OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD presented by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

17th November 2016 - 26th November 2016

Price: £15.00

By Timberlake Wertenbaker.

Directed by Gemma Fairlie.

Observed by a lone, mystified Aboriginal Australian, the first convict ship arrives in Botany Bay, 1788, crammed with England’s outcasts. Colony discipline in this vast and alien land is brutal. Three proposed public hangings incite an argument: how best to keep the criminals in line, the noose or a more civilised form of entertainment? The ambitious Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark steps forward with a play. But as the mostly illiterate cast rehearses, and a sense of common purpose begins to take hold, the young officer’s own transformation is as marked and poignant as that of his prisoners.

A profoundly humane piece of theatre, steeped in suffering yet charged with hope, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good (based on a true story) celebrates the redemptive power of art.

25 years ago, Our Country’s Good premiered at the Royal Court Theatre before transferring to the West End and Broadway, winning major awards on both sides of the Atlantic.

Contains strong language, violence and scenes of an adult nature.

£15 full £10 concession.