In the play, he is the Governor in Chief of New South Wales and has come out of retirement to do this job. He aims to make the prisoners believe that they are not slaves and have a hope for the future. Throughout the play he encourages Ralph Clark to continue with the play and is seen as a fair and wise person. Major Robbie Ross

In the exam students are expected to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject content.is reviewed between 08.30 to 16.30 Monday to Friday. We're experiencing a high volume of enquiries so it may take us Ralph tells Philip that, because half of his actors are in prison, he wants to stop the play, but Philip exhorts him to continue trying, making Ralph see the much larger meaning that the play has for the colony. Philip especially advocates for Liz Morden, as he wants to make an example of her – through redemption. Captain David Collins, RM: Collins was appointed as the colony's judge on arrival at Botany Bay in 1788 and as such, his contribution to conversations at hand are generally from a legal perspective. He approaches subjects with the other officers very logically and justifies all of his comments. He fully supports Ralph's decision to stage a play and conducts a vote amongst the officers to find out who agrees with them. The real David Collins went on to found the first settlement in Tasmania.

In the third scene, Sydney Cove, Governor Arthur Phillip, Judge David Collins, Captain Watkin Tench, and Midshipman Harry Brewer talk about the punishment the convicts are given. Some characters see the establishment of a new colony just to imprison people as pointless as well as the capital punishment by hanging. From their conversation, the reader finds that a person could be given the sentence of death by hanging for stealing food, describing thus the punishments as being extremely cruel and even unjust at times. Some of the men do not think that the convicts can be thought to be good and as such, they are seen as a lost cause. When the Governor tries to convince the rest of the men that the convicts need to be treated like humans and educated, he is laughed at, proving just how little hope the rest had for the convicts on the island. In the play, Major Ross is cruel to the convicts. He's completely opposed to the play, and he ridicules Ralph for it. Midshipman Harry Brewer Students can perform an abridged version of the key extract if needed (to provide a coherent performance within the minimum performance times stated) but the wording itself must not be modified.Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark: Ralph is struggling as a lower officer. He desperately wants promotion, and when he hears through Harry Brewer that Arthur Phillip has suggested a play be put on by the convicts, he jumps to set about doing it. You see his transformation in the play as he turns from a man who is extremely nervous and uneasy around women, even ridiculed for not having a woman convict for himself on the voyage to Australia, to a man in love with the convict Mary Brenham. He is influenced, to changing his feelings towards the convicts, by Arthur Phillip, giving them respect in the end, apologising to Liz Morden for interrupting her line in a rehearsal. The real Ralph Clark later had a daughter with Mary Brenham, whom he named Betsey Alicia – for his wife in England. Liz and the others are let out of jail and allowed to rehearse. However, Liz has been sentenced to death, having refused to plead her innocence during her trial. To rectify this, Phillip meets with her, Judge Collins, Ralph, and Ross. Eventually, Liz admits she didn’t defend herself because she didn’t think anyone would listen to her—an idea that deeply troubles Phillip and Collins, who want to create a just judicial system. Finally, Liz insists that she steal food, and Collins grants her a retrial. In 1787, a fleet of ships carrying over 700 convicts set sail on an eight month voyage. When they arrive in Australia, their survival is by no means certain: supplies are running out, the convicts are stealing food or trying to escape and the guards are threatening mutiny. The convicts knew their lines absolutely because they had nothing else to do and they didn't want to waste time with pleasantries; as soon as you came into the room they started rehearsing. The two hours were very intense because the time was so valuable and we saw immediately how doing a play could become absolutely absorbing if you were incarcerated. The real Captain Arthur Phillip (1738-1814) was the founding governor of the Colony of New South Wales. He was known to be a just and fair governor. Several places in Australia bear his name.

In the hold of the convict ship Sirius, the convicts witness an (off-stage) flogging and express fear about their future. In Sydney Cove, an unnamed Aboriginal Australian witnesses the arrival of the first fleet. Throughout the play, he comments on the British settlement's effect on the indigenous populations, reacting with curiosity, confusion, and finally fear. As part of their research, Stafford-Clark and Wertenbaker went to see a play performed by convicts at Wormwood Scrubs, which proved inspiring: "in prison conditions, theatre can be hugely heartening and influential and indeed in prison your options are so limited you can become a born-again Christian, a gym-queen constantly working out, a bird watcher or you become passionate about theatre." The convicts were, at least momentarily, civilized human beings, and they had taken their work very seriously: Lieutenant George Johnston, RM: An officer most famed for his "compassion, if not to say passion" (Act One, Scene Six) for the convict women. The real Johnston lived with a convict named Esther Abrahams and later took part in the Rum Rebellion.

Alert

There are three prohibited play combinations for the exam: students must not answer on both Butterworth’s Jerusalem from List A and Teale’s Brontë, Gurira’s The Convert, or Ellams’ Three Sisters from List B. This is because these texts were written at a similar time. Section A: Drama through the ages Our Country’s Good is both a comedy and a powerful drama which shows us how we can escape the chains that bind us. Wisehammer was arrested for stealing snuff. He claims he is innocent and struggles to fit in with Liz Morden and Ross’ anti-semitism. He taught himself how to read and is widely knowledgeable in many areas. He writes an alternate prologue to the play (which contains the title “Our Country’s Good) but Ralph rejects it as it would upset the officers. He wishes to stay in Australia after his release and write plays. Mary Brenham The play was performed at the Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre, directed by Caroline Hall and featuring Louise Gold as Lieutenant Will Dawes and Liz Morden. [1] It was also presented at the Liverpool Playhouse in 2007. Among the cast members was Charlie Brooks. The actors also provided a workshop for real life convicts in Walton Prison. [ citation needed] Awards and nominations [ edit ] 1988 Laurence Olivier Award The first act’s final scene follows the difficulties at “The first rehearsal.” As usual the convict players argue among themselves about the play, which they take literally and confuse with their own lives. Major Ross and his assistant Captain Campbell interrupt the rehearsal to announce that some of the cast members have stolen food and attempted escape. At this point it appears that the play will never be produced.

One night, Ralph finds Mary rehearsing alone on the beach. When he joins her and recites the lines of her character’s lover, they begin to feel a connection, and their fake embrace turns into something real. As they take off their clothes, Ralph admits he’s never seen a naked woman before—not even his wife. The Aboriginal Australian appears throughout the play to show his changing reactions towards the British colonisers. At first, he is curious, but by the end of the play, he's dying of smallpox that the outsiders have brought to his land. Other Characters Liz Morden is a troublesome convict who quarrels with the others. She's accused of stealing food, and she's sentenced to death. At first, she doesn't defend herself, but she later reveals that she didn't say that she wasn't the thief because she didn't think anyone would listen to her. By the end of the play, Liz gets along with the other actors in the play. Ketch Freeman Johnston is also not a main character in the play and is known for treating woman sinners with compassion. During the vote he votes for the play. Lieutenant Will Dawes Dabby Bryant is Mary’s best friend and constantly speaks about returning to Devon.On the ship, she sold Mary to a sailor on the ship in exchange for extra food rations for them both however she does care about Mary. Bryant’s opinion on the play is that it’s stupid and she also dislikes her part as she argues it should be more relevant to the situation they’re in. Nevertheless, she seems to enjoy taking part in the play. In the final scene she decides she will try and escape that night. Liz MordenAn Aboriginal Australian: He describes the British settler's efforts with curiosity and later with fear. Depending on how prominent his appearances are made in a given staging, the subject of colonisation may become more and more central to the play. Captain Jemmy Campbell, RM: A follower of Ross. There is great debate among productions as to his sobriety and while he is often played as drunk, there is nothing ever mentioned in the script to confirm this thought. He tends to copy Ross's views on everything though finds himself amused by the idea of the convicts performing a play. Later, in 1989, a prisoner by the name of Joe White was moved from Wormwood Scrubs to Blundeston prison where he took part in a performance of Our Country’s Good. Wertenbaker said that the play had come “full circle”. In Our Country’s Good, Wertenbaker explores how drama and language can be a refuge from the hopelessness of the grim conditions of supposed rehabilitation facilities and comments on the ineffectiveness of the justice system in reintegrating inmates into society.