This local production presents a reimagination of 'Lord of the Flies'
For its 92nd season, FEU Theater Guild invites everyone to experience an island where freedom turns into fear
William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” serves as the inspiration for Far Eastern University Theater Guild's (FTG) upcoming show “Bangaw.” Opening on March 5, 2026, the theater play explores the meaning of survival through a Filipino lens. The production features the works of writer Gold Villar-Lim, the music of Vince Lim, and the direction of PETA senior artist-teacher and FTG artistic director Dudz Teraña.
Set on a remote island in the Visayas, “Bangaw” begins with a plane crash that leaves a group of high school students from different schools stranded without any adult supervision, government, or rules. It revolves around the experiences of students forced into isolation. What begins as a mission of survival is disrupted by a growing fascination with hunting and the belief that a monster lurks in the forest.
Layered with original music by Gold and featuring two additional songs by Dudz, “Bangaw” fuses symbolic movement with raw emotional intensity and rhythmic, grounded storytelling. Traditional and contemporary Filipino soundscapes drive the production, functioning as both atmosphere and metaphor for a nation suspended between breakdown and rebirth.
Beyond the performance, the piece confronts urgent social realities—division, abuse of power, systemic failure, moral decay, and patriarchy—while uplifting enduring Filipino values such as bayanihan, resilience, and strategic intelligence. The result is a richly layered theatrical experience that challenges perspectives, sparks dialogue, and urges audiences to reflect on the future being shaped today.
The question is not simply how to survive. It is what kind of future we dare to shape from the ruins.
“Bangaw” will run at the FEU Center for the Arts Studio at 6 p.m. on the following dates: March 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28, and April 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25. Ticket prices are as follows: P100 for FEU students (all branches), P200 for students from outside FEU Manila, P500 for regular guests, and P700 for VIP.
Jacel Dhafnie Trinidad Lolo is a 22-year-old Journalism student from City of Malabon University (CMU) and a current intern at the Manila Bulletin. She is a Teenage Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) advocate under the Likhaan Center for Women and a participating youth organization in her community.