Theatre Production Exposes Harsh Landings for Australia's First Fleet
“Our Country’s Good,” an historic drama about the lives of English convicts in 18th century Australia, is presented by Utah State University’s Caine College of the Arts Feb. 17-19 and 23-26.
Our Country’s Good is the story of first fleet of settlers, consisting of convicts and Royal Marines, sent to New South Wales in 1788 as part of the first penal colony on the then British occupied island of Australia. It follows the attempts of the brutal officers who begin orchestrating a play — with a cast drawn from convicts — to perform for the penal colony’s governor. The play-within-a-play showcases the class system in the convict camp and discusses themes such as sexuality, punishment, the judicial system and the idea that it is possible for “theater to be a humanizing force.”
“There are two main elements to this production,” said Adrianne Moore, associate professor for the department of theatre arts in the Caine College of Arts and the play’s director. “It’s a historical look at the harshness of life for the first convicts to settle in Australia, and it’s a story about the redemptive power of art as the convicts rehearse a play.”
Theatre arts department faculty member and costume designer Nancy Hills agrees.
“This play is all about the humanizing and extraordinary effect art can have on people even in the most difficult of situations,” Hills said.
An interesting aspect of the play is its tie to reality, said Hills. The real-life characters spent nearly nine months travelling by sea from England to establish Botany Bay.
“This play is based on a real book, the characters are based on real people and the crimes the play’s convicts are imprisoned for are examples of real charges convicts were punished for in the late 1700s, like stealing candlesticks and hair bonnets,” said Hills.
Because the play is a dramatic depiction of the relationships between convicts and officers and contains mild language and sexual references, it is not recommended for youth age 16 and younger.
Our Country’s Good takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. in the Morgan Theatre of USU’s Chase Fine Arts Center Feb. 17-19 and 23-26. Tickets are $13 for reserved seating, $11 for USU faculty and staff and non-USU students and free for USU students.
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Writer: Courtney Lewis, 435-797-9203, courtney.lewis@usu.edu
Contact: Adrianne Moore, 435-797-3023, Adrianne.moore@usu.edu
Promotional illustration for USU's production "Our Country’s Good." Actors in the illustration are: (bottom) Jess Wallace, (middle) Felicia Stehmeier, (top) Michael Francis. Feb. 17-19 and 23-26, Morgan Theatre, Chase Fine Arts Center, 7:30 p.m..
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