Lord of the Flies

Overview

You may remember Lord of the Flies from high school English as being that book about the little boys stranded on a desert island who turn feral and start killing each other and hallucinating about beasts and talking pig heads. Even if you don't, that summary is pretty much the gist of it. It's quite a gory read but raises some interesting points on political power and human nature — universal themes but explored in a very masculine way due to the lack of female characters.

But the latest stage adaptation by Sydney-based company US-A-UM wants to change that. Directed by Sydney Theatre Company's Kip Williams, the adaptation of William Golding's 1954 classic features an all-female cast, because who says women can't be bloodthirsty, murderous and politically manipulative? According to US-A-UM, their adaptation is "about gender, about stripping away constructed civilisation, and about how we read who can and cannot participate in behaviours that we assert as being innate to us all."

Lord of the Flies will be making its debut as part of the Malthouse Theatre's Helium season of works by independent artists and ensembles.