Drama trip to London
A level Theatre Studies pupils travelled to London’s Lyric Theatre to watch a production of their set text: Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker.
“A ship, sailing 15,000 miles to Australia, is crammed with Britain’s convicts – a punishment for their crimes. After a life-threatening voyage they arrive in 1788. But keeping the colony disciplined is a brutal job, and cruelty is rife. To keep the convicts in line and attempt to ‘civilise’ this often desperate, violent, poverty stricken group, a young ambitious lieutenant, Ralph Clark, decides they should perform a play. With a mostly illiterate cast, rising mistrust amongst the ranks, and the leading actor facing the gallows, will the transformative power of theatre save their souls?“
In this brand new production, Timberlake Wertenbaker revisited her seminal play examining power in the British justice system, collaborating with consultant Ian Michael to honour the voice and history of Australia’s First Nations People. Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan (A Doll’s House, Iphigenia in Splott) directed this Olivier award-winning classic based on the extraordinary true story of the British Empire’s most remote penal colony. With deportation as punishment more relevant than ever before, Our Country’s Good took on new meaning in 2024 and inspired and gripped our pupils in equal measure.
“A ship, sailing 15,000 miles to Australia, is crammed with Britain’s convicts – a punishment for their crimes. After a life-threatening voyage they arrive in 1788. But keeping the colony disciplined is a brutal job, and cruelty is rife. To keep the convicts in line and attempt to ‘civilise’ this often desperate, violent, poverty stricken group, a young ambitious lieutenant, Ralph Clark, decides they should perform a play. With a mostly illiterate cast, rising mistrust amongst the ranks, and the leading actor facing the gallows, will the transformative power of theatre save their souls?“
In this brand new production, Timberlake Wertenbaker revisited her seminal play examining power in the British justice system, collaborating with consultant Ian Michael to honour the voice and history of Australia’s First Nations People. Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan (A Doll’s House, Iphigenia in Splott) directed this Olivier award-winning classic based on the extraordinary true story of the British Empire’s most remote penal colony. With deportation as punishment more relevant than ever before, Our Country’s Good took on new meaning in 2024 and inspired and gripped our pupils in equal measure.
