Our Country's Good
by Timberlake Wertenbaker
adapted by John Foley
Director/David Hitchinson
15 October 2005, 6.30-8.00pm
BBC World Service Play of the Week
128/44; 81 MB; sound quality very good
Set in the early days of penal settlement, Our Country's Good, starring Geoffrey Whitehead, tells of the brutality, the deprivation and the conflict between people transported to Australia and the soldiers who act as their jailers.
In this still-hostile environment where community is developing painfully slowly, Lieutenant Ralph Clark suggests performing a play, The Recruiting Officer. At first the convicts scoff at the idea, but they gradually become involved in rehearsal and performance.
The civilising influence on prisoners and warders is palpable, the performance a success and the future looks altogether more positive. The severe adversity Ralph and his players overcame to realise the first Australian production of a play is a fascinating chapter in the history of this dawning nation.
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