[NEohioPAL]"Our Country's Good" opening at the Tree City Players this Friday

Wed Sep 11 12:25:06 PDT 2002

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For Immediate Release

TREE CITY PLAYERS
Kent's Community Theatre
Presents

OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD

A Play By
Timberlake Wertenbaker

Directed by=20
Alex J. Nine

Performed at the Kent Stage
175 E. Main Street, Kent.

Performance are Sept. 13, 14, 20 & 21st 2002 at 8 p.m.  Sunday Sept. 15th at=
=20
2 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens.

Call 330-677-5005 for ticket reservations.

Our Country's Good is Timberlake Wertenbaker=E2=80=99s dark comedy based on=20=
Thomas=20
Keneally=E2=80=99s novel The Playmaker.  Our Country's Good relates the true=
 story of=20
the first theatrical performance in the penal colony that was Australia in=20
1789.  When the military governor advocated that people can be ennobled=20
through art, prisoners were conscripted to perform the continents first ever=
=20
theatrical production and the colony became, for a moment, a humane and=20
dignified place.  This =E2=80=9Cexpression of civilization=E2=80=9D brillian=
tly juxtaposes=20
disproportionally harsh penal conditions against the civilizing influence of=
=20
theatrical endeavor.=20

The Story

At the Sydney Cove penal colony in 1788, a young lieutenant directs=20
rehearsals of the Restoration comedy "The Recruiting Officer." With only two=
=20
copies of the text, a cast of convicts, opposition from sadistic officers,=20
and a leading lady about to be hanged, the production is in trouble from the=
=20
start...Based on a historical incident and on Thomas Kenneally's novel "The=20
Playmaker."  Timberlake Wertenbaker's inspirational play, shows us the=20
redemptive, transcendental power of theatre with great elegance and passion.=
 =20
Now recognized as a modern classic, and an A-level set text, it was first=20
performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London in 1988, winning the Laurence=20
Olivier Award that year.=20

On the 18th of January, 1788 the first fleet of British prison ships, under=20
the command of Arthur Phillip, arrive at Botany Bay in New South Wales,=20
Australia and soon settle up the coast at Port Jackson, the site of=20
current-day Sydney.

Many of the prisoners have been convicted of minor theft (stealing a loaf of=
=20
bread was crime enough to earn deportation) and many of their wardens are=20
military men who fought and lost the war against the American colonies. Ther=
e=20
is a sense that they have all of them been condemned: to the task of foundin=
g=20
a self-sustaining colony in a land where farming is difficult, disease is=20
rampant, the laborers unwilling and the aboriginal population often hostile.

At a time of extremely low supplies and low hopes, with the future of the=20
colony in question, 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Clark decides to stage a production=
=20
of George Farquhar's comedy "The Recruiting Officer" using convicts, many of=
=20
them illiterate, as his cast. His intention is not only to raise morale but=20
also make a favorable impression upon his superiors and secure a promotion.=20
The project immediately takes on political dimensions and meets with=20
opposition among the other officers. As his opening night nears Clark=20
struggles to ready the play amidst a storm of questions about the possibilit=
y=20
of redemption and the transforming powers of theatre.

About the Playwright

Ms. Timberlake Wertenbaker, a playwright who gained much acclaim in the=20
British theatre in the 1980's, wrote this play after reading about the=20
history of the convict transportation and this noteworthy amateur theatrical=
=20
performance. It is her design, in Our Country's Good, that the actors play=20
both convicts and jailers -- a rich device that places on trial all of our=20
assumptions about what "civilization" means. One critic "a tribute to the=20
transforming power of drama.

###

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<HTML>For Immediate Release 
 
 
TREE CI=
TY PLAYERS 
Kent's Community Theatre 
Presents 
 
O</F=
ONT>UR COUNTR=
Y'S GOOD=
 
 
A Play By 
Timberlake Wertenbaker 
 
Directed by 
Alex J. Nine 
 
Performed at the Kent Stage 
175 E. Main Street, Kent. 
 
Performance are Sept. 13, 14, 20 & 21st 2002 at 8 p.m.  Sunday Sept=
. 15th at 2 p.m. 
 
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens. 
 
Call 330-677-5005 for ticket reservations. 
 
Our Country's Good is Timberlake Wertenbaker=E2=80=99s dark comedy ba=
sed on Thomas Keneally=E2=80=99s novel The Playmaker.  Our Country's Go=
od relates the true story of the first theatrical performance in the penal c=
olony that was Australia in 1789.  When the military governor advocated=
 that people can be ennobled through art, prisoners were conscripted to perf=
orm the continents first ever theatrical production and the colony became, f=
or a moment, a humane and dignified place.  This =E2=80=9Cexpression of=
 civilization=E2=80=9D brilliantly juxtaposes disproportionally harsh penal=20=
conditions against the civilizing influence of theatrical endeavor.<F=
ONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D3 FAMILY=
=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"> 
 
The Story 
 
At the Sydney Cove penal col=
ony in 1788, a young lieutenant directs rehearsals of the Restoration comedy=
 "The Recruiting Officer." With only two copies of the text, a cast of convi=
cts, opposition from sadistic officers, and a leading lady about to be hange=
d, the production is in trouble from the start...Based on a historical incid=
ent and on Thomas Kenneally's novel "The Playmaker."  Timberlake Werten=
baker's inspirational play, shows us the redemptive, transcendental power of=
 theatre with great elegance and passion.  Now recognized as a modern c=
lassic, and an A-level set text, it was first performed at the Royal Court T=
heatre, London in 1988, winning the Laurence Olivier Award that year. 
 
On the 18th of January, 1788=
 the first fleet of British prison ships, under the command of Arthur Philli=
p, arrive at Botany Bay in New South Wales, Australia and soon settle up the=
 coast at Port Jackson, the site of current-day Sydney. 
 
Many of the prisoners have been convicted of minor theft (stealing a loaf of=
 bread was crime enough to earn deportation) and many of their wardens are m=
ilitary men who fought and lost the war against the American colonies. There=
 is a sense that they have all of them been condemned: to the task of foundi=
ng a self-sustaining colony in a land where farming is difficult, disease is=
 rampant, the laborers unwilling and the aboriginal population often hostile=
. 
 
At a time of extremely low supplies and low hopes, with the future of the co=
lony in question, 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Clark decides to stage a production o=
f George Farquhar's comedy "The Recruiting Officer" using convicts, many of=20=
them illiterate, as his cast. His intention is not only to raise morale but=20=
also make a favorable impression upon his superiors and secure a promotion.=20=
The project immediately takes on political dimensions and meets with opposit=
ion among the other officers. As his opening night nears Clark struggles to=20=
ready the play amidst a storm of questions about the possibility of redempti=
on and the transforming powers of theatre. 
 
About the Playwright 
 
Ms. Timberlake Wertenbaker, a playwright who gained much acclaim in the Brit=
ish theatre in the 1980's, wrote this play after reading about the history o=
f the convict transportation and this noteworthy amateur theatrical performa=
nce. It is her design, in Our Country's Good, that the actors play both conv=
icts and jailers -- a rich device that places on trial all of our assumption=
s about what "civilization" means. One critic "a tribute to the transforming=
 power of drama. 
 
 
###</HTML>

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