‘There’s never going to be a show like it’: Immersive production of "Lord of the Flies" takes the stage

As dusk becomes night in the tree-sheltered Forest Theatre, the crickets and cast come alive, pushing the theatrical experience to a new level of immersion.

Thursday through Sunday, student-run theater group Company Carolina is presenting William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” at the Forest Theatre, UNC’s outdoor amphitheater. Thursday and Friday night’s shows began at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday’s performances start at 2 p.m. 

The classic novel, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams, follows a group of young boys stranded on an island. The boys attempt to govern themselves, which leads to disastrous consequences. 

Technical director and sophomore Sophia Lopez, explained the modern relevance of the story.

“The show isn't about how men structure power,” she said. “The show is about losing yourself and what happens when you run out of control, what happens when you get too much control.”

Sophomore Michael Michas, who plays Simon, noted that to fit the show within a run time of 100 minutes, Company Carolina had to focus on the bare bones of the story.

However, producer Jillian Joyce said she felt this became a strength of the adapted story they created.

“It's close to the book, but it's just brought to life in a way that's fast and intense,” Joyce explained.

Company Carolina’s production offers twists on the original story. Joyce said the casting for the boys was gender-blind, and the setting has been reconfigured from a remote island to an abstract liminal space.

Michas explained how he had to understand the setting for himself.

“At the start of Act I it's more of an island and slowly it transforms into this liminal space, that isn't even distinguished in a theater or in an island or in a space, ” he said. “It’s just wherever the audience thinks it should be, which is this unknown kind of purgatory stage, which is really cool.” 

This production is the directorial debut of sophomore Grace Wilkinson.

“We saw this island as more of a threshold into the unknown and I think the second that we broke through in that way to the cast was when we really started cooking with gas, and then we could really start doing the work that we really wanted to do,” Wilkinson said.

As for the response to these creative liberties, Wilkinson said that not everyone she explained her vision to was receptive. However, she said that the grand ideas she had only came to fruition because of doubt from other people.  

“We really needed people to not believe in us so that we had no choice but to believe in us,” Wilkinson said.

The show uses the natural environment provided by the Forest Theatre, which Wilkinson describes as an underutilized source for the UNC theater community as a whole. 

Joyce explained that the venue's location outside and next to the busy Country Club Road produced logistical challenges for the production team. However, overcoming them has been well worth it. 

“The hard adaptations are definitely outweighed by how awesome the space is,” Joyce said. “It definitely adds a layer to the show that we're actually in the woods.”

The cast and crew believe the combination of their adaptations, the outdoor setting and the general absurdity of the story itself make it worth the watch. 

Sophomore Christina Polge, who plays Eric in the show, said people should see the production because it is "absolutely crazy."

“There’s never going to be a show like it,” Polge said. “This is the perfect show and the perfect space for it.”

Michas said he was excited for the Thursday and Friday dusk performances. He said the story feels at home in the Forest Theatre at night. Opening night featured the added ambiance of a full moon, he said.

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com