Staples Players to Present LORD OF THE FLIES This Month

Take a riveting journey to an infamous Island this Memorial Day weekend, as Staples Players brings William Golding's Lord of the Flies to Staples High School's Black Box Theatre. Relive the classic story or discover it for the first time with a cast of male and female performers, directed by David Roth and Kerry Long. Each performance will feature a different combination of actors. Purchase tickets at staplesplayers.com (purchasing ahead is highly recommended; the theatre has limited seats) or at the door, starting 30 minutes prior to show time (subject to availability). Performances are May 25, 26, 27 at 7:30 PM, May 27 at 3 PM, and May 28 at 1 PM. Check the site for cast lists for each show.

Inspired by a video of a recent production of Lord of the Flies by Sydney Theatre Company in Australia, Roth and Long were intrigued by the gender-blind casting and contemporary costumes. "It made the story seem fresh, modern, and very relevant to our world today," says Roth. "As we dug deeper into the story, we realized all of these things are true-and the themes hold up just as well in 2023 as they did in 1954, when the book was published by William Golding."

"This is a challenging show to begin with but we made it more complex by double casting each role with one male identifying actor and one female identifying actor," says Long. "We will mix up the casts so audiences will see a different combination of actors at each performance. Several will feature mixed casts and one performance will be all male (Sun) and one all female (Sat at 3 pm). The characters are always 11- to 12-year-old boys, but the actors interpreting the roles will be different at each show. We think it will make for a fascinating exploration of the story."

Lord of the Flies is a rough and tumble show to say the least, so Players brought in fight choreographer Chris Smalley. "Chris has worked with Players on and off for over 13 years," says Roth. "He is an amazing educator and ensures our actors are performing these intense scenes safely. The show features a couple of acts of violence and we want to make sure the action looks authentic but is safe for all involved."

Cameron Mann (SHS '24) shares the role of Jack with Raia Badurina (SHS '23). "Jack represents the darker aspects of human nature, particularly violence and the desire for power," says Mann. "This desire grows stronger and stronger and it's disturbing looking at the difference in how he is at the beginning of the show versus the end. Playing Jack is exciting because he's not like any character I've played before, and I'm having a ton of fun with it." He adds, "This show explores the themes of civilization, power, and toxic masculinity. Having all genders in the cast, as opposed to the typical all-male cast, is exciting to see and definitely something different."

Badurina comments, "Jack is the boy who introduces the others on the island to the ideas of violence and superiority, and his ideals are basically the opposite of Ralph's-who is the protagonist and a good natured character. [Senior Quinn Mulvey and freshman Will McCrea share the role of Ralph.] Regardless of gender, in this story Jack is the symbol for loss of innocence and the negative aspects of humanity, and that's really what I lean into when I perform. I think, for the audience, seeing a female playing this role will be a fresh take on a classic and will bring the theme of stereotypical masculinity to the forefront." She adds, "It will be super exciting to see all the different dynamics play out on stage, as no one is ever performing with the same group of people twice! Personally, I'm also really excited for audiences to see our all-female cast of this show."

First-time Assistant Director Tess Boosin (SHS '24) has loved the challenge of working on this multi-cast show. "To have every role double cast and no two shows having the same cast means the actors are being trained to work with everyone," she explains. "Learning to break the gender barriers has allowed for a performance that will be thrilling. This has been an incredible process to be a part of, from the intricacy of the stage combat to the abstract props, and even an all-female performance. Audiences will see a fresh take that is socially relevant to present day. Also, the technical elements of this production are incredible and will shock the audience, and our set design not being physically 'accurate' for an island lends itself to a more modernized tone."

Never been to a Black Box show at Staples? Boosin explains what you are missing: "The Black Box is a smaller theatre, allowing for an extremely intimate environment where every member of the audience experiences the tension and high energy along with the actors."

LORD OF THE FLIES

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Evenings: May 25, 26, 27 at 7:30 pm
Matinees: March 27 at 3 pm & 28 at 1 pm
Run time: 2 hours, including intermission
Suggested Age Rating: 12 and up (for violence)

Staples High School Black Box Theatre
70 North Avenue
Westport, CT 06880
(Enter on the left side of the building, before the Field House entrance)

Tickets

Purchase tickets at staplesplayers.com
Click this link for the Double Cast Performance Schedule.

 

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