teacher and student resource pack

Transcription

A NEW
ADVENTURES AND RE:BOURNE PRODUCTION
TEACHER AND STUDENT RESOURCE PACK
LORD OF THE FLIES TEACHER AND STUDENT RESOURCE PACK
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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
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1. USING THIS RESOURCE PACK
This 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.
Discussion and/or Evaluation Ideas
Research and/or Further Reading Activities
Practical Tasks
Written Work
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.
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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
■ WILLIAM GOLDING
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
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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.
■ ORIGINAL FABER PUBLICATION
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 Plot
The 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
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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.”
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.
Copyright © Tom Hollyman, Inc
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.
Characters
Ralph
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.
Ralph 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.
Jack
The 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
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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.
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.
Samneric
The 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 Littluns
Piggy
The 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.
Simon
Simon 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
The 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 Symbols
Taken 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 Evil
The 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 Order
The 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.
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.
Loss of Innocence
As 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.
Activity
Identify the points when certain characters’ innocence
were lost. Who was the first? Do any remain innocent
at the end?
Discipline
Golding 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.
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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.
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?
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.
Activity
How many aspects of different religions can you identify
in the novel or in New Adventures performance?
The Conch Shell
Ralph 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 Fire
The 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.
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The Beast
The 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 Flies
This 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.
Activity
How 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 discuss
Civilisation, Society and Citizenship
Reason versus impulse and Human Instinct
Hierarchy, Leadership, Rules and commandments
The Boys
Lord 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.
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3. NEW ADVENTURES AND RE:BOURNE’S LORD OF THE FLIES
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
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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.
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.
Photo: Helen Maybanks
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.
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
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.
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
12
Production Research
In 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 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)
■ MOOD BOARDS
Some Initial Ideas by Scott Ambler
In 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
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
13
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
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?
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
Other Research
Peter and Wendy (novel)
The Lost Boys (film)
Swallows and Amazons (book and film)
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.
14
Plot Sections
ACT I
Prologue 1
Darkness 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 Entrance
All 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.
‘The creature was a party of boys,
marching approximately in step in two
parallel lines and dressed in strangely
eccentric clothing.’
Making an Island
They 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.
‘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.’
Conch
Ralph 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).
Manifestos
No Signal
During 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.
Theatre
The boys are astonished to find themselves on a deserted
stage in a disused theatre. It is exciting and beautiful – a
perfect playground.
‘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.’
Ralph and Jack state why they should be leader and the boys
choose Ralph.
Friends
Ralph, Simon and Jack set off to explore the building. Piggy
tries to go but Jack pushes him away.
Herding Cats
Piggy is left trying to control and count the boys while the
other three navigate around the auditorium, their torches
seeking a way out.
‘There was the brilliant world of
hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill;
and there was the world of longing and
baffled common sense.’
War Games
The 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.
15
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 2
Ralph 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.
Simon
Simon’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.
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.
Overtired
After 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 Job
The 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.
Heat
We 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.
E-Numbers
The 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.
Fire
After 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
Living like Pigs
Ralph 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 Madison
Percy 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.
16
Beast
Ralph 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 Pit
Everyone 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.
‘This was a savage whose image refused
to blend with that ancient picture of a boy
in shorts and shirt.’
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 Meat
Jack 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 II
A 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 Camp
Nightmares
It’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 Hunt
We 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
Ralph, Piggy, Simon and the twins have been left behind.
The twins skulk off into the ‘jungle’ leaving Ralph, Piggy and
Simon.
Trio
Ralph 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.
‘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!’
17
LITTLUN SAVAGE
Centre Stage
The 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.
Beelzebub
Simon 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 Else
The 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.
They put their hands to their mouths. Ralph gives them
the conchstick. The others snigger. They tell the story of
seeing the beast.
Gang
Jack 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.
‘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.’
Kill The Beast
Jack 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 Return
Looking 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.
Raptors
Castle Rock
A 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 Claw
Suddenly 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.
Ralph 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.
Blind
Piggy’s glasses and rucksack have gone and he dances his
blindness, frustration and fear.
Led
Eventually 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…
18
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.
Endgame
Silence 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.
Rescue
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 Off
‘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…’
Ralph 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.
Suddenly 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.
19
Similarities and Differences
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
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.
20
4. PRODUCTION ELEMENTS
Set and Costume
Lez Brotherston (Designer)
Set
The 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.
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.
■ MAKING IN AN ISLAND
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’.
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.
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.
■ MANIFESTO
21
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.
■ PIGGY
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 refits 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.
■ RALPH AND CONCH
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.
Costumes
From 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.
■ SIMON
22
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 Bench
As 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 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.
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
Photos: Helen Maybanks
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.
23
Music - Composing the Music for
Lord of the Flies by Terry Davies
Getting Started
Amongst 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 Characters
Now 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 Score
As 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.
24
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.
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.
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.
Lez 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
Lighting Design by Chris Davey
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.
25
5. PRACTICAL WORKSHEETS
General Notes
Much 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?).
26
Activity 2
word and B is going to teach A the bottom half, so they will
create a new set of movement.
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.
They may need to adapt the movement a bit which is fine.
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
Negative
RalphSTRONGUNCERTAIN
FIERCESCARED
COURAGEOUS
SAD
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 3
This 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.
JackLEADERBULLY
COMPETITIVE JEALOUS
TOUGHCRUEL
PiggyDEPENDABLE
ANNOYING
Use the headings below for students to create their own
INTELLIGENT
INSECURE
characters from Lord of the Flies. The answers to the following
QUIETWEAK
should be made up, so they can really use their imaginations.
You can use the character descriptions in Section 2 of this
SimonSHYISOLATED
pack to give the students some ideas and feel free to add to
KINDWEIRD
this list.
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
Full Name
Age
Where were you born?
Siblings? If so how many?
Likes
Dislikes
Who’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.
27
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
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
As they walk, call out the name of a character and the
students respond by doing the action.
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.
Repeat as many times as you like and play around with
things a bit.
Ask each student to think of four items they would take to an
island.
You can change the pace the students do their character
movement for example slow motion is used in our
production, or speeded up fast.
Then create a movement or gesture for each item.
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
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?
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.
28
Activity 3
Activity 4
In 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
29
Activity 5
In 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.
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.
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.
30
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 REVIEWING
Reviewing 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
theguardian.com/stage/2014/apr/17/matthew-bournedance-lord-of-the-flies
theguardian.com/stage/gallery/2014/apr/17/matthewbourne-again-dancers-lord-of-the-flies-in-pictures
heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/stage/scottish-boys-find-theirfeet-in-matthew-bournes-lord-of-the-flies.24285019
7. FURTHER MATERIAL
AND READING
Rehearsal diaries from our 2011 production
• What do you think the director/choreographer was trying to
convey through the production?
Rehearsal Diary 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYlqFUJ9f_w
• Do you think that the choreography, set design and staging
supported and conveyed this?
Rehearsal diary 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhJXwVsFn
• Was there an interesting and varied use of stage space?
Did You Know?
Dancing
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.
• 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-ofthe-Flies-The-Lowry-Salford-review.html
manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/
review-matthew-bournes-lord-flies-6928338
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 20thcentury 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.
32
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.
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)
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.
Darkness Visible by William Golding (1979)
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 nonprofessional 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.
The Paper Men by William Golding (1984)
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.
The Moving Target by William Golding (1982)
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)
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!).
■ TOM GAMON AND INVERNESS CAST
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
33
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?
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).
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?
Sarte, Jean Paul. No Exit and Three Other Plays (1994) (Vintage
International, 1989).
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?
Sturges, John. The Great Escape (The Mirisch Companty/
United Artists, 1963).
Schumacher, Joel (Dir): The Lost Boys (Warner Bros, 1987).
Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 94 (1609).
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).
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).
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
Boyle, Danny (Dir). The Beach, (Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation, 2000).
Brook, Peter (Dir). Lord of the Flies (British Lyon Film
Corporation, 1963).
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).
Carey, John. William Golding: The Man Who Wrote Lord of the
Flies (Faber, 2009).
Greoning M. The Simpsons (TV Series Fox Broadcasting
34

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