Our Country's Good - Drama Exploration
Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker
"Our Country's Good," a play by Timberlake Wertenbaker, is about a group of English convicts bound for Australia by sea in 1788. In the first scene, Sideways, a convict on board the ship, is being brutally whipped and we are introduced to the constant, overwhelming fear, hunger and despair that the convicts are going through.
We are also introduced to all the officials on board. They are debating the punishment of hanging that three of the convicts have received for stealing, and we see the different attitudes different characters have to this. Governor Arthur Phillip supports a humane approach to dealing with the convicts, but Judge David Collins believes that the law must be upheld and that a crime, however petty, is still a crime. Captain Watkin Tench says that the convicts are beyond redemption anyway, and Midshipman Harry Brewer takes the opinion that the convicts have become desensitized to hangings and even consider it "their theatre". In the end Governor Phillip believes that a play for the convicts to put on, with "fine language [and] sentiment" is the way to go in order to encourage the convicts to change their ways in this new environment.
We learn the play chosen play is to be "The Recruiting Officer" (1706) by Irish actor-turned-playwright George Farquhar (1677-1707). It is about his experiences working as a recruiting officer for the army for three years, and one his last works before he died a year after it was performed. Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark begins holding auditions for the play. Ralph Clark is interested in timid convict Mary Brenham for the play, as she knows how to write and therefore can make copies of the script. Ralph Clark has the role of "Sylvia" in mind for Mary.
Clark gives the boisterous Dabby the role of "Rose", although a little skeptical because she is unable to read. Rough and tough Liz Morden then comes in, snatches the play from Ralph Clark and
"Our Country's Good," a play by Timberlake Wertenbaker, is about a group of English convicts bound for Australia by sea in 1788. In the first scene, Sideways, a convict on board the ship, is being brutally whipped and we are introduced to the constant, overwhelming fear, hunger and despair that the convicts are going through.
We are also introduced to all the officials on board. They are debating the punishment of hanging that three of the convicts have received for stealing, and we see the different attitudes different characters have to this. Governor Arthur Phillip supports a humane approach to dealing with the convicts, but Judge David Collins believes that the law must be upheld and that a crime, however petty, is still a crime. Captain Watkin Tench says that the convicts are beyond redemption anyway, and Midshipman Harry Brewer takes the opinion that the convicts have become desensitized to hangings and even consider it "their theatre". In the end Governor Phillip believes that a play for the convicts to put on, with "fine language [and] sentiment" is the way to go in order to encourage the convicts to change their ways in this new environment.
We learn the play chosen play is to be "The Recruiting Officer" (1706) by Irish actor-turned-playwright George Farquhar (1677-1707). It is about his experiences working as a recruiting officer for the army for three years, and one his last works before he died a year after it was performed. Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark begins holding auditions for the play. Ralph Clark is interested in timid convict Mary Brenham for the play, as she knows how to write and therefore can make copies of the script. Ralph Clark has the role of "Sylvia" in mind for Mary.
Clark gives the boisterous Dabby the role of "Rose", although a little skeptical because she is unable to read. Rough and tough Liz Morden then comes in, snatches the play from Ralph Clark and