Our country's good themes

Our Country's Good is a play by Timberlake Wertenbaker. The play is based on the true story of the first production of The Recruiting Officer, a comedy by George Farquhar, performed by a group of convicts in the first Australian penal colony in It explores themes of civilisation, justice, the role of theatre, and human resilience. The play is structured into two acts and consists of a series of interconnected scenes.

The narrative alternates between the staging of the play The Recruiting Officer by the convicts and the interactions between the convicts and their British officers, highlighting the contrasts between their lives and aspirations. Through the convicts' engagement with theatre, the play raises significant questions about power, redemption, identity, and the role of art in society.

Our country's good characters

The historical context of 18th-century Britain and its penal system provides a rich backdrop for these themes, making the play a poignant reflection on social justice and the capacity for change. Skip to main content. Structure The play is structured into two acts and consists of a series of interconnected scenes. Act One: Focuses on the convicts being prepared to perform the play.

It introduces the key characters and the tensions between the officers and convicts, setting the stage for the exploration of social class, power, and the potential for transformation through theatre. Act Two: Revolves around the completion of the production of The Recruiting Officer, examining the consequences of the performance and the personal growth of the convicts, and the conflict between individual desires and social expectations.

Setting The play is set in late 18th-century Australia, specifically in a British penal colony. Physical setting: The play alternates between the makeshift, harsh reality of the penal colony where conditions are brutal and life is governed by survival and the more reflective space of the theatre, where the convicts' production of The Recruiting Officer takes place.

The latter setting contrasts the oppressive environment of the penal colony with the possibility of transformation through art. Time period: The play occurs during the early years of the colony, a time when Britain was shipping convicts to Australia as part of its penal system.