Our Country's Good

Spewed from our country, forgotten, bound to the dark edge of the earth…Thomas Barrett, aged 17. Transported seven years for stealing one ewe sheep. James Freeman, aged 25. Transported 14 years for assault on a sailor. Dorothy Handland, aged 82. Stole a biscuit. 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, this is a one of a kind theatre production…In this brand new version, Timberlake Wertenbaker revisits her Olivier award winning classic based on the extraordinary true story of Australia’s first penal colony. This edition was published to coincide with the revival at London's Lyric Theatre, in September 2024