MATTHEW BOURNE | INTERVIEW + DOCUMENTARY
The award-winning choreographer’s new dance piece tackles savage literary classic Lord Of The Flies. A risky gambit, with half the cast novice dancers. Heather Arnold finds out how he plans to make it work.
How were you first introduced to Lord Of The Flies?
I was aware of the book but I saw the film first, the original 1963 film, and that lead me to the book as a late teenager.
What was it about the book which captured you?
It’s such a great story. It has something to say and will always have something to say. It asks what people would do if left to their own devices. It’s a simple question and this provides an answer, which is still as relevant today as it was when the book was written 60 years ago. That’s why it’s such a good subject and is constantly studied in schools as well. It’s posing that question which is very intriguing.
Why did you decide to make a show of it?
In one sense I didn’t because the idea of the project involving the local young men was thought of three years ago by the Scottish Arts Council. The project that they wanted to have was a specific idea to engage with young men in the area who didn’t have much arts provisions, were not necessarily interested in art or theatre, or had never been inside a theatre before. But they wanted a fully professional production that they could be part of. They came to me with that idea and Lord Of The Flies was an idea which came to my head.
I’ve never thought of making it a piece of dance theatre before but the project is right for it, partially because of the feral, savage movements of the novel seem to work with a mix of professional dancers and young people without the technical background. The movement lead to the story and the story lead to the movement.
“On the closing night they’re all in floods of tears”
Has it been difficult working with both the professional dancers and the novices?
Yes and no. It’s obviously a challenge. You have to get them at the level they have to be at in a very short space of time, and it has to be a professional production as there is an audiences paying good money to see it. It can’t all be about giving the boys a great time. It’s a great company feeling. By the time the opening night comes the boys are really fired up to do their best. On the closing night they’re all in floods of tears because it’s all over. It’s the end of it that’s part of their lives. They’ve had a wonderful experience so far.
You started your dance training relatively late, aged 22: do you think if you had some sort of this scheme in your younger years, it would have been beneficial?
Oh, god yes. I would have jumped at it. Would I have gotten in? I don’t know. But I’ve just loved it and it would have been good for me because I wasn’t trained but I loved dance and I loved moving and it would have been perfect for me.
It’s funny that you said I started at a late age because in my company there are boys who are sometimes older than the professionals, who have only just gotten into dance. Young men in their late teens or early 20s who have only just found it. It’s not all about choosing the very young kids. It’s about men who have just found this new love in their lives, this new passion.
What is it about your work that people love?
I think it’s probably because I did start late. I was a big movie fan and a big theatre fan. I think it’s those slightly more popular artforms that everyone enjoys and something that I dream to inspire. I won’t have plot summaries in the programmes like most ballets and operas do. It’s crazy to have the story told before you watch it. If you were given a sheet of paper which told you the film before you saw it you wouldn’t see the film! It’s crazy. So I try and tell stories which have surprises in them and characters which the audience can relate to as well. It looks more like a play than a dance piece. They all contribute towards making it work for audiences who have decided that they don’t like ballet.
Lord Of The Flies, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Wed 22-Sat 25 Oct.Tickets: £16-£34. Info: www.wmc.org.uk
MATTHEW BOURNE’S – LORD OF THE FLIES DOCUMENTARY
Buzz TV gets behind the scenes at Lord Of The Flies rehearsals and follows three Welsh boys as they get the opportunity of a lifetime to preform in Matthew Bourne’s production.
