Toowoomba’s St Mary’s College rehearsing production of Lord of the Flies

A Toowoomba private school has started work on an ambitious version of classic novel Lord of the Flies, in what is the culmination of a significant investment in the dramatic arts. Here’s when it opens:

St Mary’s College’s upcoming production of Lord of the Flies isn’t just the reinterpretation of a classic young adult novel, it’s also a culmination of the school’s significant investment into the dramatic arts.

More than 25 students from the Catholic all-boys school will bring William Golding’s 1954 tale of tribalism, anarchy, morality and violence to the stage in June.

The production, which tells the story of a group of schoolboys trying to survive and maintain societal structures after being stranded on an island, features ambitious elements including positioning the audience all around the stage to create an immersive atmosphere.

St Mary’s drama department head Eylece Blaikie, who joined the school after leaving a major role with Queensland Theatre, said virtually all the boys involved in the production came from drama workshops that were started by the school last year.

The cast of St Mary's College's production of Lord of the Flies rehearse a scene ahead of performances in June.

“We wanted to do something that was a dramatic presentation this year and it’s a classic play,” she said.

“I saw a version of it in Brisbane a couple of years ago and knew that we could really adapt it, to set it on an island in the middle of our centre.

“This (group) has come from the St Mary’s Acting Hub program – we would meet on a Monday and this group of boys came from that and now others have come along too.”

Ms Blaikie said rehearsals had been rigorous due to the kinetic nature of the play, with the students also completing gym workouts to condition themselves.

“There’s a lot of physical theatre in it – they’ve come from polite society and you see the breaking down of their characters as they get further to the end,” she said.

“The boys have gone away, watched the movie as soon as I gave them the script and they came back and were really engaged.

“We go to the gym every week with Fit Lab and there’s a home program that they do to try and really engage the whole physical element.”

St Mary's College Year 11 students Ben Wightman and Charlie Stiller rehearse a scene from the school's production of Lord of the Flies.

St Mary’s principal Brendan Stewart said improving both participation and output of the dramatic arts had been a key focus for the school in recent years.

“This year, we’re really around drama and we’re trying to build that drama academy and our drama boys in the school,” he said.

“Eylece has been a big part of that over the last 12 months — she’s good at bringing the boys together who she believes have strengths to be able to put on this performance.”

Year 11 student Ben Wightman, who plays lead character Ralph, said he was impressed by how provocative the story was more than 70 years after it was first published.

“I liked the symbolism and undertones within the actual novel — I believe it does definitely still have some good symbolism and that’s a good reason for young men to read it,” he said.

“It obviously shows the importance of having rules and order within a society, otherwise it would just simply break down.

“That’s something that is really good for people to realise, especially once you hit about year 10 when you start getting that freedom and that’s likely why the Australian curriculum still keeps it there.”

The cast of St Mary's College's production of Lord Of The Flies rehearse a scene ahead of performances in June.

Year 10 student Zeke Drew said he was relishing the opportunity to play secondary character Roger.

“It’s really an interesting character to play, (there are) many different ways that you can fit him into the play,” he said.

“I also get to kill (another character) at the end, which is kind of exciting.

“I like how it’s a very physical play — it’s got lots of big movements and just that makes it a good experience.”

St Mary’s production of Lord of the Flies is set for June 19-21 at the school’s performing arts centre.