Our Country's Good
Performances:
March 17 – April 7, 2007
Thurs – Sat at 8, Sun at 2pm
Athenaeum Theatre Studio 3
2936 N. Southport
By Timberlake Wertenbaker
Based in part on historical record, Wertenbaker’s drama deals with the challenges of a young military officer and a group of convicts attempting to stage a play in the newly formed penal colony of Australia. As the fledgling thespians face challenges from the difficult environment, the indifference and cruelty of the ruling officers, and their personal demons, we see the power of the theatre to transform their lives and help them build a new society in a new home.
Murray and his team rise to the challenge though it’s only Promethean’s second mainstage production, achieving more than some companies 20 years their senior could. This play explicitly outlines the power of theater without seeming cloying or desperate, and Murray and his excellent young cast have made it a powerful case.
…the persuasive ensemble creates characters who mirror various reactions to art then and now. At every turn the parallels to modern penal camps carry this history play from the past into the present.
