Our Country's Good: Based on the Novel the "Playmaker" by Thomas Kenneally (Student Editions)

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John Wisehammer: Transported to Australia for stealing snuff, he continues to claim his innocence. He is Jewish and struggles against slight (Liz) and strong (Ross) anti-semitism. His large knowledge is self-taught and he says of himself that he "like[s] words" (Act One, Scene Ten). He writes a new prologue to the play, which Ralph doesn't want to use on the first night, as he considers it too political. In the end, Wisehammer wants to stay in Australia, as "no one has more of a right than anyone else to call [him] a foreigner" (Act Two, Scene Eleven), and to become an author there. He and Mary Brenham exchange words, literally, in Act One, Scene Ten, where Wisehammer's slight intellectualism is explained. The real Wisehammer would get married and become a merchant after his release.

All upcoming public events are going ahead as planned and you can find more information on our events blog Our Country’s Good is a dramatic depiction of these real life events which makes use of historical records as inspiration for the characters. Update this section! Step 1: Choose a play (adhering to the requirements above) and start to explore the play practically. 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 Our Country's Good, Captain Collins is appointed judge of the penalty colony. He stands by Phillip's decision for the play to be staged - he even conducts a vote about it. Major Robbie RossRalph 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. Lieutenant William Dawes, RM: The colony's astronomer, who couldn't care less about matters on earth. He agrees to the play if he doesn't have to come and watch it. The succession of short scenes in varied locales has become a familiar way for contemporary dramatists to construct a complex plot. In production, My Country’s Good would be performed on a basic set, most likely on several levels, so that one scene could flow into another without interruption. Lighting and simple properties along with period costumes would establish the necessary atmosphere. Caesar is originally from Madagascar and wishes to join the play. After begging for a role he ends up being Worthy’s servant (A silent part) and beats the drum for Kite. Despite all this, he ends up getting stage fright and needs to be threatened by the other actors in the play. Ketch Freeman

Students and teachers will be required to sign a Candidate record form (CRF) to fully authenticate each student's work. Supervising students Major Robbie Ross fought and lost in the war against America which he believes is the reason why he was sent with the First Fleet to Australia. Throughout the play he is a bitter and negative person. He does not want the play “The Recruiting Officer” to happen and tries to stop it at every point by creating tension between the convicts and Lieutenant Ralph Clark. Ultimately he is always overruled by Captain Arthur Phillips. Captain David Collins When it opened at the Royal Court, Wertenbaker was awarded an Olivier award which was shortly followed by nominations for six Tony awards on Broadway. Much of the success of the play can be attributed to its exploration of what it means to be human. Wertenbaker used the context of 18th century transportation to explore human morality in extreme circumstances. Out of this emerges horrendous cruelty, which Wertenbaker describes as the extreme lows of humanity, and remarkable survival, the extreme highs. 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 Mary Brenham is a shy girl who was dragged into stealing by the man with the initials “A.H” tattooed on her thigh. She gets hauled to the auditions for the play by Dabby Bryant and ends up getting accepted after only reading a few lines. Her and Ralph fall in love and imagine a future together however there is always a power dynamic imbalance with Ralph believing he is better than her because she is a convict. Dabby BryantIn the play, Captain Phillip is a wise leader who calls for justice and respect for the convicts. He insists that The Recruiting Officer is staged so that the convicts have the chance to improve themselves by being exposed to something other than a public hanging. Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark The real Lieutenant-General Watkin Tench (1758-1833) published books that describe his life in the First Fleet. During this period, Dabby and Mary rehearse their lines. When Liz tries to join them, Dabby insults her. Nonetheless, Mary helps them both practice, since she’s the only one who can read. Before long, Dabby and Liz end up fighting, at which point Ketch Freeman—the colony’s hangman—appears and asks why they’re “at each other’s throats.” “I wouldn’t talk of throats if I was you, Mr Hangman Ketch Freeman,” Liz says, and the three women berate him. That night, Freeman visits Ralph’s tent and tells him his life story, explaining that he always gets in trouble simply for being part of a group that collectively breaks the law. In fact, he was with Handy Baker when he and several others stole food, but Ketch avoided execution by agreeing to become the colony’s hangman. However, he can’t stand that everyone hates him, so he pleads with Ralph to be included in the play, hoping this will help him redeem himself. 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 Morden Dabby Bryant is based on the real person, Mary Bryant (1765-1794), who managed to escape from an Australian penalty colony.