A novel read by some as part of the school curriculum and by others for enjoyment, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies has remained in circulation for the past 70 years. Sharing the classic tale with local audiences is the Canberra Rep Theatre on 25 July – 10 August.

During a World War II evacuation effort, a plane crash lands on a deserted island, the only survivors are a group of boys from an elite British school. At first banding together, they follow a few rules they have decided upon. However, it doesn’t take long until chaos takes over.

The screenplay by Nigel Williams condenses the tension, struggles, power dynamics and narrative of what happens when man is left to his own devices into a succinct and moving two-hour production. Outside of pop culture, like the Simpsons episode inspired by the story, being part of a high school production was co-director Lachlan Houen’s first introduction to the Lord of the Flies.

“It is such a fascinating tale. It’s really exciting and exhausting to watch because by the end of it, you see these young boys on an island who started as friends evolve into these horrible, nasty relationships,” says Mr Houen.

With a cast of 11 young people aged between 16 and 23 and one older actor playing the naval officer, the team have opted to stay faithful to the text. While they have cast from the whole gender spectrum, the characters themselves remain privileged schoolboys. Changing the characters to a diverse range of genders, backgrounds, ethnicities or even the period changes the story itself.

“What is really important about the play is that so much of the influence on the boys comes from their parents, particularly their fathers. It’s their fathers in the war, the navy, my dad said this, mine said that, mine took me hunting, all this idea of what it is to be a man and to be important in society,” says Mr Houen.

The young boys with developing superiority complexes, like antagonist Jack, represent the savagery, power and violence of man, while other characters represent different facets of humanity. Sweet Piggy, innovative and loyal is the rational side of humanity. Unfortunately, also overweight and suffering asthma and sight issues, he is a prime target for the aforementioned violence.

“We exist in these systems but this idea of order versus chaos is everywhere in our democracy, right at the top in parliament. This civilisation of democracy just breaks down sometimes. These systems break down, so what do we do when we take that to that extreme? That’s what Lord of the Flies is, it’s struggling to decide between order and chaos and what we choose when there are no consequences,” explains Mr Houen.

Transforming the theatre into an isolated island, Mr Houen says they have used tricks of the stage to emphasise the vast emptiness of an island. In a major shift from the original, they have added a new character to the story, the remains of a house on the island.

“This place has already been lived in and these boys are entering a space that was a failed attempt of colonisation and looking at that idea of how we impose ourselves on different spaces,” says Mr Houen. “They talk about natives in the play and what they would be doing. There is an interesting conversation about the entitlement of these young British boys to go ‘Well, this is our space now.’”

Expecting the traditional responses to the fate of the boys, some better than others, Mr Houen hopes the audience takes home something more from the production. He wants people to reflect on the idea that it isn’t a massive step for us to fall into these situations, even on a more minor scale.

“Jack invokes a ‘40s Torrie in one of his speeches to become leader ‘If you want firm leadership and proper processes, vote for me’ and looking at how these people aren’t entirely detached from people in society,” says Mr Houen.

Systems of order are in place for a reason says Mr Houen and it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure they remain uncorrupted and that power is not misused.

“Looking at it as a parable of power, order and chaos and what happens when those slip by the wayside, is an important thing for audiences to take away… Also to just have a cracking time,” smiles Mr Houen.

Catch the Lord of the Flies at Canberra Rep Theatre on 25 July – 10 August; canberrarep.org.au

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