Our Country’s Good

Timberlake Wertenbaker‘s
Our Country’s Good

Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre
Knoxville, TN

October 2013

Directed by Calvin McLean
Scenic Design by Josafath Reynoso
Costume Design by Kyle Schellinger
Lighting Design by Kristen Geisler
Sound Design by Mike Ponder
Stage Manager: Alex Dearmin

Produced by Clarence Brown Theatre

Photo credit: Kenton Yeager

“Our Country’s Good” is a play written by Timberlake Wertenbaker, first performed in 1988. The play is based on Thomas Keneally’s novel “The Playmaker” and is set in the early days of the colonization of Australia. It explores themes of justice, punishment, and the transformative power of theater.

The story is set in 1789 in New South Wales, Australia, where a group of British convicts and Royal Marine officers are attempting to stage a production of George Farquhar’s comedy “The Recruiting Officer.” The play within the play becomes a means of escape and self-expression for the convicts, who face harsh conditions and are often treated brutally by the authorities.

The central character, Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark, is tasked with directing the play as a form of rehabilitation for the prisoners. As the rehearsals progress, the convicts find a sense of purpose and humanity in the act of performing, challenging the prevailing views about the potential for reform and redemption within the penal colony.

“Our Country’s Good” delves into the transformative power of art and the idea that theater has the ability to humanize and uplift even those considered society’s outcasts. The play raises questions about justice, the purpose of punishment, and the capacity for individuals to change. Wertenbaker’s work explores the complexities of the human condition, using the context of historical colonization to provide a thought-provoking commentary on the transformative nature of drama and the potential for hope and redemption even in the harshest of circumstances.