Our Country's Good: Based on the Novel the "Playmaker" by Thomas Kenneally (Student Editions)

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There are three prohibited play combinations for the exam: students must not answer on both Butterworth’s Jerusalem from List A and Teale’s Brontë, Gurira’s The Convert, or Ellams’ Three Sisters from List B. This is because these texts were written at a similar time. Section A: Drama through the ages

The Working notebook must not exceed in total (evidence beyond this must not count towards the mark) Wisehammer was arrested for stealing snuff. He claims he is innocent and struggles to fit in with Liz Morden and Ross’ anti-semitism. He taught himself how to read and is widely knowledgeable in many areas. He writes an alternate prologue to the play (which contains the title “Our Country’s Good) but Ralph rejects it as it would upset the officers. He wishes to stay in Australia after his release and write plays. Mary Brenham Dabby Bryant is based on the real person, Mary Bryant (1765-1794), who managed to escape from an Australian penalty colony. Scene 4, “The loneliness of men,” opens with Clark reading aloud what he is writing in his diary concerning events in the prison colony. Harry Brewer enters and reveals that the man he hanged is haunting him. Clark tries to comfort him and mentions the possibility of doing a play with a convict cast. In scene 5, titled “An audition,” George Farquhar’s comedy The Recruiting Officer (pr., pb. 1706), gets under way, and the dialogue takes a comic turn as the convicts react to the unfamiliar situation of actually being in a play. Theatrical performance has never been a part of their wretched experience in England.

Each student's contribution to the final devised performance is marked out of 20. Guidance on devising The real Lieutenant-General Watkin Tench (1758-1833) published books that describe his life in the First Fleet. John Arscott: John Arscott's hopelessness as a convict becomes apparent in Act Two, Scene One. He says, 'There's no escape I tell you.' His utter hopelessness becomes more apparent when it is revealed that his compass he bought from a sailor is actually a piece of paper with 'North' written on it. Depending upon the delivery, this line can be full of humour or full of pathos. He eventually becomes most lost in the play, claiming that he doesn't have to think about reality when he plays Kite, finding a different way of "escape" through the theatre. The real John Arscott never actually tried escaping and got rich enough after his liberation to return to England. Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark: Ralph is struggling as a lower officer. He desperately wants promotion, and when he hears through Harry Brewer that Arthur Phillip has suggested a play be put on by the convicts, he jumps to set about doing it. You see his transformation in the play as he turns from a man who is extremely nervous and uneasy around women, even ridiculed for not having a woman convict for himself on the voyage to Australia, to a man in love with the convict Mary Brenham. He is influenced, to changing his feelings towards the convicts, by Arthur Phillip, giving them respect in the end, apologising to Liz Morden for interrupting her line in a rehearsal. The real Ralph Clark later had a daughter with Mary Brenham, whom he named Betsey Alicia – for his wife in England.

The real Captain Arthur Phillip (1738-1814) was the founding governor of the Colony of New South Wales. He was known to be a just and fair governor. Several places in Australia bear his name. In the exam students are expected to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject content.It is 1787, and a fleet of British convict ships is bound for Australia, where Captain Arthur Phillip will become Governor of one of the region’s first penal colonies. Not long after the military officers and their prisoners arrive, Phillip discusses the merits of punishment with Judge Collins, Captain Tench, and Midshipman Harry Brewer. Phillip is averse to cruel displays of discipline, but Tench believes in the value of capital punishment. As this discussion continues, the men turn their attention to the hanging of several convicts, which is set to take place soon. Phillip expresses his reservations regarding the spectacle, but Judge Collins suggests that public hangings instill a “mortar of fear” in the convicts that is necessary for a well-functioning “civilisation.” Agreeing with this, Tench explains that the hangings are the convicts’ “favourite form of entertainment.” This appalls Phillip, who suggests that the convicts should be exposed to other forms of entertainment, and when Tench makes fun of him for this, Phillip upholds that “no one is born naturally cultured,” saying that even he had to learn to appreciate things like theater. All the same, he instructs Harry to move forward with the hanging. Ralph tells Philip that, because half of his actors are in prison, he wants to stop the play, but Philip exhorts him to continue trying, making Ralph see the much larger meaning that the play has for the colony. Philip especially advocates for Liz Morden, as he wants to make an example of her – through redemption.

Step 2: Focus on one section of the play. The section must be substantial, which is defined as taking at least 10 minutes to perform if performed. Large groups will need to study a longer section (see Step 3). Students should study the section chosen in depth, taking time to thoroughly explore and interpret it. He was transported to Australia for killing a sailor who broke a strike. He claims that he didn’t do it, that the blame was placed on him unfairly. He becomes the hangman of the colony after being given the choice to hang or be hanged. Ketch struggles to fit in as he is loathed by the other convicts, especially Liz Morden. He is desperate to act in the play but no one wants to go near him. He also blames his situation on leaving his ‘guardian angel’ in Ireland. Robert Sideway Details of admissible evidence types for the Working notebook can be found below: Evidence for the Working notebook must be one of the following:Lieutenant William Dawes, RM: The colony's astronomer, who couldn't care less about matters on earth. He agrees to the play if he doesn't have to come and watch it. The Reflective report must be presented as a written document. Evidence for the Reflective report must be

they answer on for Section C ie the live production seen cannot be one of their set plays. Section B: 20th and 21st century drama have an awareness of how their design will impact on the live performance as a whole. The Working notebook Our Country’s Good is both a comedy and a powerful drama which shows us how we can escape the chains that bind us. Ralph is an officer that is trying desperately to get a promotion. He tries to take on every responsibility so when he hears about the play he immediately agrees to direct and organize it. He starts off shy and scared of women but grows into a character who falls in love with a convict and becomes more and more assertive. His attitude towards the convicts changes, heavily influenced by Phillip and he ends up treating the convicts far better. Second Lieutenant William Faddy

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The succession of short scenes in varied locales has become a familiar way for contemporary dramatists to construct a complex plot. In production, My Country’s Good would be performed on a basic set, most likely on several levels, so that one scene could flow into another without interruption. Lighting and simple properties along with period costumes would establish the necessary atmosphere. List A – these plays have been selected to represent significant drama through the ages. Playwright Our Country's Good is based on Thomas Keneally's Novel, The Playmaker (1987). The Novel is inspired by the true story of Australia's first theatre production - a play performed by the convicts of one of the first British penalty colonies.