This year S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia will be commemorating the completion of 100 years of the College at Mount Lavinia. To mark this historic milestone the Drama Society of S. Thomas’ College will be staging Lord of the Flies, a story about a group of boys stranded on a deserted island and the events that transpire in the absence of rules.Dramatic Moves speaks to the cast members of this classic that speaks of the beast within. Pictures by Sarath Peiris
Teacher in Charge, Michelle Herft, feels that the boys are mature enough to handle this masterpiece of literature.
“I think this is a great opportunity for us to do something of this caliber for the 100 years celebration because it is a celebration of great magnitude. As the Teacher in Charge these boys make my job very easy. Lord of the Flies is a novel that is taught in many schools. It is a classic and the cast is doing a fabulous job. I am very proud of them. They are dedicated and have all the requirements to make this a success,” said Herft.
Herft pointed out that the play portrays a state of anarchy where the boys switch from a state of being civilized to that of savagery. “I have been working with them for a long time, so as a teacher I have watched them grow and blossom. It is a pleasure to see them come this far. I like this drama because it talks about a lot of things that we can relate to. If we are in a state of no rules, think how easy it would be for us to become uncivilized. They are adolescents. So they find it very easy to fall into that savage mode. We see what happens in the play when the boys divide into two factions. This is a part of the production that I like, seeing the unity and the interaction, the boys helping each other and exhibiting their abilities,” explained Herft.
Sebastian Sansoni, emphasized on how monumental this play really is because they are doing it for the college that they love and that has given them so much.
“Since January last year, the college has organized a series of events to commemorate 100 years at Mount. The English Drama Society is one of the school’s oldest societies. So it was decided that we would stage a production in connection with the 100 years celebration. So we are staging an adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. It focuses on what children might do when they are separated from their parents and how it is in our nature to be a bit violent and savage.
The play will be stage at the Lionel Wendt on February 23, 24 and 25. I am playing the role of Ralph who is the protagonist. He is more inclined not to use violence and being savage. But even he is torn apart by the savagery around him which the boys begin to express,” said Sansoni.
In the narration the boys are stranded on an island after their plane crashed. They get to know each other and try to figure out what they need to do.
“My character Ralph wants to get rescued and wants to get organized. As the play goes on the group divides into two factions. Ralph’s faction and Jack Merridew’s faction. Jack’s group is more interested in hunting pigs and being a little savage. The boys try to protect themselves and get organized in an uncivilized way. The age range of these children is 6 to 13. It is a challenge since I have to play an age which is now alien to me. I am more familiar with myself as an adult. So I have to focus on what it means to be 12. It is also an extremely physical demanding play,” explained Sansoni.
Anuk Dharmasena, who plays the character of Jack Merridew, said it is a very special time for him, because he gets to literally be a part of history celebrating the 100 years.
“Jack falls into the category of the older children and he is roughly 13 years old. He is the primary antagonist of the play. He represents all those power hungry people in society and we see his characteristics in people like Stalin and Hitler. It is quite challenging playing his character because from the start he is power hungry and wants to be the leader. As the story progresses he becomes more savage,” said Dharmasena.
The character of Merridew is one that uses fear to control the rest of the group. At one stage in the play he is a complete tyrant. “The story is how these children want to live in a civilized and decent manner but ultimately fail and descend into savagery. The reason why Golding uses this age group is because they are in that transitional phase – they are between two stages. One where society has inculcated in them values of being civilized and then the other stage where they can go savage. Golding attempts to say that evil is inherently in us and being decent is what society attempts to create in you. Jack is not someone you cannot relate to at all,” he explained.
Anoushka Weerackckody said “Not a lot of people get to celebrate 100 years. So this is a once in a lifetime opportunity being a part of this cast. One thing that we have all realized as a cast is that it is a very physically demanding play. We also have to act as children. So as 18 year olds we need to bring our acting to another level – acting as 11 or 12 year olds. I play Sam, Eric’s twin. When it comes to team chemistry, every time that S.T.C. does a drama, the team chemistry is really good. Some of us have acted with each other before. In the days’ to come this is going to be vital, if we are going to put together a good production.”
Keiron Ranatunga, says he feels honoured to be a part of this production and feels thrilled he has got the chance to be a part of the 100 year celebration at Mount. “The character I play is Percival who is six years old. This production means a lot to us because S.T.C has really impacted our lives. For us to be chosen to be a part of all of this cannot be expressed through words. I think this play we are doing is really brilliant. We have a big responsibility, because we need to bring the childish part of us out to make our acting seem convincing,” said Ranatunga.
Actor Viyaan Fernando is playing his first male role.“I too feel that we need to portray the transformation to savagery. If it was any other group of boys the outcome would be the same because of the circumstances. My character is a normal kid who becomes a hunter,” said Fernando.
Tharuka Jayaratnam, pointed out that the entire school community is coming together this year and this drama is a part of it.
“Being a part of this production is very interesting and challenging. My character is Eric. I have never played a kid before. This is the first time I am playing something remote like this. It is so different from other plays because it speaks of the innate evil that comes out when there are no rules basically,” said Jayaratnam.
Randev Jayasinha, said from day one, practices have been going really well and the cast have become more like a family.
“I play the character of Simon. He is very timid and even though he knows a lot, he is hesitant to come out and tell people what he really knows. He represents the people in our world who know how the world works but is afraid to challenge the people who run it. He does not interfere in everyone’s business. In doing this complicated role I have received insight into how the human mind works,” said Jayasinha
Shilendra Hewawasan, said that kids tend to have a strong reaction to violence which affects their personality.
“As I keep practicing I keep on adapting to my character. We, the cast are like a family and we bond together. We also see chaos resulting from a lack of rules,” pointed out Hewawasan.
Akhil Ismail, said what he will take out of this play is the skills of cooperation, patience and independence.
“I play the role of Piggy and I am confident in this role. He does not change throughout the play. He is nice and smart but easily affected by others. He plays the role that symbolizes innocence. The play speaks about how humans change when left alone without supervision,” said Ismail.
Shokeidh Billimoria, plays the darkest character of the play Roger. He is more savage than Jack Merridew and even Jack is unnerved by Roger’s darkness.
“The goal of the play is to show how they survive. Portraying the feeling of fear is not easy since in real life we are friends but as characters in the play we need to portray that fear of each other. It is also difficult for us to snap out of our characters,” said Billimoria.
Anish De Silva, said the message the play gives is that in all of us there is a sense of discipline that comes from the law and order that surrounds us.
But we all have an animal like nature which comes out when there are no rules.
“We are doing this for the school, so it is a little emotional.
It comes out when we are practicing. This play is in a way historically significant because we are celebrating an institution that has given us so much,” said De Silva.
Linal Fernando, felt at times his character almost takes over his personality. “Our Drama group is very resilient and we trust each other. So in order for this play to succeed we need to grow stronger as a unit.
A world without rules seems idyllic. But as we see it takes a turn to the worst in the play.
My character Henry becomes one of the biggest savages in the whole drama,” said Fernando.
Movin Jayasinha said that in the short time they have they are making a lot of progress. “
I feel it is easier for an actor to play older roles than younger roles. But we are all giving it our best.
All of us are very talented and I feel so lucky to have been selected to S.T.C. We are definitely going to put on a great show for our school,” said Jayasinha.
Sandheep Tissaratchchy said William Golding shows a dark side of children but a side that is definitely in all.
“It takes a dramatic situation to bring that out. When we are young we are impulsive,” said Tissaratchchy.
Anish De Chickera, felt that the majority of humans if given the opportunity would be evil if it benefits them.“I think Golding wrote this book to prove a point that we cannot survive without rules. I feel that the circumstances/ environment play a big part here. The children have had a horrible experience and they don’t know how their parents are. All these contribute to them becoming savages,” said De Chickera.
Dhanukh Fernando commented that the play has a lot to do with the power of adaptation.
“They start to make their own choices and as the play progresses we see the consequences of those choices. Since we are boys, it is easy for us because we know how to be boys. It is easy for us to get into character and come to our conclusions. But even Maurice’s character changes and he becomes savage,” said Fernando.
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