ESU Department of Theatre to Present Dramatic Adaptation of Lord of the Flies

Posted by: admin on October 16, 2013, No Comments

In conjunction with National Bullying Prevention Month, East Stroudsburg University’s Department of Theatre is presenting Lord of the Flies, a dramatic adaption of Nobel Laureate William Golding’s novel by playwright Nigel Williams.

Like Survivor, but with a dark twist, the work features a group of marooned adolescents stranded on an isolated tropical island paradise. They form tribes and play games, but their games — featuring bullying, peer pressure, and gang rivalries — descend into a frightening, primitive world where the survivors must choose between reason and chaos.

Curtain times for the production are Thursday, October 24, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, October 25, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 26, at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, October 27, at 2 p.m. All performances are at the Smith-McFarland Theatre of the university’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, Normal and Marguerite streets, East Stroudsburg. The production is recommended for middle and high school students and adults.

General admission is $12; $10 for senior citizens, faculty & staff with ID; $7 students with ID; and $5 for youth.

For ticket reservations, please call 570-422-3483, ext. 4 or email esuarts@esu.edu. All reservations will be held until 10 minutes before curtain time.

A teacher before he enlisted in the Royal Navy during World War II, Golding was part of the invasion fleet on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Both of these experiences are reflected in his depiction of the fragility of civilization, presented in Lord of the Flies, published in 1954. Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983.

Williams, an award-winning British playwright and screenwriter, who worked with Golding on the dramatic adaptation, noted that, “I don’t think I have ever read a book that caught the confusions and . . . delights of childhood more accurately . . . . Its view of landscape, friendship, memory and – most important of all – moral and intellectual difficulty seemed as clear and powerful as Greek tragedy.”

National Bullying Prevention Month is a campaign founded in 2006 to educate and raise awareness of bullying prevention. Historically bullying was viewed as “a childhood rite of passage” that “made kids tougher.” In reality, bullying has devastating effects such as school avoidance, loss of self-esteem, increased anxiety and depression.

Becky Solis, adjunct professor of theatre, is directing the play. Yoshinori Tanokura, assistant professor of theatre, designed the sets and costumes for the production. Guest designer John Bartenstein created the lighting for the piece.

For more information about the production, please call 570-422-3483 or email esuarts@esu.edu.