CAN YOU HEAR THE PIGEONS

What if right before we die our life doesn’t flash by our eyes? What if, instead, a terrifying story does. CAN YOU HEAR THE PIGEONS, a bold retelling of Lord of The Flies, is a new play written and directed by Emmy Award winning writer -William Electric Black aka Ian Ellis James. The play is a story imagined by Ralph, from the original story, while Jack Merridew and his hunters set their habitat on fire to trap and kill him. Jack has already killed the smart, asthmatic boy called Piggy and the strange loner, Simon. Ralph, knowing that his fate is sealed, has nowhere else to go except inside his mind where Lord of The Flies conjures up a new, engrossing tale, CAN YOU HEAR THE PIGEONS. In this daring, immersive production where the audience sits on stage, Ralph becomes Ralphie, as he imagines that he exists on another island where an array of other teenagers — Lorde, Jackson, Faye, Frances, Taylor, Gray Ford and Frankie now find themselves alone in the 13th Circle. War has erupted and many young boys and girls have been sent away by their parents to find safety in the circles. CAN YOU HEAR THE PIGEONS is the all-consuming chaos within Ralph’s mind that tragically parallels his same fate. In William Electric Black’s bold retelling of the classic book, the marooned teenagers constantly read and study the book, Lord of The Flies, while they wait for the so-called LEADERS to come rescue them. In both stories, savagery, and civilization clash. When the rules disappear, death and destruction ensue. The conch no longer has meaning. Ralph and his avatar RALPHIE from his imaginary tale both face death from teens who no longer see themselves tied to the laws of society. The edgy retelling of the novel by William Golding is perhaps a foreshadowing of what might happen in our present-day society if everyday people disregard the laws and rules of the Constitution, our democracy. William Electric Black, Poetry Electric Series Director at La MaMa ETC, brings a unique visual staging to the production used by such artists as The Belarus Free Theatre, Joseph Chaikin, Andrei Serban, and Peter Brook. CAN YOU HEAR THE PIGEONS, performed by a unique ensemble of 12 actors that combines live music, physical theater, and innovative staging.