Pupils rose to the challenge of senior play production of Our Country's Good

Timberlake Wertenbaker’s ‘Our Country’s Good’ has long been a staple of the A level Drama syllabus, and it is easy to see why.

The play advocates for the humanising power of theatre; to paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut, it argues that practising any art, no matter how badly, is a way to make the soul grow.

The play is set in 1780s Australia and exposes the harsh realities of the criminal justice system. In an era when a man could be hanged for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family, a boatload of convicts are deported across the world from England for a variety of trivial offences. They are guarded by a group of marines, who are brutal and often sadistic – a convict who pilfers extra food or looks the wrong way at an officer is subject to harsh and summary punishment.

However, the governor of the colony, Captain Phillip, preaches tolerance and redemption. He asks an ambitious young officer, Ralph Clark, played by Henry H (SH, LVI), to stage a production of Farquhar’s ‘The Recruiting Officer’, giving pickpockets and thieves the chance to play lords and ladies.

The play requires extensive multi-roling with actors playing both officers and convicts, reminding us that our social position is simply a part that we play. This is a huge challenge for the performers, and Ian Reade’s cast rose to it brilliantly. Katrina B (M, LVI) transformed herself from the vicious Major Ross to Ketch, the guilt-ridden convict-turned-hangman. Ethan P (R, L) was fabulous as both John Arscott and Midshipman Harry Brewer, whilst Assistant Director Charlotte F (EDH, LVI) played both Captain Phillip and Harry’s reluctant love-interest, Duckling.

Whilst the play is a passionate defence of the theatre, it is also wryly satirical of the pretention and pomposity of actors. Will O’H (Ch, LVI) gave a scene-stealing performance as Sideway, a pickpocket with aspirations to tread in the footsteps of the great Garrick. He performs opposite Liz Morden, ‘the most difficult woman in the colony’ who has been cast as the refined and witty Melinda in the play-within-a-play. Liz is the only character not drawn from the historical record; as such, she is dressed in the vest, tracksuit and tattoos of a modern gaolbird. She was played with terrific menace by Clara G (G, UVI). Throughout the play, Liz and her fellow actors are transformed; by playing ladies, they become ladies. Mary Brenham - Zara B (MSH, L) - falls in love with an officer, while Dabby Bryant (a superbly sassy Faye P (G, LVI)) is able to turn her back on the degradation and abuse of her past.

The play ends with the convicts stepping on stage for their first lines. No longer a bickering collection of self-serving individuals, they have become a company. It is a reminder, if one were needed, that the theatre draws people together, teaches empathy, and changes lives.

Dr Helen Brown

Director of Drama and Deputy Head (Co-curricular)