NEXT month the Senior Youth Theatre group at The Courtyard will take to the stage under the direction of David Durant in a production of William Golding's dystopian classic, Lord of the Flies.

After finding themselves abandoned on a desert island following a catastrophic plane crash, a group of school children struggle to survive as rules and instinct clash. Emotions run high in the battle between civilisation and survival in this riveting tale of life on the edge of savagery. How dark is the darkness of man’s heart?

Packed with action, passion and emotion this gripping adaptation by Nigel Williams of William Golding’s masterpiece will leave audiences wondering what it really means to be human.

"The simple truth," says David, "is that the statement Golding was making is that we all have evil inside us. He was hugely influenced by his experiences in the Second World War, but although they never reference the war, the children, who have landed on what could have been paradise, present a mirror image of the war, doing on the island exactly what the adults are doing in the outside world. And it just gets worse and worse.

"It is," David concedes, "a very depressing play, but it gives us a huge warning, and it was written as one. There is no real reference to Christ, but it's clear they need a saviour - Lord of the Flies is the translation of Beelzebub, one of the many names given to the Devil.

Golding has taken a really interesting look at the soul of human kind. It's a look at hell on earth through the innocent lives of children

Despite the original book featuring only boys, David has cast girls too. "I felt it was really important to get girls in," he says. "The fact that they (the children) are boys is irrelevant. They become so dehumanised it doesn't matter - they become violent savages. But I did make the conscious decision not to cast girls as either Ralph or Jack - that would have made it a battle of the sexes which I didn't want. The girls though, give it a whole new feel."

David believes that, despite the original book having been written in 1954, the themes are as relevant today as they were in the post-war years. "I think it's a very very true picture of where we are," he says, adding that the moral imperative it contains must not be ignored. "We have to find a way to say 'whoa' and instil what's important in society. Lord of the Flies teaches us that without a saviour, a person to guide and monitor us it will get worse and worse. The inherent evil will invade, take over and destroy.

"I am a massive believer that you can't put a play on without a reason. you have to have a genuine reason, so it has to impact on our lives and this play offers a timely reminder of how wrong things can go if we don't love each other."

Lord of the Flies is at The Courtyard from Thursday, October 6 to Saturday, October 15. To book, call the box office on 01432 340555 or visit courtyard.org.uk