At school, science had been taught by his father, a gifted teacher, who turned it into a string of wonderful stories. At Oxford, Golding found it boring and distasteful. Two years later, he found the courage to tell his far-from-wealthy parents that he wanted to change to English. They generously agreed to fund Golding for two more years. He graduated with a good degree. That October, 1934, Macmillan published a book of his poetry. He was 23.

For the next couple of years, Golding lived in London. He tried acting, playing the piano, writing and even - a last desperate measure - teaching. In 1937, he returned to Oxford to get a teaching diploma. In the autumn of 1938, he took a job teaching English, drama and music at Maidstone Grammar School in Kent. He had absorbed his father’s socialism, and, despite hating the glibness of some of the socialists he met, he stayed on the left, politically, for the rest of his life. In his journal he records that he had always voted Labour, though both his children remember him arguing fiercely with their left-wing ideas. He suspected that socialism was woefully simple when up against human nature.

In April 1939, at a political meeting, he met a beautiful girl - Ann Brookfield - and they fell in love. She was to remain his closest companion, supporter and critic. They married in

September 1939, just after the outbreak of the Second World War, and their marriage lasted till his death. He wrote in his journal of their happiness together; he believed that without her he would not have written anything.

A year after their marriage, their first child was born, a son. Golding, the pugnacious Billy, now cared profoundly about the future of those he loved. Four months later, he went into the navy. The war changed him forever. He saw much to blow apart his father’s hopeful ideas of human advancement. He saw that humans did not just kill for survival; it was what they did by nature.

His two years of science at Oxford took Golding out of fighting and into a weapons-research establishment. There, he saw how ingenious people became, and how far the patriotic task removed people’s sense of the enemy’s humanity. He saw that intelligence and education did not impede this - quite the reverse. When he returned to active service, he himself fought with ruthlessness, daring and skill, shelling the coast of France during the D-Day landings, and a few months later firing a barrage that flattened a Dutch coastal village. Afterwards, visiting his commanding officer in hospital, he found the wards full of Dutch civilians he had injured.

When the war finished, Golding returned to teaching in the Salisbury school he had left behind in 1940. He and Ann had a daughter as well as a son, and they led a busy life. But

■ WILLIAM GOLDING


despite these preoccupations the war would not let him go. During the conflict he had read Homer’s Iliad, that great poetic account of another terrible war, the battle for Troy. Now he began to read Greek tragedy as well. Here he found a world where life was not fair - where individuals were the victims not only of fate but of their own natures.One evening in the early 1950s, the Goldings were reading a bedtime story to their children. It was an adventure story, a tale of well-behaved children on an island without adults. Golding told his wife that he could imagine a story of real children in that situation - they would certainly not

behave like that. She replied that it was a marvellous idea, and he should go ahead and write it. He did, immediately, working with astonishing speed, writing at odd moments, in the staffroom, on buses, even - it is said - in lessons. The book was rejected by at least ten publishers until, in the autumn of 1953, a young editor at Faber took it off the reject pile, started reading and was gripped. It was published a year later, in September 1954. Golding was 43.

On the basis of this book, Golding was sometimes accused of not liking children. That is quite untrue - he had what might be termed a realistic affection for them. He knew what they could do, but he also knew what they needed. His own childhood had been spent under the guidance of kindly parents. He knew that children are entitled to the protection of adults - protection not only from a hostile world, but also from their own natures. It isn’t fair that Ralph and Jack and Piggy and Simon have to do without adults. It isn’t fair, but then life isn’t fair.

The end of the story must not be told here. But in its final moments Golding covertly asks a terrible question: what happens when no one protects the adults - not only from a hostile world, but most crucially from their own natures.

Golding died, aged 81, on 19 June 1993, nearly ten years after he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Nobel Committee cited his novels “which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today”.

© Judy Golding 2011, all rights reserved.

With acknowledgements to John Carey, William Golding: the Man Who Wrote Lord of the Flies (Faber, 2009).

The Novel’s PlotThe story is set on a fictitious tropical island in the Pacific Ocean during an evacuation of an unspecified nuclear war. A British plane crashes leaving a group of boys aged between four and twelve the sole survivors.

At the start, Ralph and the reluctantly named Piggy are seen searching for the others when they come across a large shell or conch that can be blown like a trumpet. Ralph blows it and the rest of the other boys come in answer to the call including a group of choirboys led by head chorister Jack Merridew. Ralph is chosen to be leader in preference to Jack, who is allowed to command his choir as hunters. Ralph asserts two primary goals: to have fun and to maintain a smoke signal that could alert passing ships to their presence on the island. The boys declare that whoever holds the conch shall also be able to speak at their formal gatherings and receive the attentive silence of the larger group.

Jack organises his choir group into a hunting party responsible for discovering a food source; Ralph, Jack, and a boy called named Simon soon form a loose troika of leaders. Though he is Ralph’s only confidant, Piggy is quickly made an outcast by his fellow “biguns” (older boys) and becomes an unwilling source of laughs for the other children. Simon, in addition to supervising the project of constructing shelters, feels an instinctive need to protect the “littluns” (younger boys).

As time passes the boys become used to the island. Ralph continues to worry about the smoke signal and Jack becomes more and more focused on hunting. The semblance of order quickly deteriorates as the majority of the boys turn idle, giving little aid in building shelters, and begin to develop paranoia’s about the island, referring to a supposed monster, the “beast”, which they believe to exist on the island. Ralph insists that no such beast exists, but Jack, who has started a power struggle with Ralph, gains control of the discussion by boldly promising to kill the beast. Jack summons all of his hunters to hunt down a wild pig, drawing away those assigned to maintain the signal fire. A ship travels by the island, but without the boys’ smoke signal to alert the ship’s crew, the ship continues by without stopping. Angered by the failure of the boys to attract potential rescuers, Ralph considers relinquishing his position, but is convinced not to do so by Piggy.

While Jack schemes against Ralph, twins Samneric, now assigned to the maintenance of the signal fire, see the corpse of a fighter pilot and his parachute in the dark. Mistaking the corpse for the beast, they run to the cluster of shelters that Ralph and Simon have erected and warn the others. This unexpected meeting again raises tensions between Jack and Ralph. Shortly thereafter, Jack decides to lead a party

■ ORIGINAL FABER PUBLICATION


Turning against Ralph, the tribe takes Samneric captive while Roger drops a boulder from his vantage point above, killing Piggy and shattering the conch. Ralph manages to escape, but Samneric are tortured until they agree to join Jack’s tribe.

The following morning, Jack orders his tribe to begin a manhunt for Ralph. Jack’s savages set fire to the forest while Ralph desperately weighs his options for survival. Following a long chase, most of the island is consumed in flames, drawing the attention of a passing naval vessel. Ralph suddenly runs into an officer from the warship and bursts into tears over the death of Piggy and the “end of innocence”. The other children arrive and, now realizing what they have done, also spontaneously erupt into sobs. The officer awkwardly turns away to give them a moment to pull themselves together.

CharactersRalphRalph is the epitome of British boyhood; handsome, sporting, decent and honorable. His wish to return home sustains him through the ordeal. He is kindly, looking after the group as a whole at the beginning, and has a love for a natural sense of order. He possesses the confidence of his class but not the arrogance. Although he behaves with boyish superiority over Piggy when the boys arrive he lacks the malice of Jack. Despite recognising Piggy as an outsider he develops both respect and affection for him and his qualities. Having a quiet authority that the boys appreciate and prefer to Jack’s more strident and threatening manner, Ralph’s leadership style and skills improve with experience and lend weight to his suitability as chief.

JackThe strong-willed Jack is the novel’s primary representative of the instinct of savagery, violence, and the desire for power – in short, the antithesis of Ralph. From the beginning, Jack desires

to the other side of the island, where a mountain of stones, later called Castle Rock, forms a place where he claims the beast resides. Only Ralph and Jack’s sadistic supporter Roger agree to go; Ralph turns back shortly before the other two boys. When they arrive at the shelters, Jack calls an assembly and tries to turn the others against Ralph, asking for them to remove him from his position. Receiving little support, Jack, Roger, and another boy leave the shelters to form their own tribe. This tribe lures in recruits from the main group by providing a feast of cooked pig and its members begin to paint their faces and enact bizarre rituals including sacrifices to the beast.

Simon wanders off on his own to think and finds a severed pig head, left by Jack as an offering to the beast. Simon envisions the pig head, now swarming with scavenging flies, as the “Lord of the Flies” and believes that it is talking to him. The pig’s head tells Simon that the boys themselves “created” the beast and claims that the real beast is inside them all. Simon also locates the dead parachutist who had been mistaken for the beast, and is the sole member of the group to recognise that the “monster” is merely a human corpse. Simon, hoping to tell others of the discovery, finds Jack’s tribe in the island’s interior during a ritual dance and, mistaken for the beast, is killed by the frenzied boys. Ralph, Piggy and Samneric feel guilty that they, too, participated in this murderous “dance.”

Jack and his band of “savages” decide that they should possess Piggy’s glasses, the only means of starting a fire on the island, so they raid Ralph’s camp, confiscate the glasses, and return to their abode on Castle Rock. Ralph, now deserted by most of his supporters, journeys to Castle Rock to confront Jack and secure the glasses. Taking the conch and accompanied only by Piggy and Samneric, Ralph finds the tribe and demands that they return the valuable object.

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power above all other things. He is furious when he loses the election to Ralph and continually pushes the boundaries of his subordinate role in the group. Early on, Jack retains the sense of moral propriety and behavior that society instilled in him – in fact, in school he was the leader of the choirboys. Jack soon becomes obsessed with hunting and devotes himself to the task, painting his face like a barbarian and giving himself over to bloodlust. The more savage Jack becomes, the more he is able to control the rest of the group. Indeed, apart from Ralph, Simon, and Piggy, the group largely follows Jack in casting off moral restraint and embracing violence and savagery. Jack’s love of authority and violence are intimately connected, as both enable him to feel powerful and exalted. By the end, Jack has learned to use the boys’ fear of the beast to control their behavior—a reminder of how religion and superstition can be manipulated as instruments of power.

PiggyThe smartest boy on the island however, due to his obesity and asthma, Piggy is also the weakest of the biguns. Piggy believes passionately in civilization, law, and reasoning through problems, but he seldom does any work because of his size and his nonstop craving for food. Piggy also has a tendency to lecture and criticize. His condescension infuriates the other boys and inspires them to single him out, ridicule him, and even physically abuse him.

SimonSimon is the shy, sensitive boy in the group. Simon. He is in some ways the only naturally “good” character on the island, behaving kindly toward the younger boys and willing to work for the good of their community. Moreover, because his

motivation is rooted in his deep feeling of connectedness to nature, Simon is the only character whose sense of morality does not seem to have been imposed by society. Simon represents a kind of natural goodness, as opposed to the unbridled evil of Jack and the imposed morality of civilization represented by Ralph and Piggy.

SamnericThe twins are so identical that they are given one name and cannot function without each other: “They breathed together, they grinned together, they were chunky and vital. They raised wet lips at Ralph, for they seemed provided with not quite enough skin, so that their profiles were blurred and their mouths pulled open.” Samneric are given the job of guarding the signal fire. They too side with Ralph but are eventually captured by Jack. Under torture, they confess to Jack where Ralph is hiding and the hunt begins.

Roger“…a slight, furtive boy whom no-one knew, who kept to himself with an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy…the shock of black hair, down his nape and low on his forehead, seemed to suit his gloomy face and made what had seemed at first an unsociable remoteness into something forbidding.” Roger is a sadist who revels in hurting and causing pain. He knocks over the littluns’ sand castles and throws stones at them. In the end it is he who pushes the boulder that kills Piggy. He becomes Jack’s second in command but even Jack is unnerved by Roger and, during the hunt, describes him as carrying “death in his hands”.

The LittlunsThe so-called littluns are probably between 5 and 7 years old. Although they do not always comprehend what is happening around them, they form an important group in the novel. They are the ones who first see the Beast and are in constant fear of it, especially during the night. They are the ‘rest of society’. Most of them end up joining Jack’s gang, not because they can differentiate right from wrong, but because he provides them with meat and protection.

Activity

Imagine you are Ralph who, having returned home, is telling his adventures to his father. What might he include or leave out?

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Themes and SymbolsTaken at face value, Lord of the Flies is a simple tale. Golding himself regarded it as a modern fable that can be enjoyed on more complex levels. One way to appreciate this is by exploring some themes of the book, to throw light on what William Golding wanted to say and on the times he was writing in. There will be other themes that you and your students identify, the following are some suggestions.

Good and EvilThe battle between good and evil is a central theme of Lord of the Flies. It appears in many conflicts - between the conch group and the savages, between the boys and the terrifying ‘beast’ and between the rescue from a passing ship and imprisonment on the increasingly insane island, to name a few.

From the start the conch is clearly a symbol of the decency and order of the society that the boys have come from. Ralph with the help of Simon organises the construction of shelters and a fire to signal to ships with. The boys spend most of their time playing and there are few accidents, with Ralph’s mild government, good is always dominant.

Jack on the other hand epitomises the evil on the island from immediately breaking away with his band of choirboys to become savages. The other boys are lured in because he hunts pigs and doesn’t make them work. The story then degenerates into a dark tale that envelops the entire island, where Piggy is killed and the twins are tortured. It is only the naval officer’s intervention that prevents the complete triumph of evil over good.

Law and OrderThe boys have come from a society in which orderliness is the norm and they attempt to continue this when they first arrive on the island.

The conch symbolises the values of the previous existence; they cannot talk at meetings unless they are holding it. This means that Piggy - in many ways a natural victim - is able to demonstrate his intellect which leads to improvements in the boys’ lives. ‘Parliaments’ of this kind have always been key elements of successful civilisations, from Viking tings to our own system of government.

The other symbol associated with Piggy, his glasses, expose a different side of law and order on the island. Rightfully they belong to Piggy and they are used with his permission to make the fires that are essential both to rescue and to cook food. Jack, a figure of authority at school, refuses to respect Piggy’s right to the glasses, first punching him and breaking a lens, then stealing them to start fires. In doing so

he challenges the law and order that has kept life reasonable under Ralph. When the boys no longer accept law and order, Ralph is powerless and darker, more evil forces take over.

Loss of InnocenceAs the boys on the island progress from well behaved, orderly children longing for rescue to cruel, bloodthirsty hunters who have no desire to return to civilization, they naturally lose the sense of innocence that they possessed at the beginning of the novel. The painted savages who have hunted, tortured, and killed animals and human beings are a far cry from the guileless children playing in the sand at the beginning.

Golding does not portray this loss of innocence as something that is done to the children; rather, it results naturally from their increasing openness to the innate evil and savagery that has always existed within them. Golding implies that civilization can mitigate but never wipe out the innate evil that exists within all human beings.

The forest glade in which Simon sits symbolizes this loss of innocence. At first, it is a place of natural beauty and peace, but when Simon returns later in the novel, he discovers the bloody sow’s head impaled upon a stake in the middle of the clearing. The bloody offering to the beast has disrupted the paradise that existed before—a powerful symbol of innate human evil disrupting childhood innocence.

DisciplineGolding was a teacher for nine years before he wrote Lord of the Flies. He became unhappy with the English public school tradition that firm discipline was the best means of turning children into young adults.

Activity

Identify the points when certain characters’ innocence were lost. Who was the first? Do any remain innocent at the end?

Activity

Look at how Bourne has portrayed violence through dance. Is it effective? Describe how actually seeing something non-violent can be more striking.

Research and/or discuss examples of law and order breaking down, looking at the circumstances, those involved and the outcomes.


The island is like a laboratory in which Golding analyses the tensions that exist within a school. Without adults, he sets free the impulses and desires of the schoolboys and - almost - allows them to run their full course. Jack, who we presume to be arrogant and bullying at school, becomes first a wrecker of Ralph and Piggy’s sensible plans, then a dictator and finally a murderer. Piggy is the permanent victim of Jack’s bullying and is killed. These disasters could have been prevented by the normal orderliness of school life.

Golding goes on to explore some of the problems that harsh discipline can conceal. A vivid demonstration is provided by the boys’ sex lives. At first glance the book never mentions anything at all about sex, even toilet functions being avoided. Looking closer, Golding uses sexual language to describe the pig hunts and their re-enactments. This comes to a head, later in a hunt that almost reads like a violent sexual act, ending as the ‘sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her’. Sex is taboo at school and continues to be on the island. So the boys’ sexual urges come out in other ways, in particular to hurt defenseless pigs. In the real world many sociopaths share this inability to find sexual satisfaction in conventional, socially acceptable ways, and we see the results regularly in the news.

Spirituality and Religion

Most of the boys on the island either hide behind civilization, denying the beast’s existence, or succumb to the beast’s power by embracing savagery. Golding presents an alternative to civilized suppression and beastly savagery. This is a life of religion and spiritual truth-seeking, in which men look into their own hearts, accept that there is a beast within, and face it squarely.

Simon occupies this role in Lord of the Flies, and in doing so he symbolizes all the great spiritual and religious men, from Jesus to Buddha to nameless mystics and shamans, who have sought to help other men accept and face the terrible fact that the beast they fear is themselves. Of all the boys, only Simon fights through his own fear to discover that the “beast” at the mountaintop is just a dead man. But when Simon returns with the news that there’s no real beast, only the beast within, the other boys kill him. Not just the savages, not just the civilized boys—all the boys kill Simon, because all of the boys lack the courage Simon displayed in facing the beast.

The Conch ShellRalph and Piggy discover the conch shell at the beginning of the novel and use it to rally the boys together after the crash separates them. Used in this capacity, the conch becomes a powerful symbol of order and civilisation in the novel. The conch effectively governs the boys’ meetings and gives the boy who holds the shell the right to speak. In this regard it becomes more than a symbol, it becomes an actual vessel of legitimacy and democratic power. As civilisation erodes and savagery takes over, the conch loses its power: Ralph clutches at it desperately when he talks about his part in Simon’s death and he is jeered at and attacked when he attempts to blow it in Jack’s camp. The boulder that Roger pushes onto Piggy also destroys the conch, symbolising the complete demise of civilised instinct among the boys.

The Signal FireThe signal fire is a barometer of the boys’ link to their memories of civilisation and home. Their eagerness to keep it alight at the beginning of the novel is an indication of their willingness to be rescued and returned to normal societal behaviour. As the novel progresses, the fire is allowed to die along with the boys’ desire for order and peace. Ironically, it is fire that finally attracts a passing ship but it is the out of control and destructive fire started to burn Ralph out of hiding.

Activity

Is Golding despairing of the school system he taught in? Have a debate and see what is needed to balance firm discipline and creative freedom. Is it the absence of this that Golding is criticizing in schools of the time. Is it better now?

Activity

How many aspects of different religions can you identify in the novel or in New Adventures performance?


The BeastThe imaginary beast that terrifies the boys stands for the primal instinct for savagery that Golding feels is within all of us. As the boys grow more savage, their belief in the Beast grows stronger. They leave sacrifices and gifts for the beast to placate it and treat it as a totemic idol. The boys’ behaviour is what has created the beast and the worse the boys behave, the stronger the beast becomes.

The Lord of the FliesThis is the bloody, severed sow’s head that Jack impales on a stake and stands in the centre of the forest glade. It is a complicated symbol and becomes one of the most important images in the novel. It ‘speaks’ to Simon, telling him that it is the evil that lies within all of us and promises to have ‘fun’ with Simon. This foreshadows the next chapter where Simon is sacrificed. The Lord of the Flies becomes a physical manifestation of the beast, a symbol of the power of evil, a symbol of fear and a Satanic figure calling up the beast within us.

The BoysLord of the Flies is an allegorical novel on many levels and one layer is the use of the boys to represent Golding’s view of the struggles within any civilised society. Ralph represents order and democratic leadership, Piggy represents science and rational thought, Simon represents humanity’s innate goodness, Jack represents savagery and the desire for power and Roger represents extreme cruelty and sociopathy. The littluns stand for the general population and are at the mercy of the warring trends acted out by the older boys. They become political tools and are either protected by Ralph and Simon and are encouraged to work for the group as a whole. Jack and Roger use the boys as ammunition and slaves, ruling through fear and intimidation.

ActivityHow could this novel be described as an allegory? If it is an allegory, what message does Golding seem to want to get across to his readers? What allegorical roles are the characters playing? How are the characters in Lord of the Flies presented as both ‘heroic and sick’? As both sane and insane? As both good and evil?

Other themes to think about and discussCivilisation, Society and CitizenshipReason versus impulse and Human InstinctHierarchy, Leadership, Rules and commandments


An Introduction by Matthew Bourne Edited from the New Adventures and Re:Bourne special edition of Lord of the Flies published for the 2014 tour by Faber and Faber.

Lord of the Flies has always been a novel that I thought would lend itself wonderfully to a dance theatre adaptation. In fact my first introduction to it was through Peter Brook’s iconic 1963 film so my initial exposure to the characters and story was completely visual. I came to the novel later, but this only enriched my desire to bring it to the stage and to find a theatrical language that would do it justice. So when the idea of bringing professional dancers together with young men with little or no theatrical or dance experience presented itself, I knew immediately that this was the perfect material, and project, to realise this dream.

Our 2011 collaboration with the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire Council and hundreds of young people in Scotland proved that boys, young men and audiences connected to the story and were moved and changed as a result of this ground-breaking collaboration. It is fantastic that we are now taking the production across the UK and that the project will involve thousands of boys and young men around the country.

William Golding was described by his father as an imaginative, affectionate and musical child. I often reflect on this portrait of Golding as we travel around the country meeting young people keen to be involved in our production of his most famous work. Imagination, musicality and brotherhood are three qualities I would use to describe the young people who are working with us in villages, towns

3. NEW ADVENTURES AND RE:BOURNE’S LORD OF THE FLIES


and cities across the UK; three qualities so akin to the ways in which Golding played out his own childhood.

2014 feels like an opportune moment for us to be re-telling Golding’s strikingly relevant story in theatres across the country and to be telling it aided by such exceptional young talent. You only need to look online, open a newspaper or turn on the TV to come across an article or programme where adults are demonising young people or considering why childhood is in crisis. Following the publication of the novel Golding was often wrongly accused of not liking children. Children and young adults across the country today could feel the same hostility from adults, and that is what makes our telling of Lord of the Flies so poignant.

Wherever we work we meet exceptionally talented boys and young men who directly challenge a public perception that young people are lost, without focus and uncommitted to their talent and creativity. Our hope is that this re-telling of Lord of the Flies will create a step-change in boys’ dance across the UK and that many more boys and young men will be encouraged to participate in the arts.

There is no escaping the anger and savagery of the novel and there were many comparisons made between Lord of the Flies and young people who rioted across the country in 2011. Many young people we have worked with across the country tell us with a great deal of eloquence that they felt those riots were in response to them losing their voice in society and feeling that adults had stopped listening to them and taking them seriously. Golding, sixty years ago, knew clearly that children and young people had important contributions to make to society but also that they needed the protection of adults from a hostile world and from their own feelings. Without initially realising how connected such values are to Golding’s own, we have fostered our own hierarchy of support, brotherhood and mentorship in our telling of Lord of the Flies. Our adult company, regional Ambassadors, staff and venues have all created a consistently holistic partnership across the

country that supports and values each other’s contributions to the project. All of us in that partnership appreciate that without the young people in our production the whole project would fall apart. I’m sure that Golding would be pleased we have established this structure within the project, and that it upholds his own values and ambitions for the novel.

There is much evidence that Golding intended his novel to be interpreted on a range of different levels. As our company have learnt more about the novel and its international impact, it has become very clear that this masterpiece continues to grow and develop with time. A simple search on Twitter will see that all across the globe teenagers are reading Lord of the Flies every minute of every day and regardless of their cultural heritage or background they are moved, surprised and shocked by the language and the impact the action has on the characters.

Golding’s narrative is a dark and dystopian view of the world, told through the eyes of a group of boys. The key for me in translating it to the stage was to find a visual language that worked not just for dance but also for the theatrical setting. In our version we move the drama from a deserted island to a deserted theatre. This dark, sparse space filled with lost and abandoned props and costumes aims to emulate the adventure and intrigue of the island in the novel.

We aim to achieve many things with our deserted theatre scenario. We want a playing space big enough for a large company, in turn providing the space, or playground even, to celebrate and demonstrate the talent and creativity of young people from across the country but also to create an island of theatrical imagination for our audiences.

Whether you are returning to the novel, or if it is your first discovery I hope it speaks to you as it has to many millions of people across the globe.

Matthew Bourne OBE

Artistic Director, New Adventures, London, March 2014

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Production ResearchIn this section there is a selection of information and research that Scott Ambler, choreographer and co-director, collated when the piece was initially being created. Some of these ideas and references weren’t used in the final production but played a part as the building blocks of the creative process. The project began as a collaboration between Re:Bourne, Glasgow Theatres (ATG) and West Dumbartonshire Council with funding from Creative Scotland to develop a dance piece predominantly to encourage boys and young men to participate in dance. The project also had a multi media element. This became a short 20 minute film - Beastie - created by Scott Ambler and filmmaker Alan Stockdale (see trailer for Beastie - www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMjzSosajyo). At the time Scott was researching and putting his thoughts down, an adaptation of Lord of the Flies was one of a number of ideas.

Some Initial Ideas by Scott AmblerIn keeping with New Adventures’ reputation for producing new versions of classic stories (Swan Lake, Cinderella, Edward Scissorhands etc), initial thoughts and impetus comes from the Lost Boys from Peter Pan and the stranded boys of Lord of the Flies; two classic tales of what happens to boys/young men with no adults around.

At this early stage, the synopsis is very loose and will change over time as a result of the workshops and meetings along the way. We imagine the main individual stories will be performed by New Adventures’ dancers, integrating the young performers into the company.

“Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful!” (Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett)

They may be refugees or evacuees. No-one is sure why they are there. There is no adult supervision. Perhaps there has been

some cataclysmic outside event, a sense that the world outside being dangerous. Perhaps each young person has a bag, a rucksack or a bin-bag with a few hastily grabbed belongings.

“..tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” (Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by W.B.Yeats)

We thought about memories of home and family - first day at a new school, first bike ride, experience of being bullied etc.

“I’m not afraid of the darkness outside. It’s the darkness inside homes I don’t like.” (Shelagh Delaney)

The first night. The shadows come to life and become terrifying. The first triumphant bike ride now becomes a frightening chase of BMX ghouls. The first day at school a story of horror and alienation. The sense that night brings with it terrors that during the day are hidden in the shadows.

“Boys do not grow up gradually. They move forward in spurts like the hands of clocks in railway stations.” (Cyril Connolly)

Morning. A need to get organized and create a sense of

■ MOOD BOARDS


order. Time to elect a leader. This could take the form of competition and games. Tug o’ War, strength games. Two candidates emerge. The awful ritual of choosing your team. Perhaps the leaders have to dance their manifestos to convince others to join them. One team represents order, unity and cooperation; one team represents wildness and lack of responsibility (Ralph/Jack from Lord of the Flies and the Pirates/Lost Boys from Peter Pan). Separate camps emerge.

“Young blood must have its course, lad, and every dog its day.” – Charles Kingsley

Training. One team is all about structure, unison dance creating a harmonious result. Logic and learning. The other is chaotic and martial. War-like and aggressive. Perhaps the two dances collide and there are shifts of emphasis and power. Some defect to the other camp. Costume can be used to accent the differences. The ‘wild’ gang become dangerous and destructive.

“For sweetest things turn sourest by thior deeds.” – William Shakespeare

The ’wild’ gang raid the peaceful camp and steal away a couple of the youngest boys. The idea of the changelings. The young ones/‘littluns’ from Lord of the Flies are initiated into the wildness. They are terrified but too terrified to resist.

“To die will be an awfully big adventure.” – J.M.Barrie

An attempt to rescue the ‘littluns’ turns into a battle of wills and bodies. A dance-off of sorts that could degenerate into a scramble for supremacy. There is some kind of accident/injury/death.

“Hell is other people.” (Sartre)

Suddenly the stage is filled with noise and activity. A sound from ‘outside’ and a door opening. Reactions to the rescue.

Joy/suspicion. Maybe the way out is high up so that the boys have to climb to escape. A final act of unity and cooperation. A hand reaches down to help the disgraced ‘wild’ leader and a truce is made. As the boys leave there is a movement among the shadows of the ruined camp. A figure, one of the ‘wild’ boys, deciding to stay?

Other ResearchPeter and Wendy (novel)The Lost Boys (film)Swallows and Amazons (book and film)


Plot Sections ACT I

Prologue 1Darkness apart from the already open dock door at the rear of the stage. Sounds of chaos or war, lights flashing and haze comes in from outside, through the dock door. We see a figure rushing in (Piggy), finding somewhere to hide, there is a sense of escaping from the danger.

Marching EntranceAll the boys enter through the dock door, marching down the ramp into the space, very structured, formal in their school uniforms and with a sense of hope.

No SignalDuring the end of the marching sequence, the dock door closes and the noise of it interrupts the boys’ dance. They are left in semi darkness. A moment of panic as the boys realise they are trapped inside. Some bang on the door. A few mobile phone lights go on and digits are pressed as they try and fail to find a signal. Ralph and Piggy find a switch and Ralph turns on the lights.

TheatreThe boys are astonished to find themselves on a deserted stage in a disused theatre. It is exciting and beautiful – a perfect playground.

Making an IslandThey set about arranging the space and what is in it to make an island, a ‘home’. Within this section we meet Ralph and Piggy properly and the twins Samneric.

ConchRalph and Piggy find one of a set of oil drums and a drum mallet/conchstick. Ralph bangs the oil drum to call everyone together (our equivalent of the conch from the novel).

ManifestosRalph and Jack state why they should be leader and the boys choose Ralph.

FriendsRalph, Simon and Jack set off to explore the building. Piggy tries to go but Jack pushes him away.

Herding CatsPiggy is left trying to control and count the boys while the other three navigate around the auditorium, their torches seeking a way out.

War GamesThe boys start to play war games, being tanks, airplanes, shooting at each other, lobbing hand grenades, even being motorbikes – The Great Escape style. The stage is full of activity on all it’s levels.

‘It’s like in a book’…‘Treasure Island …’‘Swallows and Amazons …’‘Coral Island…’‘This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grown ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun.’

‘The creature was a party of boys, marching approximately in step in two parallel lines and dressed in strangely eccentric clothing.’

‘There was the brilliant world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill; and there was the world of longing and baffled common sense.’

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‘They breathed together, they grinned together, they were chunky and vital. They raised wet lips at Ralph, for they seemed provided with not quite enough skin, so that their profiles were blurred and their mouths pulled open.’


End of Day One Ralph, Simon and Jack return. Ralph tells everyone there is no way out and everyone, exhausted, finds somewhere to sleep and settles down for the night. Ralph organises the sleeping arrangements (he finds blankets in one of the wicker costume baskets). Piggy marks off day one with a piece of chalk on the back wall. Ralph turns out the lights.

Conch 2Ralph calls a meeting to see what food the boys have in their rucksacks – not enough. Jack, Roger, Maurice and few of the other boys go off to hunt and forage the theatre exiting through the auditorium. Ralph leads the rest off stage.

SimonSimon’s solo is haunting, fluid and mirrors movement seen in a later scene where the Lord of the Flies ‘speaks’ to him. As Simon stares out into the auditorium, his focus suddenly shifts as Ralph and the others return to the stage.

E-NumbersThe hunters return with food foraged from front of house – crisps, popcorn, ice-creams. A sense of ‘raiding a tuck shop’! Everyone enjoys the food. Jack starts a food fight and chaos takes over. Roger picks on a littlun, an early glimpse of his ability to be cruel.

FireAfter the grub they all start feeling a bit sick and cold and begin to curl up and find warmth as best they can. Piggy has an idea – he brings out a lighter from his bag – same as the chalk, the map and torch - he has useful things in his bag. He and Ralph make their way up the steel deck levels to the oil

drum and Ralph lights it. As the glow and warmth emanates out, the boys are drawn towards it holding out their hands towards the source of heat.

OvertiredAfter the initial excitement of food and fire, everyone settles down for the second night. The twins, Samneric are in charge of watching the fire. The rest are huddling as near the fire as they can. Piggy marks the end of Day 2 on the wall. Ralph turns off the lights.

Asleep on the JobThe twins quickly fall asleep at their post. The fire dies.

Stranger In the semi darkness we see the dock door open enough for a stranger to enter through the gap. Some light from ‘outside’ creeps in. He is a casualty of the civil rest. He staggers forwards, his flashlight scanning the gloom in panic. The boys are sound asleep and he doesn’t see them. He is wearing some long, heavy coat. He makes his way towards the pit. We see a small boy Percy, clutching his Teddy Bear. He watches as the stranger disappears into the pit, too scared to do or say anything. He hides beneath the steel deck. The noise of the dock door closing wakes Ralph who rushes to keep it open but it closes before he reaches it. Ralph takes out his torch, shining it in the faces of the sleeping boys until he finds the twins sound asleep beside the unlit oil drum. There’s a moment of realisation that they missed a chance of getting out.

HeatWe are already into day three and the sun is up and the flies are out. The boys are lethargic now and bored. The debris of the food fight is everywhere and the place looks a shambles. Through this, Ralph and Piggy are picking their way.

Living like PigsRalph bangs the drum to call everyone to a meeting. Begrudgingly and lethargically, they respond to him. He tells them to tidy the place up. Everyone lends a hand apart from Jack, Roger, Maurice and some of the older boys. They would rather torment the littluns who are trying to help. Percy has been disturbed and comes out of his hiding place under the steel deck, clearly scared.

Percival Wemys MadisonPercy is pushed forward, terrified. Jack tries to bully him into speaking up but is pulled away by Ralph. There is a moment when everyone thinks a fight will start.

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BeastRalph takes the conchstick and gives it to Percy. Percy describes (dances) what he thinks he saw. Some of the boys and Percy create a beast with the conchstick and a blanket. The other littleuns are terrified by the story. Percy points out towards the pit. For the first time the boys realize there is ‘something out there’.

The PitEveryone begins to creep forward, daring each other to go to the edge and peer over into the pit. A few boys are shoved forwards. It is Jack who takes the initiative. He and his gang arm themselves to protect everyone. Ralph is made to look weak in comparison as Jack calls the boys to him to make a plan.

NightmaresIt’s an uneasy night for everyone. Weird noises echo from different directions. There is a feeling of edginess and fitful sleep. The stage is suddenly an unsafe place. Suddenly a spot light hits the stage, it moves, finding boys in it’s light who scatter to hide. Simon is the only one who doesn’t run, he walks slowly towards the round pool of light, looking out into the empty auditorium. With a change of light (gobos) we see more marks appearing on the back wall. Time passing.

Pig HuntWe see Jack up high on the steel deck. He looks more savage now and has war paint on. There’s a sense we are on a different part of the ‘island’. More hunters appear, stalking a prey. Suddenly a littlun (Robert), wearing a pig mask, makes

a run for it from a place of hiding. He is banging into things and in a panic. He is being hunted by Jack and his gang. He is pursued around the space, finally climbing up on to the top of the steel deck where Roger nudges him off into the mass of hunters below and they all crowd round him for the kill. Suddenly, from the mass of boys Jack holds high a real pig’s head. Robert has become part of the crowd.

Fresh MeatJack is triumphant. He smears his face and chest with the head, leaving traces of the pig’s blood, he parades around the stage, like a Pied Piper followed by most of the boys chanting. He puts the pig’s head on a stick, the chanting becomes frenzied and the boys exit leaving Simon staring at the head.

INTERVAL

ACT II

Prologue IIA lone ‘savage’ stands on stage, holding a stick, alert to everything around him. He lifts his stick above his head and lets out a silent call, the rest of Jack’s gang run onstage, clothes are torn or missing, the boys are seared with war paint, they smell the air and follow an invisible prey. They all exit.

Base CampRalph, Piggy, Simon and the twins have been left behind. The twins skulk off into the ‘jungle’ leaving Ralph, Piggy and Simon.

TrioRalph wants to give up being leader but Piggy and Simon try to persuade him not to as the idea of Jack as leader is too scary.

‘This was a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirt.’

‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close!’

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Centre StageThe pig’s head is placed centre stage on it’s pole. A full moon flies in low and frames it. Stars appear. Everyone has disappeared, it’s as if we have gone to a secret part of the island.

BeelzebubSimon approaches the pig’s head and kneels in front of it. In his imagination the pig’s head comes alive and is multiplied to become 3 other evil pig heads. We see an echo of the movement from Simon’s solo in Act I. The pigs direct Simon down towards the pit.

Or ElseThe Stranger suddenly comes up from the pit to meet Simon. It is clear he is dying. As the pig heads watch, almost acting like puppert-masters, the Stranger dances with Simon, finally dying in his arms. We see the pig heads disappear (removing the stranger’s corpse) and Simon puts on the stranger’s long coat. Simon swoons and as he crawls off into the pit Samneric arrive and see the crawling, staggering shape. Darkness.

Castle RockA pulsating, hypnotic tribal dance to the fire takes place with the stage awash with red light. Jack is seen up high on a makeshift throne, giving orders and acting the ‘Chief’. Ralph and Piggy try to get up to the fire but are stopped by Jack’s gang. Piggy is holding the conchstick but everyone laughs at him. Roger and Maurice are up for making trouble. Roger pushes Piggy, who is helped up by Ralph. Roger is triumphant in front of Jack’s gang. Ralph squares up to Jack and it looks like there will be a fight. The older boys are keyed up, the younger boys a bit scared.

Teeth and ClawSuddenly the twins burst through the ‘jungle’. They are in a panic and scramble away from the pit, banging into each other. They realise they are being watched and freeze.

LITTLUN SAVAGE

They put their hands to their mouths. Ralph gives them the conchstick. The others snigger. They tell the story of seeing the beast.

GangJack steps forward to say he will fight the beast and in a tribal sequence, Maurice pretends to be the beast. As the dance builds and more people join in, we see Simon, almost unrecognisable, climbing up from the pit and onto the foot of the stage. The others are too preoccupied with the savage game to see him.

Kill The BeastJack spots Simon in the Stranger’s coat and pushed him into the gang. Simon desperately tries to reach Ralph, Piggy and the twins on the steel deck but he is pulled back into the frenzied pack, stabbing and tearing at him. Suddenly a scream then silence for a second. Everyone staggers back into a horseshoe shape. Simon lies dead.

No ReturnLooking at each other silently, as one by one they gather up Simon’s body and send him off into the water. They leave Ralph and Piggy alone. Jack takes the coat with him.

RaptorsRalph and Piggy huddle back into the darkness, numb over what has just happened. It feels like a storm is brewing and they seek shelter in their ‘jungle’ camp. They are unaware that behind them, Jack, Roger and Maurice are preparing to attack. Suddenly they pounce on the shelter and fighting starts. By the time they leave, Piggy is left injured and alone. Ralph is nowhere to be seen.

BlindPiggy’s glasses and rucksack have gone and he dances his blindness, frustration and fear.

LedEventually Piggy hears a noise and feels his way to a costume basket and opens it to find Ralph. Relief for a moment. They set off towards…

‘The movement became regular while the chant lost its first superficial excitement and began to beat like a steady pulse…There was the throb and stomp of a single organism.’

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Chief….On another part of the island Jack is on his throne. He is wearing the coat Simon wore and dangling Piggy’s glasses from his fingers. He is watching Samneric who are being tortured. All around is like some mad gladiator training camp. Samneric are eventually tied to one of the costume rails.

Face OffRalph and Piggy enter. It is clear that they are not welcome. Ralph releases the twins who scramble over to Piggy. As Ralph has his back to him, Jack charges and pushes him. They square up again to fight. Jack is showboating – a gangster in front of a semi-circle of boys wanting a fight. They circle each other.

Zup!Piggy tries to shout above the noise and clamour. He has the conchstick and is trying to stop the fight. Roger unties the lamp that is flying above Piggy. Everything goes into slow motion, Ralph and Jack’s fight and Roger, controlling the lamp. Suddenly there is a crash, bringing everyone out of slowmo to see Piggy dead, crushed beneath the large theatre light.

EndgameSilence for a second. Then a roar! It is like the world has gone mad. Bloodlust. The chase is on and Ralph is running. Real danger. Spotlights wheeling. Boys everywhere are wrecking the space in the effort to find Ralph. Piggy’s body is removed. Everything is out of control. Mindless violence. Ralph is forced into the open as props and clothes are hurled on stage as missiles. Finally he collapses downstage centre as the group closes in.

RescueSuddenly there is light as the dock door begins to open. More light floods in, silhouetting an adult - a soldier. He makes his way down the ramp and onto the stage, pushing debris away with his feet, his gun held up to his face in readiness to shoot. Gradually the boys appear from the darkness and drop their weapons. Percy tugs at the sleeve of the soldier and drops his teddy bear. The adult steps aside to let them file out into the light. Jack is the last. The soldier turns towards the front of the stage as a light comes up on Ralph, tears streaming down his face. Fade to black out.

‘And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart…’

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Activity

Discuss the major differences between the plots and the elements that make Bourne’s interpretation more appropriate for a new audience?

What elements of Bourne’s plot can you relate to as a member of the audience and what connections can you see in our society?

Think of other novels that have been adapted for another art form (the stage, film, dance). Discuss what the similarities and differences are between the two. Discuss why these changes may have been made and what their relevance to the present day are.

William Golding’s Novel New Adventures & Re:Bourne Production

Boys are evacuated from a war Boys are escaping a civil unrest

Set on a desert Island Set in a disused old theatre

The Conch - whoever holds this is allowed to speak An old oil drum and drum mallet/conchstick – who ever holds the conchstick is allowed to ‘speak’

A dead pilot the boys find tangled In a tree on the island, who becomes ‘the beast’

An injured stranger who finds his way into the theatre and disappears down Into the pit, seen only by young Percy

The fire is lit to attract attention on the highest point of the island as a signal for rescue

An oil drum set on the upper level of the steel deck, representing the cliffs is lit for warmth

Ralph’s camp is on the beach, Jack’s is inland – Castle Rock Ralph’s camp is a wicker costume basket and clothes rails set upstage right, Jack’s is on levels of steel deck stage left, representing Castle Rock

Piggy is killed by Roger dropping a boulder on him from the top of Castle Rock

Piggy is killed by Roger dropping a large theatre light on him

The island is in flames as Ralph tries to escape Jack’s gang and death

Ralph is pelted by Jack’s gang using clothes, blankets, sticks, pillows etc as missiles thrown from both sides of the stage

Ralph runs into a naval officer. He sobs as do the other boys at the realization of what’s happened and the loss of innocence

The shutter on the back wall opens and a soldier enters. Slowly the savages emerge, dropping their weapons and slowly walking up the ramp, through the opening in the back wall, into the light of the outside world. Only Ralph remains sat alone on the edge of the stage, tears streaming down his face

Similarities and Differences


4. PRODUCTION ELEMENTSSet and Costume Lez Brotherston (Designer)Our production moves the setting from a desert island to a disused theatre, where the boys are shut in from some kind of riot or war outside. As the theatre is disused, the wing spaces, often hidden by tabs, are exposed, the only space the cast cannot be seen from is behind the false back wall.

SetThe set is made up of left over elements from previous productions staged in this disused theatre. The main piece of set is steel deck stage left, representing the cliffs and Castle Rock of the novel’s island. It has various levels and a raked, raised platform on an angle that slopes up from the back of the levels and into the upstage centre area. An oil drum is set towards the highest end of the platform. The drum is fitted with a mechanism, linked to gas bottles off stage, so when ‘lit’ we see real flames.

The steel deck is used to climb on, under and through by the cast and becomes Jack’s camp as the boys become more feral and savage. The scaffolding poles holding up the raised platform are used to swing on and hang things from.

There is a false dark back wall with a shutter entrance (dock door) slightly off centre right and a raked ramp that comes down into the floor space, from which the boys first enter and finally leave.

Along the back wall from stage left is a large gauze that has some pale blue, yellow and orange colouring, representing the sky. The gauze is on runners, like a curtain and is pulled along towards backstage centre and pulled back at various points in the production. Along the floor against the back false wall is a long crumpled bundle of polythene, which is lit blue from underneath, representing the sea. A large, hung round disc which moves from stage right to stage left represents the sun and the passing of time. A large moon is used in the scene where Simon speaks to the pig’s head – the Lord of the Flies.

This production uses a lot of props. There are four old style large wicker costume baskets. Some have wheels and are used when the boys first discover the space, becoming a racing car and a rollercoaster. A few are reinforced as dancers stand on them, as in the section where Ralph and Jack compete to be voted leader. The baskets are also used to hold old blankets and pillows that the boys use during the night scenes.

There are four costume rails on wheels that have been reinforced with hangers and clothes on them (coats, trousers, shirts etc), mainly dark, muted colours. These represent the jungle in the novel and Ralph’s camp, once Jack has split off with his gang. The twins Samneric are hooked into clothing on a costume rail and tortured by Jack’s gang in Act II.

There are other oil drums as well as the drum with the fire. It is Piggy who discovers a drum mallet/conchstick and offers this and an oil drum to Ralph early on in Act I. This is our representation of the conch. Whoever holds the conchstick is able to ‘speak’.

■ MAKING IN AN ISLAND

■ MANIFESTO

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The production also has consumables in it. A section in Act I, when Jack and his henchmen have returned from a recce front of house with food - crisps, chocolate, popcorn, ice cream tubs etc – all things that are sold in a theatre shop, brought onto the stage in a triumphant line in boxes and usherettes trays. Most of the food ends up scattered across the stage as Jack starts a food fight once everyone has collected their fair share in an orderly fashion.

The cast also have personal props which they are responsible for during the production - torches, mobile phones (which light up), Piggy has a note book, pen, map, lighter and inhaler (for his asthma). Percy, who sees the stranger has a teddy bear, each schoolboy has a small black rucksack.

CostumesFrom the boys first entrance, to the their last exit, we see a gradual breakdown in their costumes, from pristine school uniforms to torn, muddy and disheveled shorts and shirts, bearing little or no resemblance to their original state. Piggy’s costume manages to sustain the least damage.

The uniforms are made up of grey shorts, white shirt, school tie, v-neck grey jumper, zip up hoodies, blazers, grey knee length socks and black shoes.

■ RALPH AND CONCH

As soon as the boys start to discover the space, blazers are discarded, ties are loosened, some of the littuns take off their shoes and socks to play. The costumes become more broken down as savagery takes over and by the beginning of Act II, shorts are tatty, shirts have been discarded or ripped and faces and bodies are covered in war paint and all shoes and socks have been left behind.

As the production has a different cast of boys and young men in each venue of the tour, our wardrobe department re-fits and alters the uniforms - new and broken down - for each new young ensemble in each city. Often repairs are needed or we need to buy an item, for example a pair of shoes.

■ SIMON

■ PIGGY

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During the rehearsal process in each city, the young ensemble cast are given their character name and a photograph of how their face paint should look as each is different. This gives the cast a chance to practice, as during the performances they will be applying the war paint themselves backstage.

Costume Supervisor - Jan BenchAs Costume Supervisor I provide all the costumes required for the production. Lez Brotherston, the designer and I discussed what style school uniform he wanted the boys to have, we had a few prototype fittings to make sure he approved the look and that the boys could dance in it and then I stormed ahead and bought all the uniforms. The challenge with this is finding uniforms that are exactly the same but fit all the different sizes that make up the company, both adult dancers and young ensemble.

When we first see the boys they are as neat as possible - socks pulled up and top button done up, clean and tidy. This look is an integral part of the story telling, it tells the audience that the boys come from a disciplined and ordered school and that they are well looked after.

The next part of the job is to have some of the costumes “broken down”. These are the ones that the cast change into part way through the piece. They need to show the audience that the boys have been trapped inside the theatre for a long time and that they have cast away their disciplined neat school boy look and have become feral.

The distressing and painting of the costumes is carried out by professional dyers and costume effects people. There is a real skill in getting the costumes to the right level - they can’t look too exaggerated but they can’t look too clean. Also any ‘dirt’ that is added needs to be permanent so the wardrobe department can wash the costumes and not have

the breaking down come off.

First of all the clothes are ripped or cut with scissors or attacked with sandpaper and cheese graters - this is to make them look aged & worn. They are then put through a wash with a dirty, durgy dye. This knocks the new look off everything and turns the white shirts a grubby colour. The wash also helps give the ripped & grated edges a more authentic look. After that the “dirt” is applied. The people doing the work have to think about where the dirt would end up if a boy was actually wearing the clothes for a long time in a dirty theatre. For example, a lot of the dirt is concentrated around the pockets or on the front of the shorts where the boys might wipe their hands.

Then the black, white or grey pigment is splattered and painted on to the clothes to match with the body painting. Broad brush strokes of white and black across shirts and shorts made the best impact - it helps the audience believe that order has broken down and chaos ensues.

Finally these clothes are baked in a special oven at 150 degrees to fix the dyes and pigment. All of this helps gives the production a context for the dancer’s story.

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Music - Composing the Music for Lord of the Flies by Terry Davies Getting StartedAmongst the most enjoyable moments for me as a composer are those at the very beginning of the process. Everything is possible. There are an infinite number of options so I start with questions to narrow it down. What does the island sound like? The conch must be useful, so what is it? Jack’s group is a choir - that’s a gift, surely! What instrument would be best for Piggy? How can music lead us into the depths?

The initial decisions are made with other members of the creative team - Matthew Bourne, Scott Ambler and Lez Brotherston favour a sealed and abandoned theatre to represent the island and the story will take place today or in the near future. These details are crucial for me. Also helpful are any costume drawings or sketches of the set as they help me get to know the characters and their world. There are discussions with Matt and Scott about structure, the sequence of events and how they are put together. Before long a rough scenario arrives and I have something solid to work with.

There is going to be a long early section in which the boys excitedly explore the theatre. Matt and Scott have called it ‘Making an Island’. This is unlikely to change so I decide to start here, to get a feel for things.

The scene has to be fun. I like the thought of having tropical island flavours to reflect back to the book. Caribbean rhythms and bright harmonies can suggest this along with marimbas, guitars and ukuleles. The percussion sounds I choose include basketball bounces and trainers squeaking in a gym. Unbroken voices singing a few phrases will add some playful innocence and remind us they are a choir.

Creating CharactersNow I need more themes – tunes I can develop as the story progresses. I prefer to have a sound and theme for each main character to keep the story coherent. Sometimes a theme for an idea is useful too – like fear of the Beast or time passing.

A sound for Jack comes quickly. Of all the characters, he changes the most, from playing with the others to being murderous. A saxophone can be powerful and even harsh, but also sweet and playful. I choose the soprano saxophone because the difference between its high, gentle voice and its harsher sounds is startling. As a bonus, there is a playing technique called ‘growling’ that rasps the notes and I end up

using this often, high on the instrument, to depict Jack at his most dangerous.

Ralph is harder. Actors say that playing likeable, moral people can be difficult because their individual characteristics are often harder to pin down than those of an obvious villain, for example. Equally, finding a sound for upright Ralph takes a while. Nothing quite does it. In the end, I decide on an orchestral instrument: the French horn. It has a noble quality that many composers have found useful. But I need to make sure Ralph’s theme can be playful otherwise the horn could make him sound old and dull.

There is an early opportunity to test these choices. Soon after ‘Making an Island’ there’s to be a section called ‘Manifestos’. In this, Ralph and then Jack try to persuade the others that they will make the best leader. I want each to set out his ideas to his own theme. The two themes then go on to debate and argue along with the action on the stage until the saxophone is overtaken by the horn and Ralph is triumphant.

The idea for Piggy takes me by surprise. I always liked playing the melodica at school – a kind of blown accordion. It has a slightly wheezy sound that’s perfect for slow, thoughtful Piggy, and it also hints at his asthma.

Simon is genuinely good - the dreamer open to the natural world and beauty. For him I choose a cello: soaring and lyrical.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Beast and the fear of it. I’m drawn to electronic sounds because they are non-human and can be very dark. Low complex chords and harsh electronic percussion heighten this, along with a few imagined growls for an extra chill.

Developing the ScoreAs the score takes shape I’m often in touch with Matt and Scott with questions or to discuss something. A fresh detail can easily trigger a new idea or suggest an unexpected way forwards. I send them demos of newly completed sections and sometimes their comments lead to changes. One of the biggest structural questions concerns a time passing theme that will bind the scenes together and help provide a solid framework. This bleak theme now ends the whole piece.

Overall, I need to be certain that the score makes sense and in purely musical terms works. For example, as civilisation disintegrates, harmony and finally even melody are stripped away until little more than crude rhythm remains. Finally, it’s a long piece so there must be enough musical variety to hold everybody’s interest.


Lighting Design by Chris DaveyLez Brotherston, Matthew Bourne and Scott Ambler have very cleverly transposed the location of Lord of the Flies from an Island to an empty theatre. In the novel the boys and young men arrive to a world that is scary, exciting and full of challenges. The essence of this production’s world is found when a group find themselves in a disused empty theatre full of ghosts and history. Essentially they are trapped when the scenery dock door closes behind them in much the same way they are trapped on the novel’s island.

My job as lighting designer was to initially create a world the youngsters are scared of yet inquisitive to enter. The world outside the dock door is full of danger and explosions created by strobe lighting and smoke. As the schoolboys enter in a marching formation (up to 32 in total) we see them in silhouette, just their shapes against the smoke.

Gradually as the boys become accustomed to their new surroundings we see the elements of the theatre appear. The scenery left behind just so happens to be elements of an island, a sun, a beautiful sky gauze, a mound of rostra called steel deck that looks like a hill. Each element is picked out by the lighting in turn encouraging the youngsters to explore their new world.

All design elements of the production, including all lighting, are very visible. Nothing is hidden. Often lamps are masked so the audience are not aware of where the light comes from but Lez Brotherston the set and costume designer, was keen

to see all the workings of the theatre right to the theatre walls so we also see all lamps on booms and amongst the steel deck to cross light the dancers.

I wanted the lighting to be made up of big washes of light, to be as theatrical as possible. It needs to create an atmosphere to support the mood of the story through the music and choreography as well as give a sense of time of day. The ‘Making an Island’ section where the boys use costume baskets and found props to create a racing car and rollercoaster amongst other things, sees yellow and orange washes that create a warm feel, as the boys play.

The pit (orchestra pit) where the injured stranger/beast descends is lit with green gels and smoke, creating a menacing atmosphere as the boys peer in from a safe distance.

As the boys become more animalistic, the music, choreography, costumes and make up demonstrates the gradual changes on the island. The lighting also becomes harder to underline the development of the story. Big shadows on the theatre walls from lamps on the floor hopefully show this and reds for the ritualistic feel to Jack’s camp, emphasizing the fire.

This touring production has moved from city to city around the country every few weeks with a new ensemble of young dancers at each new theatre, joining the New Adventures dancers. The lighting is recreated each time by a Chief Electrician who looks after the show to maintain a high standard and to deal with any problems that occur such as a lamp blowing or a moving light not working. The production team also includes a Production Electrician who works with the Chief Electrician to fit the show snugly into each theatre slightly adjusting the lighting to suit each individual venue.

Activity

Write a theme that describes somebody interesting. Perhaps somebody you know or a fictional character. What’s interesting about them and how can you suggest this musically? Should the music be high or low, fast or slow, loud or soft? What sounds or instruments would work best?

Create a conversation in music between two sounds or instruments. What is each one saying? Do they argue or agree? The whole conversation needs to result in a single piece of music.

Write a piece that describes a cold and lonely night, far from home.

The music for Lord of the Flies by Terry Davies is now available to buy and download from iTunes and Amazon.

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5. PRACTICAL WORKSHEETS

General NotesMuch of the nucleus of movement created by Matthew Bourne and his dancers has its origins in gesture, usually simple, often everyday gestures that are then layered and developed. By the time an audience sees the finished production the original movement is unrecognizable.

By starting with the simple, using the exercises and tasks that follow, students will be able to embed movement they and their peers create into their bodies and be able to recall the initial intention behind it, so that as a piece of work develops that foundation remains. The intention and motivation of characters in Bourne’s work is integral to the dancers telling the story to the audience. The dancers need to know who they are, how they feel, what motivates them and their actions at any given moment. The research the dancers do before and during rehearsals enables them to find a truth in their performance.

As important as the movement are facial expressions. As a dance theatre company, all of Bourne’s work is character and narrative based, so his dancers are also actors and therefore the story they tell with their faces is as crucial as the story they tell physically through movement.

Music is also an extremely important element for Bourne. it is often music that is the original impetus for his productions, although not in every case. Music helps to create or change an atmosphere, it can help to highlight a character (as with Terry Davies’ music for Lord of the Flies (see 4. Production Elements, Music) and it helps drive the narrative along.

Character Work

Activity 1 This exercise can be a physical warm up and a character exercise.

Have the class or group line up in groups of 4, 5 or 6 (depending on the size of your space and/or group) at the far end of your space. The intention is to have a single person from each group traveling across the space at the same time.

The first time they travel, ask them to imagine how they would move through mud. They might interact with each other, someone might fall over, facial expressions are as important as the movement.

Once everyone has crossed the space, repeat the exercise but this time travelling through water, what does this do to the movement that is different from mud?

Finally get the group to cross the space as if in a jungle.

The choice of music will help, you may want to use a different piece of music for each setting. Ask the students to think about how they feel moving through each scenario, how their movement changes, how they might interact with each other differently (or not at all?).


Activity 2

A useful way for your students to start developing characters from either the novel or our production is to use descriptive words – three positive and three negative – with a movement for each. This is a really good way to engage with students who might not be comfortable with movement or have little or no experience. They’ll be creating movement without realizing it. This kind of exercise can create very exciting movement phrase and make students move in a different way.

We’ve suggested some words for a few of the characters, you can use your own or ask the students to come up with their own.

Positive NegativeRalph STRONG UNCERTAIN FIERCE SCARED COURAGEOUS SAD

Jack LEADER BULLY COMPETITIVE JEALOUS TOUGH CRUEL Piggy DEPENDABLE ANNOYING INTELLIGENT INSECURE QUIET WEAK Simon SHY ISOLATED KIND WEIRD SPIRITUAL VULNERABLE

Once each student has chosen a character and six descriptive words, they need to create a movement or gesture for each word, one positive, one negative and so on.

Make sure the movement is clean, clear and in their bodies.

Make sure that the change from one movement into the other is smooth, so all six movements are continuous rather than movement one – hold – movement two – hold etc.

Different types of music can help bring out the positive and negative movements.

Share these with the group and discuss.

If you want to develop this exercise further, you can use a technique called Top and Tail – something New Adventures do a lot when creating material.

Split your group off into pairs. Decide on who is A and who is B. A is going to teach B the top half of their movement for each

word and B is going to teach A the bottom half, so they will create a new set of movement.

They may need to adapt the movement a bit which is fine.

This takes quite a bit of time, it sounds easy but takes a lot of concentration.

The group now has their individual six movement phrase and the top and tail movement. You can start to split this up if you want to, so 2 original phrase movements, then two movements of the top and tail phrase and so on.

Activity 3This is a technique Bourne and his dancers use in the early stages of rehearsals. They each create the backstory for their character and then spend some time in character, interacting with one another. These backstories will not be something the audience finally see or know about but it gives the dancers a very solid foundation, depth and fullness to their characters, which brings their performances to life for the audience, something that Bourne has become synonymous with in his dance theatre productions. For our production every young ensemble cast member in each city Lord of the Flies has toured to has gone through this process.

Use the headings below for students to create their own characters from Lord of the Flies. The answers to the following should be made up, so they can really use their imaginations. You can use the character descriptions in Section 2 of this pack to give the students some ideas and feel free to add to this list.

Full NameAgeWhere were you born?Siblings? If so how many?Likes DislikesWho’s your best friend at school? How do you feel about being on a deserted island with no adults?

You can ‘hot seat’ a number/or all of your students one by one so the group gets to ask questions about each other’s characters.

It’s also a good idea for them to work in groups, sharing character information with each other, which individuals are friends and which are not, so a sense of ‘tribe’ and group dynamic starts to build.

If you plan to develop further work, make sure you/your students keep a record of their character work so they can refer back to it.


Devising and Developing Work

Activity 1 The following exercise allows students to create movement and motifs using characters from the novel or from our production. This can be a short exercise, just making and refining the movement or you can develop it further adding the suggested layers or layers of your own.

Ask your students to pick four characters from the novel or our production

Put a gesture to each name (similar to Activity 2 in the Character Work section) that resembles their character’s movement e.g. Piggy - cleaning his glasses or being mocked and Ralph – the leader or using the conch.

Once your students have really got each movement clear and clean and in their bodies, ask them to walk around the room

As they walk, call out the name of a character and the students respond by doing the action.

Repeat as many times as you like and play around with things a bit.

You can change the pace the students do their character movement for example slow motion is used in our production, or speeded up fast.

Further Development:A task New Adventures use to development movement is ‘Whisper and Shout’.

Get your students into two lines, facing each other so everyone has an opposite partner.

Using the four character gestures, one line, then the other, has to ‘whisper’ their gestures, make it smaller but keeping the detail and intention.

Do the same with a ‘shout’, so the movement becomes exaggerated and huge, again keeping the original movement.

Each student now has 3 versions of their gestures, the original, the whisper and the shout.

They can develop a ‘conversation’ in pairs. A starts with their first gesture, B replies with their first gesture, A responds with their second gesture etc.

You could experiment with putting pairs together to make larger groups and conversations. They can play with the

order, change levels, add traveling etc.

You can put them into different situations - for example in a supermarket, a party, a doctor’s waiting room. Do these environments change the movement? Do the students feel the need to adapt any of their movements to a given situation? What effect does different styles/types of music have?

The important thing is for the students to maintain the original essence and intention of their movement. They really need to think about character (they may want to focus on one of the characters they created a gesture for or more) and how they respond to different situations and other people.

Activity 2 The following exercise allows students to create movement based on themes from the novel. There is a progression through this exercise that includes creating their own choreography as well as peer teaching and learning.

Ask each student to think of four items they would take to an island.

Then create a movement or gesture for each item.

Allow the students time to refine and remember each movement, so when they repeat it, it is the same each time.

Share some or all of the students four movements with the group. Can they guess what the items are?

Further Development:Take the 4 character gestures from Activity 1, each student will now have 8 moves – 4 character and 4 things they would bring to an island.

They can work in pairs or in trios (or larger groups) to mix up their movements, putting them in a different order, for example 2 character, 2 items, 2 character, 2 items, teaching each other their movements.

Then ask them to add in a turn, jump, travel and slow motion to change the dynamics. Each movement can either take 2 or 4 counts. Decide this before they start this exercise. They may need to adapt their movements to fit this.

Again music is important for tempo and giving the students something to respond to. Remind them that their facial expressions are important both for the character and item movements.


Activity 3In our production, there is a scene in Act I when Ralph, Simon and Jack have gone out into the auditorium to look for ways out. Piggy is left in charge of all the others. The boys begin to play War Games, a section that the young ensemble casts have created themselves in each city. Remember these are boys at play. If you are working with older young people, don’t let them play at being children or play down in age, it still needs to be real for them. Our New Adventures dancers left their childhood behind some years ago but they find a playfulness in this section that isn’t about them pretending to be 12 years old again. This was an exercise the dancers did in the studio during some research and development time. They had so much fun that they decided to find a way to include it in the production, there is no equivalent section in the novel.

Split your students into groups of 5 or more.

In their groups they need to create a war scenario through movement, with minimal noises and no speaking. They could be in the trenches of WWI, in planes bombing the enemy, in the jungle Rambo style, it’s up to them and their imaginations.

Some of the group may be victims rather than fighters, some might just create the machinery of war. Everything has to be created physically - tanks, torpedoes, planes etc.

Every member of the group needs to have a say and it needs to be clear what kind of combat they are involved in. It can be a number of different types but there should be some kind of narrative/logic.

Give them at least 20 minutes, longer if possible to create.

Then share and discuss.

Choose music that will help the groups to find their inner soldier or commando. You might set the group a task of researching war films or bring some in with specific sections in mind to show them as a stimulus.

Activity 4

The beast is a central theme in Lord of the Flies. The boys imagine there is a beast on the island in the novel. In our production, the beast is an injured stranger who finds his way into the theatre but is only seen by Percy, disappearing into the pit. The boys behave differently towards this idea of the beast. Jack wants to kill it, most are scared of it, Simon is really the only one to recognize that the beast is within us all. The following exercise explores the idea of fear and the beast, real or imaginary.

Split your students into groups of 5 or more.

They are going to create a physical beast that is able to move.

It is really important that each person in each group is allowed to say what their fear is. It may be real or imaginary. For example, it could be a fear of the dark, of spiders, of enclosed spaces, of clowns etc.

More than one of the fears in each group needs to be incorporated in the beast.

The group could pick individuals to be a victim or it could be a beast that changes shape with each fear. It’s up to the group to decide collectively.

They can use some sounds if they wish to create atmosphere but no words or speaking. Again music will help, something ominous and dark.

Give them at least 20 minutes, longer if possible to create.

Then share and discuss. Can the students guess the fears? Were the beasts scary? What did it make them feel creating the beast and watching the other beasts?

Further Development:Put groups together and create a scenario where one beast meets another. What happens? Do they fight, do they morph, do they collaborate to become stronger and more scary?

Another scenario could be a group becomes the beast and one the people imagining them or being victimized by the beast.

If your students have done their character sheets, you could put them in groups of characters who turn bad, making the beasts and those who remain good, the victims.

Again allow them at least 20 minutes to create this new scenario. Don’t let the quality or clarity of movement, the intention, the facial expressions and telling the story become watered down.

Again they each need to have a voice and a say in developing this.

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Activity 5In Act I there is a nighttime section where the boys are trying to sleep but there’s an uneasy, eerie, ominous atmosphere. They wake suddenly, looking in different directions, hearing noises, then fall back into sleep, only to be woken again. This exercise gives students the opportunity to create movement in pairs and larger groups and involves peer teaching and learning.

In pairs, ask your students to create a phrase of movement where there is one blanket between the two of them.

Suggest they work with the ideas of waking up from a bad dream, maybe being woken by a noise from somewhere, is it their imagination or was that really a noise?

Work on keeping movements relatively small, real, not dance structured.

Depending on the amount of time you have and/or the ability of the groups, create either 2 x 8’s, 4 x 8’s or 8 x 8’s.

Once the pairs have developed their movements (if you have time, allow each pair to show their work), put them in groups of fours or sixes with each pair teaching the other pair/s their movement.

This should take some time, as detail is really important. Then share these pieces with each other and discuss.

Further Development: Pair One work on mirroring one another. Pair Two become editors, choosing the bits of each pairs material they like best and Pair Three create a slow motion section with the other pair/s material.

Leave time to share and discuss these.

Activity 6

At the beginning of Act I the schoolboys enter onto a dimly lit stage in a marching pattern. They are regimented like soldiers, they hold the straps of their rucksacks and step in unison as they enter through the shutter door and down the ramp, smartly dressed in their school uniforms, they have an air of optimism and certainty. Smoke and flashing lights can be seen through the shutter door and a soundtrack of shouting and breaking glass can be heard. The music Terry Davies has written for this has an almost Morse Code beat with a choir singing over it. It’s a very powerful scene that builds and builds until the shutter door closes and the boys are locked in.

In total contrast, in Act II, there is a section called Castle Rock. This is Jack’s territory. The stage is flooded with red light, the fire at the top of the raised platform is lit and the music has a heavy tribal rhythm. We see the littuns enter onto the stage in hoodies and begin a sequence of movement. They are then joined by the middluns on the various steel deck levels, in hoodies, with a sequence that adds a layer to the littuns. Finally the biguns enter, mixed in among the littuns, their sequence helps to build the trance like dance to a crescendo. The movement is heavy, intimidating, pulsating and mesmerizing. They are no longer schoolboys, they are feral savages paying homage to their leader Jack and to the fire.

With these two very different images in mind, ask your students to initially find a marching pattern, something that is unified, very set and precise.

Ask them to think about groups that march, about how that might feel physically and mentally. Remember these are innocent schoolboys not trained soldiers.

Depending on the time you have, they can create 2 x 8’s or more that are repeated. They can work in smaller groups and then share their marching phrases with each other.

Further Development:Ask the groups to think about 4 gestures or movements their schoolboy characters would make.

They need to decide collectively on these.

Then split the group so half break out into these new 4 gestures at an agreed point in the sequence, while the others continue their original marching pattern. This break can happen at any point, as long as it’s in unison. They then return to the original marching pattern.

The other half can then break out with the 4 gestures if you wanted to extend the sequence or alternatively they could create 4 gestures of their own and then choreograph each group’s break out from the original marching sequence.

The music you choose will help them with a regimented rhythm and feel to the movement.

Now ask your students to discard the schoolboy and find their inner savage.

Again get your students to come up with 2 x 8’s (or more depending on how long they have).

They need to think about how this change affects their movement and attitudes.

Suggestions of tribal or trance like dances or more modern locking and popping could also be helpful in creating movement.


In our Castle Rock section, all the dancers have a subtle bounce in the knees, a pulsating rhythm throughout, led by the music, this can help students or they may want to try something different.

Depending on the ability of your students and the time you have to work with them, they may like to develop two or 3 versions of the original material, so there is layering affect similar to our scen e.

Physically and mentally they need to make the shift from regimented schoolboy to intimidating savage, lost in a collective hypnotic state.

The choice of music will help students to find these contrasting characters. Referring back to their character sheets may also help them find the movement.

Start with simple gestures that reflect each of these opposing types.

There may be some gestures that are adapted from the schoolboy into the savage.

The groups should think about traveling, levels, maybe cannons to give the movement some texture.

Bring the whole group back together to discuss the movement and how both scenarios felt. Did they prefer creating/performing one more than the other? Was it easy or difficult to bring the savage to the forefront?

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6. REFLECTING AND REVIEWINGReviewing Live Performance

General overview• Summarise the plot in 3–5 sentences

• Describe the style of the production

• Did it remind you of any other productions you have seen or know?

• What was your personal response to the production?

• What theatrical devices and conventions were used?

Direction and choreography• What do you think the director/choreographer was trying to

convey through the production?

• Do you think that the choreography, set design and staging supported and conveyed this?

• Was there an interesting and varied use of stage space?

Dancing• How would you describe the dancing style?

• What different styles of dance did you recognise?

• Were they all successfully used within the production?

• What can you say about the dancing in comparison with the dancing in other productions you have seen?

• Who gave the most notable performance? Try to be specific about why in your answer.

Design• Describe the set, costume, lighting and sound.

• What kind of statement did each of these make?

• How did the design contribute to the production’s meaning?

• Give examples of how the lighting enhanced the narrative.

Reviews and editorials for New Adventures and Re:Bourne’s production of Lord of the Flies

2014 production trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNazBK6rwrg

BBC Breakfast 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIT5bJY2o0E

telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/10746431/Lord-of-the-Flies-The-Lowry-Salford-review.html

manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/review-matthew-bournes-lord-flies-6928338

theguardian.com/stage/2014/apr/17/matthew-bourne-dance-lord-of-the-flies

theguardian.com/stage/gallery/2014/apr/17/matthew-bourne-again-dancers-lord-of-the-flies-in-pictures

heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/stage/scottish-boys-find-their-feet-in-matthew-bournes-lord-of-the-flies.24285019

7. FURTHER MATERIAL AND READINGRehearsal diaries from our 2011 production

Rehearsal Diary 1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYlqFUJ9f_w

Rehearsal diary 2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhJXwVsFn

Did You Know?

Lord of the Flies’ original title was Strangers From Within. It was rejected by several publishers before Charles Monteith at Faber and Faber saw its potential.

When the book was first published in 1954, Lord of the Flies only sold 3,000 copies before going out of print. But by 1962, the book had sold over 65,000 copies, and has since become a firm favourite on the school and college curriculum.

Lord of the Flies is one of the most famous books of 20th-century literature and the author, William Golding, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1983.

After serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, Golding’s experience of war became his inspiration for Lord of the Flies: “The boys try to construct a civilisation on the island; but it breaks down in blood and terror because the boys are suffering from the terrible dise of being human.”

Another influence on Lord of the Flies was the 1857 novel The Coral Island by R M Ballantyne, which is mentioned both by the schoolboys and the naval officer in the book. There are even characters in The Coral Island called Ralph and Jack. However, the island of Ballantyne’s novel is rather different to Golding’s, featuring swashbuckling pirates and an island of penguins!

Another likely inspiration for Lord of the Flies was the time Golding spent teaching at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury. During his classes, Golding would organise psychological experiments with his pupils, dividing them into ‘gangs’ and giving them ‘camps’ to defend and attack, much like Jack and Ralph’s tribes in Lord of the Flies.


The title of Lord of the Flies is translated from the Hebrew phrase ‘ba’al zebub’, which is the name of a Philistine god and is known as ‘Beelzebub’, the Devil, in the Bible. In the novel, the phrase refers to an ‘unseen’ beast.

The conch in Lord of the Flies is a symbol of authority and order; at the beginning, each boy only has permission to speak when holding it. This is similar to today’s proceedings in the House of Commons, where the Speaker holds order over the House and authorises when Members of Parliament are allowed to speak during debates.

Lord of the Flies has been adapted for film on two occasions: in a 1963 version, directed by Peter Brook, and another in 1990, directed by Harry Hook.

Characteristically for director Peter Brook, the film was developed unconventionally via a series of workshops based on the original novel, without going through the usual screenplay stage. He also opted for an entirely non-professional cast, with impressively convincing results. Though performances are far from flawless, the more ‘polished’ efforts of drama school pupils might have undermined Golding’s key theme: that civilisation is merely a paper-thin façade which, when removed, leads to chaos.

To prepare for their roles in the 1963 film, the boys stayed in an old abandoned tinned pineapple factory on a Puerto Rican island in the Caribbean, where they only had basic facilities, much like the boys in the novel.

A stage version of Lord of the Flies was first performed at King’s College Junior School, Wimbledon, on 3 December 1991. William Golding was in the audience and visited the cast backstage afterwards.

Lord of the Flies was adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams, and was first produced professionally by the Royal Shakespeare Company on 31 July 1995.

Many films and television series have taken inspiration from Lord of the Flies, including The Beach, Lost and episodes of The Simpsons, South Park and The Day Today (where a group of commuters stuck on a train turn into savages!).

Castle Rock, a fictional town featured in many Stephen King novels, is named after a rocky outcrop that appears in Lord of the Flies.

Compiled by Paul Bovey © John Good

Further Reading

For more information about William Golding visit www.william-golding.co.uk

The Inheritors by William Golding (1955)

Pincher Martin by William Golding (1956)

The Spire by William Golding (1964)

The Pyramid by William Golding (1967)

The Scorpion God by William Golding (1971)

Darkness Visible by William Golding (1979)

The Moving Target by William Golding (1982)

The Paper Men by William Golding (1984)

The Double Tongue by William Golding (1995)

The Children of Lovers, A Memoir of William Golding by His Daughter. Judy Golding

William Golding by John Carey (2009)

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by J M Barrie (1906)

The Little White Bird by J M Barrie (1902)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Boys_(Peter_Pan)

■ TOM GAMON AND INVERNESS CAST


References

Abrams, J J, Bender J, Williams S. Lost (ABC TV series, 2004 – 2010).

Ballantyne, R M. The Coral Island, A Tale of the Pacific Ocean (1858).

Barrie, J M. Peter and Wendy (Hodder & Stoughton 19011).

Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot (1953).

Boyle, Danny (Dir). The Beach, (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2000).

Brook, Peter (Dir). Lord of the Flies (British Lyon Film Corporation, 1963).

Carey, John. William Golding: The Man Who Wrote Lord of the Flies (Faber, 2009).

Connolly, Cyril. Intellectual, literary critic and writer (b 1903, d 1974).

Delaney, Shelagh. Playwright and author (b 1938, d 2011).

Golding, Judy. The Children of Lovers, A Memoir of William Golding by His Daughter (Faber & Faber, 2011).

Greoning M. The Simpsons (TV Series Fox Broadcasting

Company, 1989 –present day).

Hook, Harry (Dir). Lord of the Flies (Columbia Pictures, USA, Palace Pictures, UK, 1990).

Iannucci A, Morris C. The Day Today (BBC 2, 1994).

King, Stephen. Fiction Writer, (b.1947 – ).

Kingsley, Charles. Poems of Home: Youth The “Old, Old Song” (b 1819, d 1875).

Kotcheff Ted (Dir). Rambo - First Blood (Carolco Pictures, 1982).

Parker T, Stone M. South Park (Comedy Central Television Network TV Series -1997 – ).

Ransome, Arthur. Swallows and Amazons (Jonathan Cape, 1930).

Sarte, Jean Paul. No Exit and Three Other Plays (1994) (Vintage International, 1989).

Schumacher, Joel (Dir): The Lost Boys (Warner Bros, 1987).

Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 94 (1609).

Sturges, John. The Great Escape (The Mirisch Companty/United Artists, 1963).

Whatham, Claude (Dir). Swallows and Amazons (Anglo-EMI Film Distributors, 1974).

Williams, Nigel. Lord of the Flies (1995).

Yeates, WB. Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven (1899).

Contributors:Scott Ambler, Jan Bench, Paul Bovey, Matthew Bourne, John Carey, Chris Davey, Terry Davies, Daisy May Kemp, Etta Murfitt and Phineas Pett. With special thanks to Judy Golding. Edited by Helen Prosser

2014 © Re:Bourne

Essay Questions Compare and contrast Ralph and Simon. Both seem to be “good” characters. Is there a difference in their goodness?

Of all the characters, it is Piggy who most often has useful ideas and sees the correct way for the boys to organize themselves. Yet the other boys rarely listen to him and frequently abuse him. Why do you think this is the case? In what ways does Golding use Piggy to advance the novel’s themes?

What, if anything, might the dead parachutist symbolize? Does he symbolize something other than what the beast and the Lord of the Flies symbolize?

The sow’s head and the conch shell each wield a certain kind of power over the boys. In what ways do these objects’ powers differ? In what way is Lord of the Flies a novel about power, about the power of symbols and about the power of a person to use symbols to control a group?

What role do the littluns play in the novel? In one respect, they serve as gauges of the older boys’ moral positions, as we see whether an older boy is kind or cruel based on how he treats the littluns. But are the littluns important in and of themselves? What might they represent?

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