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

Product Information

List A – these plays have been selected to represent significant drama through the ages. Playwright 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. 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! 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.

Faddy is against the idea of the play because he does not like Ralph Clark. He only appears in one scene (Act one, Scene six) where he constantly makes snide comments to Ralph and expresses his distaste for him through insults directed at Ralph. Midshipman Harry Brewer Second Lieutenant William Faddy: He opposes the play simply because he doesn't like Ralph. His dislike is never really explained, but all of his comments in his only scene (Act One, Scene Six) are sarcastic snides or even insults directed at Ralph. have an awareness of how their design will impact on the live performance as a whole. The Working notebook Ketch Freeman is a former convict who was given an ultimatum - to hang others or be hanged. He became the hangman of the penalty colony. The convicts detest him, and he wants to be in the play so that they can start to like him. Dabby Bryant Dabby Bryant: Mary's friend who constantly dreams of returning to Devon. Although she did sell Mary for food on the ship, she obviously cares for her. Although she seems to enjoy the play, she thinks the content and especially her character, Rose, are stupid and argues for a play that is more relevant towards their current situation. In the final scene, she reveals that she has plans for escaping that night. The real Mary Bryant would indeed become famous for a daring escape in 1791.include reference to the social, cultural or historical context of their selected play where the instruction is given to do so Step 3: Identify how much of the section needs to be performed to meet the relevant AQA minimum performance time. The minimum performance time varies depending on the number of performers in the group. If the group is large, collectively the group is likely to need to perform the whole section they have studied (which may have needed to have been more than the minimum 10 minutes, see Step 2). If the performance is to be a monologue, the performer will only need to perform part of the section they have studied.

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. Step 2: Focus on one section of the play. The section must be substantial, which is defined as taking at least 10 minutes to perform if performed. Large groups will need to study a longer section (see Step 3). Students should study the section chosen in depth, taking time to thoroughly explore and interpret it.James " Ketch" Freeman: Transported to Australia for the killing of a sailor who broke a strike, Freeman is made the hangman of the colony when he is told 'hang or be hanged'. Despised by many of the other convicts for being a hangman, in particular Liz Morden, Ketch struggles to be accepted. He exchanges words with Ralph in Act One, Scene Nine. He explains how he came to be in his situation, blaming a mix of reasons including leaving Ireland where his guardian angel was. You see also in this scene his desperation to be an actor in the play. Students must not answer Section A or Section B of the exam on the same play they answer on for Section C ie the live production seen cannot be one of their set plays. Section C: Live theatre production 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.

Dabby Bryant is based on the real person, Mary Bryant (1765-1794), who managed to escape from an Australian penalty colony. The real Lieutenant-General Watkin Tench (1758-1833) published books that describe his life in the First Fleet. 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 Are you curious to learn more about how Australia, as we know it today, came to be? Our Country's Good (1988) is a two-act Play by Timberlake Wertenbaker based on the true story of one of Australia's first penalty colonies. Author

Alert

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 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 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 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.

If a student’s performancedoes notmeet therequiredduration a penalty is applied to the mark (the size of the penaltydepends onthe severity of the timing infringement).Itmayalsoresult in schools or colleges being investigated for maladministration. Assessment evidence The real Lieutenant Ralph Clark (1755 or 1762-1794) has left several diaries and letters to his wife. It is known that he had a daughter with the female convict, Mary Brenham. The girl was called Alicia, after the Lieutenant's wife. Arts, Humanities and Cultures • AQA A-level History: Britain 1851-1964: Challenge and Transformation In the play, Captain Tench opposes Phillip. He doesn't believe that the convicts could ever improve and become valuable members of society. He hates them all because they are criminals. Judge Collins they answer on for Section C ie the live production seen cannot be one of their set plays. Component 2: Creating original drama

Our Country's Good is based on Thomas Keneally's Novel, The Playmaker (1987). The Novel is inspired by the true story of Australia's first theatre production - a play performed by the convicts of one of the first British penalty colonies. Major Robbie Ross, RM: The real Major Robbie Ross had previously been on the losing side of the American War of Independence. In the play, Ross makes a reference to this, "This is a profligate prison for us all, it's a hellish hole we soldiers have been hauled to because they blame us for losing the war in America." (Act Two, Scene Ten) The fact he feels he is being blamed may account for some of his bitterness. He is a vile, power obsessed man, who intimidates the convicts and believes that the convicts' punishment should be severe. He is completely against the play The Recruiting Officer being put on, and constantly ridicules Ralph Clark for it. For group performances playing time for each performance should reflect the number of performance students in the group. For example a group with six performance students should work to the upper time limit.