Preview: Lord of the Flies at Newcastle Theatre Royal

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GOLDING CLASSIC FLIES INTO NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL

Lord of the Flies  

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Tuesday 8^th – Saturday 12^th March 2016.

Following sell-out performances in London, Regent’s Park Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams, is set to touch down at Newcastle Theatre Royal next week.

Photo Johan Persson

Lord of the Flies marks the return of Regent’s Park Theatre to the Theatre Royal following their smash hit production of To Kill a Mockingbirdlast year.

Photo Johan Persson

The classic tale of a group of schoolboys surviving a plane crash, starts as a desert island adventure but quickly descends into a struggle for survival in a darkly sinister world of superstition and immorality. William Golding’s 20th Century classic explodes onto the stage in this remarkable production direct from London’s award-winning Regent’s Park Theatre.

Photo Johan Persson

The set for Lord of the Flies includes a life-size plane fuselage on stage, Jon Bausor, designer said: "I suppose you could design a show that was scene change after scene change, but I was not interested in doing that. I wanted a world they could inhabit, much as we did when we had adventures 'travelling around the world' as kids in the school playground. So there's a sense of them playing on this piece of ground, but imagining the entire island. What is interesting is that, as they do, you start to wonder if they are imagining it or if it is real.

Photo Johan Persson

“The plane is a physical piece that's like being on a climbing frame. I was intrigued by the idea that the tail of the plane could become the mountain; that the wing could become the hill, that the hut could become part of the wing, while another hut became part of the fuselage. The thing that sells the plane is that there are lots of real bits - real aircraft seats, real overhead lockers and real oxygen masks.

Photo Johan Persson

I want it to be as immersive as possible, so to get that sense of the plane exploding into the auditorium there will be clothes and cases scattered there, and things in the Circle to give the impression we are coming through the proscenium into the audience. Clothes and cases flying out from the fuselage. As a designer you try to push the realms of engineering because you are trying to create an illusion.  You come up with an idea but sometimes that might not be the safest way of doing it, and it cannot be dangerous. That's the secret, to make it look to the audience like it is stupidly dangerous when, in fact, it isn't."

Photo Johan Persson

The cast of young actors features Freddie Watkins (Nativity) as Jack, Luke Ward-Wilkinson (Wild at Heart, Beautiful People) as Ralph, Anthony Roberts as Piggy, Keenan Munn-Francis (The Scottsboro Boys, The Lion King) as Simon, Matthew Castle as Roger, Dylan Llewellyn as Henry, Michael Ajao as Maurice, Yossi Goodlink as Bill and Jonathan Holby as Naval Officer. Twin brothers Thiago Pigatto and Fellipe Pigatto will play twins Sam and Eric. The role of Perceval will be shared by David Evans, Guy Abrahams and Benedict Barker.

Photo Johan Persson

Lord of the Flies is directed by Regent’s Park Theatre’s artistic director Timothy Sheader. It is co-directed by Liam Steel with design by Jon Bausor, composition and sound score by Nick Powell, lighting design by Paul Keogan and sound design by Avgoustas Psillas for Autograph. Lord of the Flies is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Tickets: 

Lord of The Flies plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 8 – Saturday 12 March. Tickets are available from £14.50 (pay less online) and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).