Our Country's Good
By TIMBERLAKE WERTENBAKER
A modern classic exploring crime and punishment and the power of theatre
23-27 October 2018
From distant climes, o’er wide-spread seas we come, Though not with much eclat or beat of drum, True patriots all; for be it understood, We left our country for our country’s good; No private views disgrac’d our generous zeal, What urg’d our travels was our country’s weal; And none will doubt but that our emigration Has prov’d most useful, to the British nation.
Thirty years on from its premiere at the Royal Court, Our Country's Good is a modern classic, exploring themes of crime, punishment and the unifying and civilising power of theatre.
Set in 1787, it tells the true story of a group of convicts transported to Australia who, faced with the appalling realities of life in a penal colony, come together to rehearse and perform a play.
CAST
CAPTAIN ARTHUR PHILLIP / SHITTY MEG | Simon Hill
MAJOR ROBBIE ROSS | John Irvine
CAPTAIN DAVID COLLINS / ROBERT SIDEWAY | Josh Yard
CAPTAIN WATKINS TENCH / CAESAR | Kieron Mieres
CAPTAIN JEMMY CAMPBELL / JOHN ARSCOTT | TheoBhatt
REV. JOHNSON / JOHN WISEHAMMER | Dave McGroarty
LT WILLIAM DAWES / DUCKLING SMITH | Jamila Jennings Grant
LT JOHNSTON / LIZ MORDEN | Jessica Withey
KETCH FREEMAN / CAPTAIN WATKINS TENCH | James Haughey
RALPH CLARKE | Sam Pearce
MARY BRENHAM | Sophia Popadopoulos
SECOND LT WILL FADDY / DABBY BRYANT | Kat Novkovic
MIDSHIPMAN HARRY BREWER / CAESAR | Matt Tylianakis
CREATIVE TEAM
DIRECTOR | Chloe Robertson
PRODUCER | Rebecca Kendall
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR | Matt Gould
ASSISTANT PRODUCER and STAGE MANAGER | Christina Wayman
LIGHTING DESIGNER | Adam Coppard
SET DESIGN | Brian Tucker
SET BUILD/ASM/SOUND | Adam Lockett
COSTUMES | Elinor Turner and Clare Harding
WIGS | Karen de la Poer
MARKETING | Angharad Corona
WARDROBE | Deborah Lean
PROSTHETICS and MAKE-UP | Georgia Olive
GRAPHIC DESIGN | Jon Norton
PROPS and COMMITTEE LIAISON | Tim Garrard
Strong production of modern classic.
I think this production of Our Country’s Good is the best non-professional 'straight' play (musicals are a different animal) I have ever seen. Of course that’s partly down to the strength of Wertenbaker’s timeless, topical, funny, poignant, horrifying text. But it’s also a huge credit to the talented Sedos cast and their director, Chloe Robertson.
It’s easy to forget that Sedos are an amateur company – their production values and talented casts are always of such a high standard. Sedos’s production of Our Country’s Good, 30 years on from it’s Royal Court premiere, is another stunning success.
- Tuesday 23 October 2018 7.30pm
- Wednesday 24 October 2018 7.30pm
- Thursday 25 October 2018 7.30pm
- Friday 26 October 2018 7.30pm
- Saturday 27 October 2018 2.30pm
- Saturday 27 October 2018 7.30pm
