Ouachita’s Department of Theatre Arts will present Nigel Williams’ “Lord of the Flies” based on William Golding’s original novel of the same name. Performances will be held in Verser Theatre on Ouachita’s campus Nov. 5-7 and Nov. 9-10 at 7:30 p.m. as well as a matinee performance on Nov. 8 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at www.obu.edu/boxoffice.
“Lord of the Flies” begins shortly after a plane crash on a deserted island in which a group of school children are the only survivors. While trying to survive, the children are confronted and divided by ideas of democracy, power, civilization and fear of what else may be on the island. The children soon experience change and begin to fall victim to themselves.
The play will utilize hyper-theatricality techniques. Drew Hampton, the director of the production and OBU assistant professor of theatre arts, chose to use light, sound and movement effects to intensify points of conflict in the story.
“‘Lord of the Flies’ is a wonderfully written novel, and it shows us what we are capable of doing to one another when our survival instincts kick in,” Hampton said. “There’s no getting around it; this is a dark, heavy story. I think its value comes from showing us an illustration of what we can become if we’re not careful.”
Golding’s novel originally included only male characters, but Hampton decided to include female characters.
“With the way this play deals with power and leadership, I’ve always imagined what it would be like to gender-swap a few roles and see how the plot and mood of the play are affected,” Hampton said.
Kathleen Suit, a senior theatre arts major from Hot Springs, Ark., plays Jacklyn, one of the new female characters who takes the place of Jack in the story. While the gender changes present challenges to the cast, Suit said she believes they offer the audience a new perspective on the well-known story.
“It’s been a challenge finding motivation to make her actions and the way the others respond to her believable,” Suit said. “I am a 5-foot-3 inch woman who is supposed to whup 6-foot Ralph in rugby and combat. And while totally possible, it has taken some work on my part.”
The addition of females also has affected how the male characters are represented in the production. Tyler Lewis, a senior theatre arts major from Magnolia, Ark., who plays Ralph in the story, described how he has to rethink how his character might relate to the new female characters in the production.
“The actions and relationship changes from two guys forming a bond and the bond being severed to an attraction between a guy and girl being severed,” Lewis said.
“I don’t think Jack in the story had a maternal bone in his body, but with ‘Jacklyn,’ however, I have to take those things into consideration,” Suit added. “It brings a whole new feeling for the audience watching a strong-willed teenage girl do the things Jack does in the story. As much as I wish it were, gender equality has not been achieved, and people react to a woman bullying and/or fighting for power much differently than they do a man.”
Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased from the OBU Box Office weekdays from 1-5 p.m. Tickets also may be purchased online at www.obu.edu/boxoffice. Current students may receive one free ticket upon presentation of their student ID at the box office. For more information, call the box office at (870) 245-5555 during business hours. n
